State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HB0726

 
                                               LRB9204090JMpc

 1        AN ACT concerning the use of State funds.

 2        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

 4        Section 1.  Short title.  This Act may be  cited  as  the
 5    Use of State Funds for Union Organizing Act.

 6        Section  5.  Policy.   The Legislature finds and declares
 7    the following:
 8        It is the policy of the State not to  interfere  with  an
 9    employee's  choice about whether to join or to be represented
10    by a labor union.  For this  reason,  the  State  should  not
11    subsidize efforts by an employer to assist, promote, or deter
12    union  organizing.   It  is  the intent of the Legislature in
13    enacting this Act to prohibit an employer  from  using  State
14    funds and facilities for the purpose of influencing employees
15    to support or oppose unionization and to prohibit an employer
16    from  seeking  to  influence  employees  to support or oppose
17    unionization while those employees are performing work  on  a
18    State contract.

19        Section 10.  Definitions.  As used in this Act:
20        "Assist,  promote,  or  deter union organizing" means any
21    attempt by an employer  to  influence  the  decision  of  its
22    employees  in  this  State  or  those  of  its subcontractors
23    regarding either of the following:
24             (1)  Whether  to   support   or   oppose   a   labor
25        organization  that represents or seeks to represent those
26        employees.
27             (2)  Whether  to  become  a  member  of  any   labor
28        organization.
29        "Employer"    means    any    individual,    corporation,
30    unincorporated association, partnership, government agency or
 
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 1    body, or other legal entity that employs more than one person
 2    in the State.
 3        "Public  agency"  means  a  unit  of  local government or
 4    school district.
 5        "State contractor" means any employer that receives State
 6    funds for supplying goods or services pursuant to  a  written
 7    contract  with  the  State  or  any  of its agencies.  "State
 8    contractor" includes an employer that  receives  State  funds
 9    pursuant  to  a service contract in excess of $250,000 with a
10    public agency  as  specified  in  the  definition  of  "State
11    funds".   For  purposes of this Act, such a contract shall be
12    deemed to be a contract with a State agency.
13        "State funds"  means  any  money  drawn  from  the  State
14    treasury  or  any special or trust fund of the State.  "State
15    funds" includes any  money  appropriated  by  the  State  and
16    transferred  to  any public agency that is used by the public
17    agency to fund, in whole or in part, a  service  contract  in
18    excess of $250,000.
19        "State  property" means any property or facility owned or
20    leased by the State or any State agency.

21        Section   15.  Reimbursement   for    union    organizing
22    prohibited.
23        (a)  No  State  funds  shall be used to reimburse a State
24    contractor for any costs  incurred  to  assist,  promote,  or
25    deter union organizing.
26        (b)  Every  request for reimbursement from State funds by
27    a State contractor shall include  a  certification  that  the
28    contractor is not seeking reimbursement for costs incurred to
29    assist,   promote,   or  deter  union  organizing.   A  State
30    contractor that incurs costs to  assist,  promote,  or  deter
31    union  organizing  shall  maintain records sufficient to show
32    that no reimbursement from State funds has  been  sought  for
33    those  costs.   The  State  contractor  shall  provide  those
 
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 1    records to the Attorney General upon request.
 2        (c)  A  State  contractor  is liable to the State for the
 3    amount of any funds obtained in violation of  subsection  (a)
 4    plus  a  civil  penalty  equal  to  twice the amount of those
 5    funds.
 6        (d)  This  Section  does  not  apply  to  a   fixed-price
 7    contract  or  to any other arrangement by which the amount of
 8    the payment of State funds  does  not  depend  on  the  costs
 9    incurred by the State contractor.

10        Section   20.  Use   of   grants   for  union  organizing
11    prohibited.
12        (a)  The recipient of a grant of State  funds,  including
13    State  funds  disbursed  as a grant by a public agency, shall
14    not  use  the  funds  to  assist,  promote,  or  deter  union
15    organizing.
16        (b)  For purposes of this Section, each  recipient  of  a
17    grant  of  State  funds  shall  account  for  those  funds as
18    follows:
19             (1)  State funds designated by the grantor  for  use
20        for  a  specific  expenditure  of  the recipient shall be
21        accounted for as allocated to that expenditure.
22             (2)  State  funds  that  are   not   designated   as
23        described  in  paragraph  (1) shall be allocated on a pro
24        rata basis to all  expenditures  by  the  recipient  that
25        support the program for which the grant is made.
26        (c)  Prior to the disbursement of a grant of State funds,
27    the recipient shall provide a certification to the State that
28    none  of  the funds will be used to assist, promote, or deter
29    union organizing.  Any recipient that makes  expenditures  to
30    assist,  promote,  or  deter  union organizing shall maintain
31    records sufficient to show that State  funds  have  not  been
32    used  for  those  expenditures.   The  grant  recipient shall
33    provide those records to the Attorney General upon request.
 
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 1        (d)  A grant recipient is liable to  the  State  for  the
 2    amount  of  any funds expended in violation of subsection (a)
 3    plus a civil penalty equal  to  twice  the  amount  of  those
 4    funds.

 5        Section   25.  Union   organizing   by  State  contractor
 6    employees.
 7        (a)  No State contractor shall assist, promote, or  deter
 8    union  organizing  by  employees who are performing work on a
 9    service contract, including a public works contract, for  the
10    State or a State agency.
11        (b)  A  State  contractor that violates subsection (a) is
12    liable for  a  civil  penalty  of  $1,000  per  employee  per
13    violation.

