Public Act 102-0223
 
SB1730 EnrolledLRB102 14302 JLS 19654 b


  
    AN ACT concerning business.
  
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:
  
 
 
    Section 5. The Business Corporation Act of 1983 is amended  
by changing Section 8.12 as follows:
 
    (805 ILCS 5/8.12)
    Sec. 8.12. Female, and minority, and LGBTQ directors.
    (a) Findings and purpose. The General Assembly finds that 
women, and minorities, and LGBTQ people are still largely 
underrepresented nationally in positions of corporate 
authority, such as serving as a director on a corporation's 
board of directors. This low representation could be 
contributing to the disparity seen in wages made by females 
and minorities versus their white male counterparts. Increased 
representation of these individuals as directors on boards of 
directors for corporations may boost the Illinois economy, 
improve opportunities for women, and minorities, and LGBTQ 
people in the workplace, and foster an environment in Illinois 
where the business community is representative of our 
residents. Therefore, it is the intent of the General Assembly 
to gather more data and study this issue within the State so 
that effective policy changes may be implemented to eliminate 
this disparity.
    (b) As used in this Section:
    "Annual report" means the report submitted annually to the 
Secretary of State pursuant to this Act. 
    "Female" means a person who is a citizen or
    lawful 
permanent resident of the United States and who 
self-identifies as a woman, without regard to the individual's 
designated sex at birth.
    "Minority person" means a person who is a
    citizen or 
lawful permanent resident of the United States and who is any 
of the following races or ethnicities:
        (1) American Indian or Alaska Native (a person
        having 
    origins in any of the original peoples of North and South 
    America, including Central America, and who maintains 
    tribal affiliation or community attachment).
        (2) Asian (a person having origins in any of the
        
    original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the 
    Indian subcontinent, including, but not limited to, 
    Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, 
    the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam). 
        (3) Black or African American (a person having
        origins 
    in any of the black racial groups of Africa). Terms such as 
    "Haitian" or "Negro" can be used in addition to "Black" or 
    "African American".
        (4) Hispanic or Latino (a person of Cuban,
        Mexican, 
    Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish 
    culture or origin, regardless of race).
        (5) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (a
        
    person having origins in any of the original peoples of 
    Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands). 
        (6) "Publicly held domestic or foreign corporation" 
    means a corporation with outstanding shares listed on a 
    major United States stock exchange. 
    (c) Reporting to the Secretary of State. As soon as 
practical after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 
the 101st General Assembly, but no later than January 1, 2021, 
the following information shall be provided in a corporation's 
annual report submitted to the Secretary of State under this 
Act and made available by the Secretary of State to the public 
online as it is received: 
        (1) Whether the corporation is a publicly held 
    domestic or foreign corporation with its principal 
    executive office located in Illinois.
        (2)   Where the corporation is a publicly held domestic 
    or foreign corporation with its principal executive office 
    located in Illinois, data on specific qualifications, 
    skills, and experience that the corporation considers for 
    its board of directors, nominees for the board of 
    directors, and executive officers. 
        (3)   Where the corporation is a publicly held domestic 
    or foreign corporation with its principal executive office 
    located in Illinois, the self-identified gender of each 
    member of its board of directors.
        (4) Where the corporation is a publicly held domestic 
    or foreign corporation with its principal executive office 
    located in Illinois, whether each member of its board of 
    directors self-identifies as a minority person and, if so, 
    which race or ethnicity to which the member belongs.
        (5) Where the corporation is a publicly held domestic 
    or foreign corporation with its principal executive office 
    located in Illinois, the self-identified sexual 
    orientation of each member of its board of directors.
        (6) Where the corporation is a publicly held domestic 
    or foreign corporation with its principal executive office 
    located in Illinois, the self-identified gender identity 
    of each member of its board of directors. 
        7 (5) Where the corporation is a publicly held 
    domestic or foreign corporation with its principal 
    executive office located in Illinois, a description of the 
    corporation's process for identifying and evaluating 
    nominees for the board of directors, including whether 
    and, if so, how demographic diversity is considered. 
        8 (6) Where the corporation is a publicly held 
    domestic or foreign corporation with its principal 
    executive office located in Illinois, a description of the 
    corporation's process for identifying and appointing 
    executive officers, including whether and, if so, how 
    demographic diversity is considered.
        9 (7) Where the corporation is a publicly held 
    domestic or foreign corporation with its principal 
    executive office located in Illinois, a description of the 
    corporation's policies and practices for promoting 
    diversity, equity, and inclusion among its board of 
    directors and executive officers.
    Information reported under this subsection shall be 
updated in each annual report filed with the Secretary of 
State thereafter. 
    (d) Beginning no later than March 1, 2021, and every March 
1 thereafter, the University of Illinois Systems shall review 
the information reported and published under subsection (c) 
and shall publish on its website a report that provides 
aggregate data on the demographic characteristics of the 
boards of directors and executive officers of corporations 
filing an annual report for the preceding year along with an 
individualized rating for each corporation. The report shall 
also identify strategies for promoting diversity and inclusion 
among boards of directors and corporate executive officers.
    (e) The University of Illinois System shall establish a 
rating system assessing the representation of women, and 
minorities, and LGBTQ people on corporate boards of directors 
of those corporations that are publicly held domestic or 
foreign corporations with their principal executive office 
located in Illinois based on the information gathered under 
this Section. The rating system shall consider, among other 
things: compliance with the demographic reporting obligations 
in subsection (c); the corporation's policies and practices 
for encouraging diversity in recruitment, board membership, 
and executive appointments; and the demographic diversity of 
board seats and executive positions. 

(Source: P.A. 101-589, eff. 8-27-19.)
 
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January 
1, 2022.