Public Act 0026 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB2643 Enrolled LRB102 14684 RJF 20037 b

Public Act 102-0026

AN ACT concerning State government.

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

Section 5. The Identity Protection Act is amended by changing Section 10 as follows:

(5 ILCS 179/10)

Sec. 10. Prohibited activities.

(a) Beginning July 1, 2010, no person or State or local government agency may do any of the following:

(1) Publicly post or publicly display in any manner an individual's social security number.

(2) Print an individual's social security number on any card required for the individual to access products or services provided by the person or entity.

(3) Require an individual to transmit his or her social security number over the Internet, unless the connection is secure or the social security number is encrypted.

(4) Print an individual's social security number on any materials that are mailed to the individual, through the U.S. Postal Service, any private mail service, electronic mail, or any similar method of delivery, unless State or federal law requires the social security number to be on the document to be mailed. Notwithstanding any provision in this Section to the contrary, social security numbers may be included in applications and forms sent by mail, including, but not limited to, any material mailed in connection with the administration of the Unemployment Insurance Act pursuant to the limitations and requirements of that Act, any material mailed in connection with any tax administered by the Department of Revenue, and documents sent as part of an application or enrollment process or to establish, amend, or terminate an account, contract, or policy or to confirm the accuracy of the social security number. A social security number that may permissibly be mailed under this Section may not be printed, in whole or in part, on a postcard or other mailer that does not require an envelope or be visible on an envelope without the envelope having been opened.

(b) Except as otherwise provided in this Act, beginning July 1, 2010, no person or State or local government agency may do any of the following:

(1) Collect, use, or disclose a social security number from an individual, unless (i) required to do so under State or federal law, rules, or regulations, or the collection, use, or disclosure of the social security number is otherwise necessary for the performance of that agency's duties and responsibilities; (ii) the need and purpose for the social security number is documented before collection of the social security number; and (iii) the social security number collected is relevant to the documented need and purpose.

(2) Require an individual to use his or her social security number to access an Internet website.

(3) Use the social security number for any purpose other than the purpose for which it was collected.

(c) The prohibitions in subsection (b) do not apply in the following circumstances:

(1) The disclosure of social security numbers to agents, employees, contractors, or subcontractors of a governmental entity or disclosure by a governmental entity to another governmental entity or its agents, employees, contractors, or subcontractors if disclosure is necessary in order for the entity to perform its duties and responsibilities; and, if disclosing to a contractor or subcontractor, prior to such disclosure, the governmental entity must first receive from the contractor or subcontractor a copy of the contractor's or subcontractor's policy that sets forth how the requirements imposed under this Act on a governmental entity to protect an individual's social security number will be achieved.

(2) The disclosure of social security numbers pursuant to a court order, warrant, or subpoena.

(3) The collection, use, or disclosure of social security numbers in order to ensure the safety of: State and local government employees; persons committed to correctional facilities, local jails, and other law-enforcement facilities or retention centers; wards of the State; youth in care as defined in Section 4d of the Children and Family Services Act, and all persons working in or visiting a State or local government agency facility.

(4) The collection, use, or disclosure of social security numbers for internal verification or administrative purposes.

(5) The disclosure of social security numbers by a State agency to any entity for the collection of delinquent child support or of any State debt or to a governmental agency to assist with an investigation or the prevention of fraud.

(6) The collection or use of social security numbers to investigate or prevent fraud, to conduct background checks, to collect a debt, to obtain a credit report from a consumer reporting agency under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, to undertake any permissible purpose that is enumerated under the federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, or to locate a missing person, a lost relative, or a person who is due a benefit, such as a pension benefit or an unclaimed property benefit.

(d) If any State or local government agency has adopted standards for the collection, use, or disclosure of social security numbers that are stricter than the standards under this Act with respect to the protection of those social security numbers, then, in the event of any conflict with the provisions of this Act, the stricter standards adopted by the State or local government agency shall control.

(Source: P.A. 100-159, eff. 8-18-17.)