14        Section  30.  Use  of  State  funds  for union organizing
15    prohibited.
16        (a)  A State contractor  that  receives  State  funds  in
17    excess  of $50,000 pursuant to a contract with the State or a
18    State agency shall not  use  those  State  funds  to  assist,
19    promote,  or  deter  union  organizing during the life of the
20    contract,  including  any  extensions  or  renewals  of   the
21    contract.   The dollar threshold in this subsection, however,
22    does not limit the application of other  provisions  of  this
23    Act that restrict the use of State funds.
24        (b)  All  contracts in excess of $50,000 that are awarded
25    by the State or a State agency shall contain the  prohibition
26    stated in subsection (a).
27        (c)  A  State contractor who is subject to subsection (a)
28    and who makes expenditures to assist, promote, or deter union
29    organizing shall maintain records sufficient to show that  no
30    State  funds  were  used  for  those expenditures.  The State
31    contractor  shall  provide  those  records  to  the  Attorney
32    General upon request.
 
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 1        (d)  A State contractor is liable to the  State  for  the
 2    amount  of  any funds expended in violation of subsection (a)
 3    plus a civil penalty equal  to  twice  the  amount  of  those
 4    funds.

 5        Section  35.  Meetings  on  State  property.  An employer
 6    conducting business on State property pursuant to a  contract
 7    or  concession agreement with the State or a State agency, or
 8    a subcontractor on such a contract or  agreement,  shall  not
 9    use  State  property  to hold a meeting with any employees or
10    supervisors if the purpose  of  the  meeting  is  to  assist,
11    promote,  or  deter  union organizing.  This Section does not
12    apply if the State property  is  equally  available,  without
13    charge, to the general public for holding a meeting.

14        Section 40.  Public employers.
15        (a)  A  public  employer  receiving State funds shall not
16    use any of those funds to assist,  promote,  or  deter  union
17    organizing.
18        (b)  Any public official who knowingly authorizes the use
19    of State funds in violation of subsection (a) shall be liable
20    to the State for the amount of those funds.

21        Section 45.  Private employers.
22        (a)  A  private  employer receiving State funds in excess
23    of  $10,000  in  any  calendar  year  on   account   of   its
24    participation  in  a State program shall not use any of those
25    funds to assist, promote, or deter union organizing.
26        (b)  As a condition of participating in a  State  program
27    pursuant  to  which  it will receive State funds in excess of
28    $10,000 in  any  calendar  year,  a  private  employer  shall
29    provide a certification to the State that none of those funds
30    will be used to assist, promote, or deter union organizing.
31        (c)  A  private employer who is subject to subsection (a)
 
                            -6-                LRB9204090JMpc
 1    and who makes expenditures to assist, promote, or deter union
 2    organizing shall maintain records sufficient to show that  no
 3    State  funds  were  used for those expenditures.  The private
 4    employer shall provide those records to the Attorney  General
 5    upon request.
 6        (d)  A  private  employer  is liable to the State for any
 7    funds expended in violation of subsection (a)  plus  a  civil
 8    penalty equal to twice the amount of those funds.

 9        Section 50.  Enforcement.
10        (a)  A  civil  action  for a violation of this Act may be
11    brought by the Attorney General, or by any State taxpayer, on
12    behalf of the people of the State of Illinois, for injunctive
13    relief,  damages,  civil  penalties,  and  other  appropriate
14    equitable relief.  All damages and civil penalties  collected
15    pursuant to this Act shall be paid to the State treasury.
16        (b)  Before  filing  an  action  under  this  Section,  a
17    taxpayer shall give written notice to the Attorney General of
18    the  alleged  violation and the intent to bring suit.  If the
19    Attorney General  commences  a  civil  action  for  the  same
20    alleged  violation  within 60 days of receiving the notice, a
21    separate action by the taxpayer shall be barred.
22        (c)  A taxpayer may  intervene  as  a  plaintiff  in  any
23    action brought under this Section.
24        (d)  A  prevailing  plaintiff  in  any  action under this
25    Section is entitled to recover reasonable attorney's fees and
26    costs.   A  prevailing  taxpayer  intervenor  who   makes   a
27    substantial  contribution  to an action under this Section is
28    entitled to recover reasonable attorney's fees and costs.

29        Section 55.  Related expenses; allocation.
30        (a)  For purposes of this  Act,  any  expense,  including
31    legal  and  consulting  fees  and salaries of supervisors and
32    employees, incurred for (i) research for,  (ii)  preparation,
 
                            -7-                LRB9204090JMpc
 1    planning,  or  coordination  of,  or  (iii)  carrying  out an
 2    activity to assist, promote, or deter union organizing  shall
 3    be treated as paid or incurred for that activity.
 4        (b)  For  purposes  of  accounting  for  expenditures, if
 5    State funds and other funds are commingled, any  expenditures
 6    to  assist,  promote,  or  deter  union  organizing  shall be
 7    allocated between State funds and other funds on a  pro  rata
 8    basis.

 9        Section 60.  Application of Act.
10        (a)  This Act does not apply to an activity performed, or
11    to  an  expense  incurred,  in  connection  with  any  of the
12    following:
13             (1)  Addressing  a  grievance  or   negotiating   or
14        administering a collective bargaining agreement.
15             (2)  Allowing    a   labor   organization   or   its
16        representatives access to the  employer's  facilities  or
17        property.
18             (3)  Performing  an  activity required by federal or
19        State law or by a collective bargaining agreement.
20             (4)  Negotiating, entering into, or carrying  out  a
21        voluntary    recognition    agreement    with   a   labor
22        organization.
23        (b)  This Act does  not  apply  to  an  expenditure  made
24    before  the  effective  date  of  this  Act  or to a grant or
25    contract awarded before the effective date of this Act unless
26    the grant or contract is modified, extended, or renewed after
27    the effective date of this Act.  Nothing in this Act requires
28    employers to maintain records in any particular form.

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