HB5561 EngrossedLRB103 39293 JRC 69447 b

1    AN ACT concerning civil law.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Whistleblower Act is amended by changing
5Sections 5, 15, 20, 20.1, 20.2, 25, and 30 and by adding
6Section 31 and 32 as follows:
 
7    (740 ILCS 174/5)
8    Sec. 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:
9    "Adverse employment action" means an action that a
10reasonable employee would find materially adverse. An action
11is materially adverse when it could dissuade a reasonable
12worker from disclosing or threatening to disclose information
13protected by Section 15 or from refusing under Section 20.
14    "Employer" means: an individual, sole proprietorship,
15partnership, firm, corporation, association, and any other
16entity that has one or more employees in this State, including
17a political subdivision of the State; a unit of local
18government; a school district, combination of school
19districts, or governing body of a joint agreement of any type
20formed by two or more school districts; a community college
21district, State college or university, or any State agency
22whose major function is providing educational services; any
23authority including a department, division, bureau, board,

 

 

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1commission, or other agency of these entities; and any person
2acting within the scope of his or her authority, express or
3implied, on behalf of those entities in dealing with its
4employees within the scope of his or her authority express or
5implied on behalf of those entities in dealing with its
6employees.
7    "Employee" means any individual permitted to work who is
8employed on a full-time, part-time, or contractual basis by an
9employer unless:
10        (1) the individual has been and will continue to be
11    free from control and direction over the performance of
12    his or her work, both under his or her contract of service
13    with his or her employer and in fact;
14        (2) the individual performs work which is either
15    outside the usual course of business or is performed
16    outside all of the places of business of the employer
17    unless the employer is in the business of contracting with
18    parties for the placement of employees; and
19        (3) the individual is in an independently established
20    trade, occupation, profession, or business.
21    "Employee" also includes, but is not limited to, a
22licensed physician who practices his or her profession, in
23whole or in part, at a hospital, nursing home, clinic, or any
24medical facility that is a health care facility funded, in
25whole or in part, by the State.
26    "Public body" means any of the following: the State; any

 

 

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1officer, board, political subdivision, or commission of the
2State; any institution supported in whole or in part by public
3funds; units of local government; and school districts.
4    "Retaliatory action" means an adverse employment action or
5the threat of an adverse employment action by an employer or
6his or her agent to penalize or any non-employment action that
7would dissuade a reasonable worker from disclosing information
8under this Act. "Retaliatory action" includes, but is not
9limited to:
10        (1) taking, or threatening to take, any action that
11    would intentionally interfere with an employee's ability
12    to obtain future employment or post-termination
13    retaliation to intentionally interfere with a former
14    employee's employment;
15        (2) taking, or threatening to take, any action
16    prohibited by subsection (G) of Section 2-102 of the
17    Illinois Human Rights Act; or
18        (3) contacting, or threatening to contact, United
19    States immigration authorities, or otherwise reporting, or
20    threatening to report, an employee's suspected or actual
21    citizenship or immigration status or the suspected or
22    actual citizenship or immigration status of an employee's
23    family or household member to a federal, State, or local
24    agency.
25    "Retaliatory action" does not include:
26        (1) conduct undertaken at the express and specific

 

 

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1    direction or request of the federal government;
2        (2) truthful, performance-related information about an
3    employee or former employee provided in good faith to a
4    prospective employer at the request of the prospective
5    employer; or .
6        (3) conduct undertaken if specifically required by
7    State or federal law. "Employee" also includes, but is not
8    limited to, a licensed physician who practices his or her
9    profession, in whole or in part, at a hospital, nursing
10    home, clinic, or any medical facility that is a health
11    care facility funded, in whole or in part, by the State.
12    "Supervisor" means any individual who has the authority to
13direct and control the work performance of the affected
14employee; or any individual who has managerial authority to
15take corrective action regarding a violation of the law, rule,
16or regulation disclosed by an employee in accordance with
17Section 15.
18(Source: P.A. 95-128, eff. 1-1-08; 96-1253, eff. 1-1-11.)
 
19    (740 ILCS 174/15)
20    Sec. 15. Retaliation for certain disclosures prohibited.
21    (a) An employer may not take retaliatory action retaliate
22against an employee who discloses or threatens to disclose to
23a public body conducting an investigation, or in a court, an
24administrative hearing, or any other proceeding initiated by a
25public body, information related to an activity, policy, or

 

 

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1practice of the employer where the employee has a good faith
2belief that the activity, policy, or practice (i) violates in
3a court, an administrative hearing, or before a legislative
4commission or committee, or in any other proceeding, where the
5employee has reasonable cause to believe that the information
6discloses a violation of a State or federal law, rule, or
7regulation or (ii) poses a substantial and specific danger to
8employees, public health, or safety.
9    (b) An employer may not take retaliatory action retaliate
10against an employee for disclosing or threatening to disclose
11information to a government or law enforcement agency
12information related to an activity, policy, or practice of the
13employer, where the employee has a good faith belief that the
14activity, policy, or practice of the employer (i) violates
15reasonable cause to believe that the information discloses a
16violation of a State or federal law, rule, or regulation or
17(ii) poses a substantial and specific danger to employees,
18public health, or safety.
19    (c) An employer may not take retaliatory action against an
20employee for disclosing or threatening to disclose to any
21supervisor, principal officer, board member, or supervisor in
22an organization that has a contractual relationship with the
23employer who makes the employer aware of the disclosure,
24information related to an activity, policy, or practice of the
25employer if the employee has a good faith belief that the
26activity, policy, or practice (i) violates a State or federal

 

 

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1law, rule, or regulation or (ii) poses a substantial and
2specific danger to employees, public health, or safety.
3(Source: P.A. 95-128, eff. 1-1-08.)
 