Section 10. The Department of Employment Security Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by adding Section 1005-55 as follows:

(20 ILCS 1005/1005-55 new)

Sec. 1005-55. Social security numbers; disclosure prohibited. Except as required under State or federal law, the Department shall not disclose an individual's entire social security number in any correspondence physically mailed to an individual or entity. The Department shall develop a process that allows for identifying information other than an individual's entire social security number to be used in correspondence. This Section does not apply to electronic data sharing pursuant to a written agreement containing appropriate security and confidentiality provisions or to an individual's or entity's access to information in the individual's or entity's secure account in the Department's databases.

Section 15. The Unemployment Insurance Act is amended by changing Sections 612, 900, and 1900 as follows:

(820 ILCS 405/612) (from Ch. 48, par. 442)

Sec. 612. Academic personnel - ineligibility between academic years or terms.

A. Benefits based on wages for services which are employment under the provisions of Sections 211.1, 211.2, and 302C shall be payable in the same amount, on the same terms, and subject to the same conditions as benefits payable on the basis of wages for other services which are employment under this Act; except that:

1. An individual shall be ineligible for benefits, on the basis of wages for employment in an instructional, research, or principal administrative capacity performed for an institution of higher education, for any week which begins during the period between two successive academic years, or during a similar period between two regular terms, whether or not successive, or during a period of paid sabbatical leave provided for in the individual's contract, if the individual has a contract or contracts to perform services in any such capacity for any institution or institutions of higher education for both such academic years or both such terms.

This paragraph 1 shall apply with respect to any week which begins prior to January 1, 1978.

2. An individual shall be ineligible for benefits, on the basis of wages for service in employment in any capacity other than those referred to in paragraph 1, performed for an institution of higher learning, for any week which begins after September 30, 1983, during a period between two successive academic years or terms, if the individual performed such service in the first of such academic years or terms and there is a reasonable assurance that the individual will perform such service in the second of such academic years or terms.

3. An individual shall be ineligible for benefits, on the basis of wages for service in employment in any capacity other than those referred to in paragraph 1, performed for an institution of higher education, for any week which begins after January 5, 1985, during an established and customary vacation period or holiday recess, if the individual performed such service in the period immediately before such vacation period or holiday recess and there is a reasonable assurance that the individual will perform such service in the period immediately following such vacation period or holiday recess.

B. Benefits based on wages for services which are employment under the provisions of Sections 211.1 and 211.2 shall be payable in the same amount, on the same terms, and subject to the same conditions, as benefits payable on the basis of wages for other services which are employment under this Act, except that:

1. An individual shall be ineligible for benefits, on the basis of wages for service in employment in an instructional, research, or principal administrative capacity performed for an educational institution, for any week which begins after December 31, 1977, during a period between two successive academic years, or during a similar period between two regular terms, whether or not successive, or during a period of paid sabbatical leave provided for in the individual's contract, if the individual performed such service in the first of such academic years (or terms) and if there is a contract or a reasonable assurance that the individual will perform service in any such capacity for any educational institution in the second of such academic years (or terms).

2. An individual shall be ineligible for benefits, on the basis of wages for service in employment in any capacity other than those referred to in paragraph 1, performed for an educational institution, for any week which begins after December 31, 1977, during a period between two successive academic years or terms, if the individual performed such service in the first of such academic years or terms and there is a reasonable assurance that the individual will perform such service in the second of such academic years or terms.

3. An individual shall be ineligible for benefits, on the basis of wages for service in employment in any capacity performed for an educational institution, for any week which begins after January 5, 1985, during an established and customary vacation period or holiday recess, if the individual performed such service in the period immediately before such vacation period or holiday recess and there is a reasonable assurance that the individual will perform such service in the period immediately following such vacation period or holiday recess.

