HB0279 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB096 04667 AJO 14728 b

96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
HB0279

Introduced 1/23/2009, by Rep. Patricia R. Bellock

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

775 ILCS 5/1-102	from Ch. 68, par. 1-102
775 ILCS 5/Art. 5A heading
775 ILCS 5/5A-101	from Ch. 68, par. 5A-101
775 ILCS 5/5A-102	from Ch. 68, par. 5A-102
775 ILCS 5/6-101	from Ch. 68, par. 6-101
775 ILCS 5/7-106	from Ch. 68, par. 7-106
775 ILCS 5/7-108	from Ch. 68, par. 7-108

Amends provisions of the Illinois Human Rights Act prohibiting sexual harassment in higher education so that they also apply to sexual harassment in elementary and secondary schools. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning human rights.

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

Section 5. The Illinois Human Rights Act is amended by changing Sections 1-102, 5A-101, 5A-102, 6-101, 7-106, and 7-108 and the heading of Article 5A as follows:

(775 ILCS 5/1-102) (from Ch. 68, par. 1-102)

Sec. 1-102. Declaration of Policy. It is the public policy of this State:

(A) Freedom from Unlawful Discrimination. To secure for all individuals within Illinois the freedom from discrimination against any individual because of his or her race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, military status, sexual orientation, or unfavorable discharge from military service in connection with employment, real estate transactions, access to financial credit, and the availability of public accommodations.

(B) Freedom from Sexual Harassment-Employment and Elementary, Secondary, and Higher Education. To prevent sexual harassment in employment and sexual harassment in elementary, secondary, and higher education.

(C) Freedom from Discrimination Based on Citizenship Status-Employment. To prevent discrimination based on citizenship status in employment.

(D) Freedom from Discrimination Based on Familial Status-Real Estate Transactions. To prevent discrimination based on familial status in real estate transactions.

(E) Public Health, Welfare and Safety. To promote the public health, welfare and safety by protecting the interest of all people in Illinois in maintaining personal dignity, in realizing their full productive capacities, and in furthering their interests, rights and privileges as citizens of this State.

(F) Implementation of Constitutional Guarantees. To secure and guarantee the rights established by Sections 17, 18 and 19 of Article I of the Illinois Constitution of 1970.

(G) Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action. To establish Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action as the policies of this State in all of its decisions, programs and activities, and to assure that all State departments, boards, commissions and instrumentalities rigorously take affirmative action to provide equality of opportunity and eliminate the effects of past discrimination in the internal affairs of State government and in their relations with the public.

(H) Unfounded Charges. To protect citizens of this State against unfounded charges of unlawful discrimination, sexual harassment in employment and sexual harassment in elementary, secondary, and higher education, and discrimination based on citizenship status in employment.

(Source: P.A. 95-668, eff. 10-10-07.)

(775 ILCS 5/Art. 5A heading)

ARTICLE 5A. ELEMENTARY, SECONDARY, AND HIGHER EDUCATION

(775 ILCS 5/5A-101) (from Ch. 68, par. 5A-101)

Sec. 5A-101. Definitions. The following definitions are applicable strictly in the content of this Article, except that the term "sexual harassment in elementary, secondary, and higher education" as defined herein has the meaning herein ascribed to it whenever that term is used anywhere in this Act.

(A) Institution of Elementary, Secondary, or Higher Education. "Institution of elementary, secondary, or higher education" means: (1) a any publicly or privately operated university, college, community college, junior college, business or vocational school, or other educational institution offering degrees and instruction beyond the secondary school level; or (2) a publicly or privately operated elementary school or secondary school.

(B) Degree. "Degree" means: (1) a any designation, appellation, series of letters or words or other symbols which signifies or purports to signify that the recipient thereof has satisfactorily completed an organized academic, business or vocational program of study offered beyond the secondary school level; or (2) a designation signifying that the recipient has graduated from an elementary school or secondary school.

(C) Student. "Student" means any individual admitted to or applying for admission to an institution of elementary, secondary, or higher education, or enrolled on a full or part time basis in a course or program of academic, business or vocational instruction offered by or through an institution of elementary, secondary, or higher education.

(D) Elementary, Secondary, or Higher Education Representative. "Elementary, Secondary, or Higher Education representative" means and includes the president, chancellor or other holder of any executive office on the administrative staff of an institution of higher education, an administrator of an elementary school or secondary school, a and any member of the faculty of an institution of higher education, including but not limited to a dean or associate or assistant dean, a professor or associate or assistant professor, and a full or part time instructor or visiting professor, including a graduate assistant or other student who is employed on a temporary basis of less than full time as a teacher or instructor of any course or program of academic, business or vocational instruction offered by or through an institution of higher education, and any teacher, instructor, or other employee of an elementary school or secondary school.

(E) Sexual Harassment in Elementary, Secondary, and Higher Education. "Sexual harassment in elementary, secondary, and higher education" means any unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors made by an elementary, secondary, or a higher education representative to a student, or any conduct of a sexual nature exhibited by an elementary, secondary, or a higher education representative toward a student, when such conduct has the purpose of substantially interfering with the student's educational performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive educational environment; or when the elementary, secondary, or higher education representative either explicitly or implicitly makes the student's submission to such conduct a term or condition of, or uses the student's submission to or rejection of such conduct as a basis for determining:

(1) Whether the student will be admitted to an institution of elementary, secondary, or higher education;

(2) The educational performance required or expected of the student;

(3) The attendance or assignment requirements applicable to the student;

(4) To what courses, fields of study or programs, including honors and graduate programs, the student will be admitted;

(5) What placement or course proficiency requirements are applicable to the student;

(6) The quality of instruction the student will receive;

(7) What tuition or fee requirements are applicable to the student;

(8) What scholarship opportunities are available to the student;

(9) What extracurricular teams the student will be a member of or in what extracurricular competitions the student will participate;

(10) Any grade the student will receive in any examination or in any course or program of instruction in which the student is enrolled;

(11) The progress of the student toward successful completion of or graduation from any course or program of instruction in which the student is enrolled; or

(12) What degree, if any, the student will receive.

