Public Act 103-0699
 
HB5256 EnrolledLRB103 39469 SPS 69663 b

    AN ACT concerning State government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Personnel Code is amended by changing
Section 17b as follows:
 
    (20 ILCS 415/17b)
    Sec. 17b. Trainee program for persons with a disability.
    (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, on and
after July 1, 2020, each State agency with 1,500 employees or
more shall, and each executive branch constitutional officer
may, offer at least one position per year to be filled by a
person with a disability, as defined by the federal Americans
with Disabilities Act, through an established trainee program.
Agencies with fewer than 1,500 employees may also elect to
participate in the program. The trainee position shall last
for a period of at least 6 months and shall require the trainee
to participate in the trainee program for at least 20 hours per
week. The program shall be administered by the Department of
Central Management Services. The Department of Central
Management Services shall conduct an initial assessment of
potential candidates, and the hiring agency or officer shall
conduct a final assessment. Upon successful completion of the
trainee program, the respective agency or officer shall
certify completion of the trainee program, with final approval
provided by the Department of Central Management Services.
Individuals who successfully complete a trainee appointment
under this Section are eligible for promotion to the target
title without further examination. The Department of Central
Management Services, in cooperation with the Employment and
Economic Opportunity for Persons with Disabilities Task Force,
may adopt rules to implement and administer the trainee
program for persons with disabilities, including, but not
limited to, establishing non-political selection criteria,
implementing an assessment and interview process, if
necessary, that accommodates persons with a disability, and
linking trainee programs to targeted full-time position
titles.
    (b) The Employment and Economic Opportunity for Persons
with Disabilities Task Force shall prepare an annual report to
be submitted to the Governor and the General Assembly that
includes: (1) best practices for helping persons with a
disability gain employment; (2) proposed rules for adoption by
the Department of Central Management Services for the
administration and implementation of the trainee program under
this Section; (3) the number of agencies that participated in
the trainee program under this Section in the previous
calendar year; and (4) the number of individuals who
participated in the trainee program who became full-time
employees of the State at the conclusion of the trainee
program.
    (c) For the purposes of this Section, "disability" has the
meaning ascribed to that term in the federal Americans with
Disabilities Act. "Disability" includes a diagnosis of Autism
Spectrum Disorder by a medical professional.
(Source: P.A. 103-108, eff. 6-27-23.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.