4. An individual shall be ineligible for benefits on the basis of wages for service in employment in any capacity performed in an educational institution while in the employ of an educational service agency for any week which begins after January 5, 1985, (a) during a period between two successive academic years or terms, if the individual performed such service in the first of such academic years or terms and there is a reasonable assurance that the individual will perform such service in the second of such academic years or terms; and (b) during an established and customary vacation period or holiday recess, if the individual performed such service in the period immediately before such vacation period or holiday recess and there is a reasonable assurance that the individual will perform such service in the period immediately following such vacation period or holiday recess. The term "educational service agency" means a governmental agency or governmental entity which is established and operated exclusively for the purpose of providing such services to one or more educational institutions.

C. 1. If benefits are denied to any individual under the provisions of paragraph 2 of either subsection A or B of this Section for any week which begins on or after September 3, 1982 and such individual is not offered a bona fide opportunity to perform such services for the educational institution for the second of such academic years or terms, such individual shall be entitled to a retroactive payment of benefits for each week for which the individual filed a timely claim for benefits as determined by the rules and regulations issued by the Director for the filing of claims for benefits, provided that such benefits were denied solely because of the provisions of paragraph 2 of either subsection A or B of this Section.

2. If benefits on the basis of wages for service in employment in other than an instructional, research, or principal administrative capacity performed in an educational institution while in the employ of an educational service agency are denied to any individual under the provisions of subparagraph (a) of paragraph 4 of subsection B and such individual is not offered a bona fide opportunity to perform such services in an educational institution while in the employ of an educational service agency for the second of such academic years or terms, such individual shall be entitled to a retroactive payment of benefits for each week for which the individual filed a timely claim for benefits as determined by the rules and regulations issued by the Director for the filing of claims for benefits, provided that such benefits were denied solely because of subparagraph (a) of paragraph 4 of subsection B of this Section.

D. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Section or paragraph 2 of subsection C of Section 500 to the contrary, with respect to a week of unemployment beginning on or after March 15, 2020, and before September 4, 2021, (including any week of unemployment beginning on or after January 1, 2021 and on or before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly) December 31, 2020, benefits shall be payable to an individual on the basis of wages for employment in other than an instructional, research, or principal administrative capacity performed for an educational institution or an educational service agency under any of the circumstances described in this Section, to the extent permitted under Section 3304(a)(6) of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act, as long as the individual is otherwise eligible for benefits.

(Source: P.A. 101-633, eff. 6-5-20.)

(820 ILCS 405/900) (from Ch. 48, par. 490)

Sec. 900. Recoupment.)

A. Whenever an individual has received any sum as benefits for which he or she is found to have been ineligible, the individual must be provided written notice of his or her appeal rights, including the ability to request waiver of any recoupment ordered and the standard for such waiver to be granted. Thereafter, the amount thereof may be recovered by suit in the name of the People of the State of Illinois, or, from benefits payable to him, may be recouped:

1. At any time, if, to receive such sum, he knowingly made a false statement or knowingly failed to disclose a material fact.

2. Within 3 years from any date prior to January 1, 1984, on which he has been found to have been ineligible for any other reason, pursuant to a reconsidered finding or a reconsidered determination, or pursuant to the decision of a Referee (or of the Director or his representative under Section 604) which modifies or sets aside a finding or a reconsidered finding or a determination or a reconsidered determination; or within 5 years from any date after December 31, 1983, on which he has been found to have been ineligible for any other reason, pursuant to a reconsidered finding or a reconsidered determination, or pursuant to the decision of a Referee (or of the Director or his representative under Section 604) which modifies or sets aside a finding or a reconsidered finding or a determination or a reconsidered determination. Recoupment pursuant to the provisions of this paragraph from benefits payable to an individual for any week may be waived upon the individual's request, if the sum referred to in paragraph A was received by the individual without fault on his part and if such recoupment would be against equity and good conscience. Such waiver may be denied with respect to any subsequent week if, in that week, the facts and circumstances upon which waiver was based no longer exist.