(Source: P.A. 83-91.)

(775 ILCS 5/5A-102) (from Ch. 68, par. 5A-102)

Sec. 5A-102. Civil Rights Violations-Elementary, Secondary, and Higher Education. It is a civil rights violation:

(A) Elementary, Secondary, or Higher Education Representative. For any elementary, secondary, or higher education representative to commit or engage in sexual harassment in elementary, secondary, and higher education.

(B) Institution of Elementary, Secondary, or Higher Education. For any institution of elementary, secondary, or higher education to fail to take remedial action, or to fail to take appropriate disciplinary action against an elementary, secondary, or a higher education representative employed by such institution, when such institution knows that such elementary, secondary, or higher education representative was committing or engaging in or committed or engaged in sexual harassment in elementary, secondary, and higher education.

(Source: P.A. 83-91.)

(775 ILCS 5/6-101) (from Ch. 68, par. 6-101)

Sec. 6-101. Additional Civil Rights Violations. It is a civil rights violation for a person, or for two or more persons to conspire, to:

(A) Retaliation. Retaliate against a person because he or she has opposed that which he or she reasonably and in good faith believes to be unlawful discrimination, sexual harassment in employment or sexual harassment in elementary, secondary, and higher education, discrimination based on citizenship status in employment, or because he or she has made a charge, filed a complaint, testified, assisted, or participated in an investigation, proceeding, or hearing under this Act;

(B) Aiding and Abetting; Coercion. Aid, abet, compel or coerce a person to commit any violation of this Act;

(C) Interference. Wilfully interfere with the performance of a duty or the exercise of a power by the Commission or one of its members or representatives or the Department or one of its officers or employees.

(D) Definitions. For the purposes of this Section, "sexual harassment" and "citizenship status" shall have the same meaning as defined in Section 2-101 of this Act.

(Source: P.A. 87-579.)

(775 ILCS 5/7-106) (from Ch. 68, par. 7-106)

Sec. 7-106. Recruitment; Research; Public Communication) For the purpose of promoting equal employment and housing opportunities and eliminating unlawful discrimination, sexual harassment in employment and sexual harassment in elementary, secondary, and higher education, the Department shall have authority to:

(A) Recruitment. Cooperate with public and private organizations, as well as the Department of Central Management Services, in encouraging individuals in underrepresented classifications to seek employment in state government.

(B) Publications; Research. Issue publications, conduct research, and make surveys as it deems necessary.

(C) Public Hearings. Hold public hearings to obtain information from the general public on the effectiveness of the state's equal employment opportunity program and the protection against unlawful discrimination, sexual harassment in employment and sexual harassment in elementary, secondary, and higher education afforded by this Act and to accept public recommendations concerning changes in the program and the Act for inclusion in its annual report.

(D) Promotion of Communication and Goodwill. Establish a program to cooperate with civic, religious and educational organizations in order to improve human communication and understanding, foster equal opportunities in employment and housing, and promote and encourage communication, goodwill and interfaith and interracial harmony.

(Source: P.A. 85-1229; 86-1343.)

(775 ILCS 5/7-108) (from Ch. 68, par. 7-108)

Sec. 7-108. Local Departments, Commissions.

(A) Authority. A political subdivision, or two or more political subdivisions acting jointly, may create a local department or commission as it or they see fit to promote the purposes of this Act and to secure for all individuals within the jurisdiction of the political subdivision or subdivisions freedom from unlawful discrimination, sexual harassment in employment and sexual harassment in elementary, secondary, and higher education. The provisions of any ordinance enacted by any municipality or county which prohibits broader or different categories of discrimination than are prohibited by this Act are not invalidated or affected by this Act.

(B) Concurrent Jurisdiction. When the Department and a local department or commission have concurrent jurisdiction over a complaint, either may transfer the complaint to the other under regulations established by the Department.

(C) Exclusive Jurisdiction. When the Department or a local department or commission has jurisdiction over a complaint and the other does not, the Department or local department or commission without jurisdiction may transfer the complaint to the other under regulations established by the Department.

(D) To secure and guarantee the rights established by Sections 17, 18 and 19 of Article I of the Illinois Constitution, any ordinance, resolution, rule or regulation of any county, municipality or other unit of local government or of any local department or commission which prohibits, restricts, narrows or limits the housing choice of any person is unenforceable and void. Nothing in this amendatory Act of 1981 prohibits a unit of local government from making special outreach efforts to inform members of minority groups of housing opportunities available in areas of majority white concentration and make similar efforts to inform the majority white population of available housing opportunities located in areas of minority concentration. This paragraph is applicable to home rule units as well as non-home rule units.

Pursuant to Article VII, Section 6, paragraph (i) of the Illinois Constitution, this amendatory Act of 1981 is a limitation of the power of home rule units.

(Source: P.A. 85-1229; 86-1343.)

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