4    (740 ILCS 174/20)
5    Sec. 20. Retaliation for certain refusals prohibited. An
6employer may not take retaliatory action retaliate against an
7employee for refusing to participate in an activity that the
8employee has a good faith belief that such participation would
9result in a violation of a State or federal law, rule, or
10regulation, including, but not limited to, violations of the
11Freedom of Information Act.
12(Source: P.A. 96-555, eff. 8-18-09.)
 
13    (740 ILCS 174/20.1)
14    Sec. 20.1. Other retaliation. Any other act or omission
15not otherwise specifically set forth in this Act, whether
16within or without the workplace, also constitutes retaliatory
17action retaliation by an employer under this Act if the act or
18omission would be materially adverse to a reasonable employee
19and is because of the employee disclosing or attempting to
20disclose public corruption or wrongdoing.
21(Source: P.A. 96-555, eff. 8-18-09.)
 
22    (740 ILCS 174/20.2)
23    Sec. 20.2. Threatening retaliation. An employer may not

 

 

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1threaten any employee with any act or omission if that act or
2omission would constitute retaliatory action retaliation
3against the employee under this Act.
4(Source: P.A. 96-555, eff. 8-18-09.)
 
5    (740 ILCS 174/25)
6    Sec. 25. Criminal Civil penalty. Violation of this Act is
7a Class A misdemeanor.
8(Source: P.A. 93-544, eff. 1-1-04.)
 
9    (740 ILCS 174/30)
10    Sec. 30. Damages and penalties for the employee. If an
11employer takes any retaliatory action against an employee in
12violation of Section 15 or 20, the employee may bring a civil
13action against the employer for all relief necessary to make
14the employee whole, including but not limited to the
15following, as appropriate:
16         (1) permanent or preliminary injunctive relief;
17        (2) reinstatement with the same seniority status that
18    the employee would have had, but for the violation;
19        (3) (2) back pay, with interest of 9% per annum up to 90
20    calendar days from the date the complaint is filed and
21    front pay; and
22        (4) liquidated damages of up to $10,000;
23        (5) (3) compensation for any costs incurred damages
24    sustained as a result of the violation, including

 

 

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1    litigation costs, expert witness fees, and reasonable
2    attorney's fees; and .
3        (6) additionally, the court shall award a civil
4    penalty of $10,000 payable to the employee.
5(Source: P.A. 93-544, eff. 1-1-04.)
 
6    (740 ILCS 174/31 new)
7    Sec. 31. Attorney General enforcement.
8    (a) Whenever the Attorney General has reasonable cause to
9believe that any person or entity has engaged in a practice
10prohibited by this Act, the Attorney General may, pursuant to
11the authority conferred by Section 6.3 of the Attorney General
12Act, initiate or intervene in a civil action in the name of the
13People of the State in any appropriate court to obtain
14appropriate relief.
15    (b) Before initiating an action, the Attorney General may
16conduct an investigation and may:
17        (1) require an individual or entity to file a
18    statement or report in writing, under oath or otherwise,
19    as to all information the Attorney General may consider
20    necessary;
21        (2) examine under oath any person alleged to have
22    participated in, or with knowledge of, the alleged
23    violation; or
24        (3) issue subpoenas or conduct hearings in aid of any
25    investigation.

 

 

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1    (c) Service by the Attorney General of any notice
2requiring a person or entity to file a statement or report, or
3of a subpoena upon any person or entity, shall be made:
4        (1) personally by delivery of a duly executed copy
5    thereof to the person to be served or, if a person is not a
6    natural person, in the manner provided in the Code of
7    Civil Procedure when a complaint is filed; or
8        (2) by mailing by certified mail a duly executed copy
9    thereof to the person to be served at his or her last known
10    abode or principal place of business within this State or,
11    if the person is not a natural person, in the manner
12    provided in the Code of Civil Procedure when a complaint
13    is filed.
14    The Attorney General may compel compliance with
15investigative demands under this Section through an order by
16any court of competent jurisdiction.
17    (d)(1) In an action brought under this Act, the Attorney
18General may obtain, as a remedy, monetary damages to the
19State, restitution, and equitable relief, including any
20permanent or preliminary injunction, temporary restraining
21order, or other order, including an order enjoining the
22defendant from engaging in a violation, or order any action as
23may be appropriate.
24    The Attorney General may request, and the court may grant,
25any remedy available under Section 30 of this Act to the
26employee or employees affected by the violation. Additionally,

 

 

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1the Attorney General may request and the court may impose a
2civil penalty not to exceed $10,000 for each repeat violation
3within a 5-year period. For purposes of this Section, each
4violation of this Act for each employee that the employer took
5or threatened to take retaliatory action against shall
6constitute a separate and distinct violation.
7    (2) A civil penalty imposed under this subsection shall be
8deposited into the Attorney General Court Ordered and
9Voluntary Compliance Payment Projects Fund.
 
10    (740 ILCS 174/32 new)
11    Sec. 32. Defenses to actions. It shall be a defense to any
12action brought under this Act that the retaliatory action was
13predicated solely upon grounds other than the employee's
14exercise of any rights protected by this Act.
 
15    Section 90. Applicability. The changes made by this
16amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly apply to claims
17arising or complaints filed on or after January 1, 2025.
 
18    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect on
19January 1, 2025.