Recovery by suit in the name of the People of the State of Illinois, recoupment pursuant to paragraph 2 of this subsection A from benefits payable to an individual for any week, and, notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in the Illinois State Collection Act of 1986, withholding pursuant to subsection E shall be permanently waived if the sum referred to in this subsection A was received by the individual without fault on his or her part and if such recoupment would be against equity and good conscience, and the sum referred to in this subsection A was received by the individual on or after March 8, 2020, but prior to the last day of a disaster period established by the gubernatorial disaster proclamation in response to COVID-19, dated March 9, 2020, and any consecutive gubernatorial disaster proclamation in response to COVID-19. To be eligible for permanent waiver under this paragraph, an individual must request a waiver pursuant to this paragraph within 45 days of the mailing date of the notice from the Department that the individual may request a waiver. A determination under this paragraph may be appealed to a Referee within the time limits prescribed by Section 800 for an appeal from a determination. Any such appeal, and any appeal from the Referee's decision thereon, shall be governed by the applicable provisions of Sections 801, 803, 804, and 805. This paragraph shall not apply with respect to benefits that are received pursuant to any program that the Department administers as an agent of the federal government and for which the individual is found to have been ineligible.

B. Whenever the claims adjudicator referred to in Section 702 decides that any sum received by a claimant as benefits shall be recouped, or denies recoupment waiver requested by the claimant, he shall promptly notify the claimant of his decision and the reasons therefor. The decision and the notice thereof shall state the amount to be recouped, the weeks with respect to which such sum was received by the claimant, and the time within which it may be recouped and, as the case may be, the reasons for denial of recoupment waiver. The claims adjudicator may reconsider his decision within one year after the date when the decision was made. Such decision or reconsidered decision may be appealed to a Referee within the time limits prescribed by Section 800 for appeal from a determination. Any such appeal, and any appeal from the Referee's decision thereon, shall be governed by the applicable provisions of Sections 801, 803, 804 and 805. No recoupment shall be begun until the expiration of the time limits prescribed by Section 800 of this Act or, if an appeal has been filed, until the decision of a Referee has been made thereon affirming the decision of the Claims Adjudicator.

C. Any sums recovered under the provisions of this Section shall be treated as repayments to the Department of sums improperly obtained by the claimant.

D. Whenever, by reason of a back pay award made by any governmental agency or pursuant to arbitration proceedings, or by reason of a payment of wages wrongfully withheld by an employing unit, an individual has received wages for weeks with respect to which he has received benefits, the amount of such benefits may be recouped or otherwise recovered as herein provided. An employing unit making a back pay award to an individual for weeks with respect to which the individual has received benefits shall make the back pay award by check payable jointly to the individual and to the Department.

E. The amount recouped pursuant to paragraph 2 of subsection A from benefits payable to an individual for any week shall not exceed 25% of the individual's weekly benefit amount.

In addition to the remedies provided by this Section, when an individual has received any sum as benefits for which he is found to be ineligible, the Director may request the Comptroller to withhold such sum in accordance with Section 10.05 of the State Comptroller Act and the Director may request the Secretary of the Treasury to withhold such sum to the extent allowed by and in accordance with Section 6402(f) of the federal Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Benefits paid pursuant to this Act shall not be subject to such withholding. Where the Director requests withholding by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to this Section, in addition to the amount of benefits for which the individual has been found ineligible, the individual shall be liable for any legally authorized administrative fee assessed by the Secretary, with such fee to be added to the amount to be withheld by the Secretary.

(Source: P.A. 97-621, eff. 11-18-11; 97-791, eff. 1-1-13.)

(820 ILCS 405/1900) (from Ch. 48, par. 640)

Sec. 1900. Disclosure of information.

A. Except as provided in this Section, information obtained from any individual or employing unit during the administration of this Act shall:

1. be confidential,

2. not be published or open to public inspection,

3. not be used in any court in any pending action or proceeding,

4. not be admissible in evidence in any action or proceeding other than one arising out of this Act.

B. No finding, determination, decision, ruling or order (including any finding of fact, statement or conclusion made therein) issued pursuant to this Act shall be admissible or used in evidence in any action other than one arising out of this Act, nor shall it be binding or conclusive except as provided in this Act, nor shall it constitute res judicata, regardless of whether the actions were between the same or related parties or involved the same facts.

C. Any officer or employee of this State, any officer or employee of any entity authorized to obtain information pursuant to this Section, and any agent of this State or of such entity who, except with authority of the Director under this Section or as authorized pursuant to subsection P-1, shall disclose information shall be guilty of a Class B misdemeanor and shall be disqualified from holding any appointment or employment by the State.

D. An individual or his duly authorized agent may be supplied with information from records only to the extent necessary for the proper presentation of his claim for benefits or with his existing or prospective rights to benefits. Discretion to disclose this information belongs solely to the Director and is not subject to a release or waiver by the individual. Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary, an individual or his or her duly authorized agent may be supplied with a statement of the amount of benefits paid to the individual during the 18 months preceding the date of his or her request.

E. An employing unit may be furnished with information, only if deemed by the Director as necessary to enable it to fully discharge its obligations or safeguard its rights under the Act. Discretion to disclose this information belongs solely to the Director and is not subject to a release or waiver by the employing unit.

F. The Director may furnish any information that he may deem proper to any public officer or public agency of this or any other State or of the federal government dealing with:

1. the administration of relief,

2. public assistance,

3. unemployment compensation,

4. a system of public employment offices,

5. wages and hours of employment, or

6. a public works program.

The Director may make available to the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission information regarding employers for the purpose of verifying the insurance coverage required under the Workers' Compensation Act and Workers' Occupational Diseases Act.

G. The Director may disclose information submitted by the State or any of its political subdivisions, municipal corporations, instrumentalities, or school or community college districts, except for information which specifically identifies an individual claimant.

H. The Director shall disclose only that information required to be disclosed under Section 303 of the Social Security Act, as amended, including:

1. any information required to be given the United States Department of Labor under Section 303(a)(6); and

2. the making available upon request to any agency of the United States charged with the administration of public works or assistance through public employment, the name, address, ordinary occupation and employment status of each recipient of unemployment compensation, and a statement of such recipient's right to further compensation under such law as required by Section 303(a)(7); and

3. records to make available to the Railroad Retirement Board as required by Section 303(c)(1); and

4. information that will assure reasonable cooperation with every agency of the United States charged with the administration of any unemployment compensation law as required by Section 303(c)(2); and

5. information upon request and on a reimbursable basis to the United States Department of Agriculture and to any State food stamp agency concerning any information required to be furnished by Section 303(d); and

6. any wage information upon request and on a reimbursable basis to any State or local child support enforcement agency required by Section 303(e); and

7. any information required under the income eligibility and verification system as required by Section 303(f); and

8. information that might be useful in locating an absent parent or that parent's employer, establishing paternity or establishing, modifying, or enforcing child support orders for the purpose of a child support enforcement program under Title IV of the Social Security Act upon the request of and on a reimbursable basis to the public agency administering the Federal Parent Locator Service as required by Section 303(h); and

9. information, upon request, to representatives of any federal, State or local governmental public housing agency with respect to individuals who have signed the appropriate consent form approved by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and who are applying for or participating in any housing assistance program administered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development as required by Section 303(i).

I. The Director, upon the request of a public agency of Illinois, of the federal government or of any other state charged with the investigation or enforcement of Section 10-5 of the Criminal Code of 2012 (or a similar federal law or similar law of another State), may furnish the public agency information regarding the individual specified in the request as to:

1. the current or most recent home address of the individual, and

2. the names and addresses of the individual's employers.

J. Nothing in this Section shall be deemed to interfere with the disclosure of certain records as provided for in Section 1706 or with the right to make available to the Internal Revenue Service of the United States Department of the Treasury, or the Department of Revenue of the State of Illinois, information obtained under this Act. With respect to each benefit claim that appears to have been filed other than by the individual in whose name the claim was filed or by the individual's authorized agent and with respect to which benefits were paid during the prior calendar year, the Director shall annually report to the Department of Revenue information that is in the Director's possession and may assist in avoiding negative income tax consequences for the individual in whose name the claim was filed.

K. The Department shall make available to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, upon request, information in the possession of the Department that may be necessary or useful to the Commission in the collection of defaulted or delinquent student loans which the Commission administers.

L. The Department shall make available to the State Employees' Retirement System, the State Universities Retirement System, the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois, and the Department of Central Management Services, Risk Management Division, upon request, information in the possession of the Department that may be necessary or useful to the System or the Risk Management Division for the purpose of determining whether any recipient of a disability benefit from the System or a workers' compensation benefit from the Risk Management Division is gainfully employed.

M. This Section shall be applicable to the information obtained in the administration of the State employment service, except that the Director may publish or release general labor market information and may furnish information that he may deem proper to an individual, public officer or public agency of this or any other State or the federal government (in addition to those public officers or public agencies specified in this Section) as he prescribes by Rule.

N. The Director may require such safeguards as he deems proper to insure that information disclosed pursuant to this Section is used only for the purposes set forth in this Section.

O. Nothing in this Section prohibits communication with an individual or entity through unencrypted e-mail or other unencrypted electronic means as long as the communication does not contain the individual's or entity's name in combination with any one or more of the individual's or entity's entire or partial social security number; driver's license or State identification number; credit or debit card number; or any required security code, access code, or password that would permit access to further information pertaining to the individual or entity.

P. (Blank).

P-1. With the express written consent of a claimant or employing unit and an agreement not to publicly disclose, the Director shall provide requested information related to a claim to an elected official performing constituent services or his or her agent.

Q. The Director shall make available to an elected federal official the name and address of an individual or entity that is located within the jurisdiction from which the official was elected and that, for the most recently completed calendar year, has reported to the Department as paying wages to workers, where the information will be used in connection with the official duties of the official and the official requests the information in writing, specifying the purposes for which it will be used. For purposes of this subsection, the use of information in connection with the official duties of an official does not include use of the information in connection with the solicitation of contributions or expenditures, in money or in kind, to or on behalf of a candidate for public or political office or a political party or with respect to a public question, as defined in Section 1-3 of the Election Code, or in connection with any commercial solicitation. Any elected federal official who, in submitting a request for information covered by this subsection, knowingly makes a false statement or fails to disclose a material fact, with the intent to obtain the information for a purpose not authorized by this subsection, shall be guilty of a Class B misdemeanor.

R. The Director may provide to any State or local child support agency, upon request and on a reimbursable basis, information that might be useful in locating an absent parent or that parent's employer, establishing paternity, or establishing, modifying, or enforcing child support orders.

S. The Department shall make available to a State's Attorney of this State or a State's Attorney's investigator, upon request, the current address or, if the current address is unavailable, current employer information, if available, of a victim of a felony or a witness to a felony or a person against whom an arrest warrant is outstanding.

T. The Director shall make available to the Department of State Police, a county sheriff's office, or a municipal police department, upon request, any information concerning the current address and place of employment or former places of employment of a person who is required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration Act that may be useful in enforcing the registration provisions of that Act.

U. The Director shall make information available to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services and the Department of Human Services for the purpose of determining eligibility for public benefit programs authorized under the Illinois Public Aid Code and related statutes administered by those departments, for verifying sources and amounts of income, and for other purposes directly connected with the administration of those programs.

V. The Director shall make information available to the State Board of Elections as may be required by an agreement the State Board of Elections has entered into with a multi-state voter registration list maintenance system.

W. The Director shall make information available to the State Treasurer's office and the Department of Revenue for the purpose of facilitating compliance with the Illinois Secure Choice Savings Program Act, including employer contact information for employers with 25 or more employees and any other information the Director deems appropriate that is directly related to the administration of this program.

X. The Director shall make information available, upon request, to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for the purpose of determining eligibility for the adult vocational community college scholarship program under Section 65.105 of the Higher Education Student Assistance Act.

Y. Except as required under State or federal law, or unless otherwise provided for in this Section, the Department shall not disclose an individual's entire social security number in any correspondence physically mailed to an individual or entity.

(Source: P.A. 100-484, eff. 9-8-17; 101-315, eff. 1-1-20.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.

Effective Date: 6/25/2021