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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 40

 
2     WHEREAS, The social and economic well-being of the State is
3 reliant upon healthy and productive employees; and
 
4     WHEREAS, Surveys and studies have documented that 37% of
5 employees directly experience health-endangering workplace
6 bullying, abuse, and harassment, which is 4 times more
7 prevalent than sexual harassment alone; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Workplace bullying is recognized by the National
9 Institute for Occupational Safety and Health as a form of
10 workplace violence; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Further studies and surveys have documented that
12 abusive work environments can have severe effects on targeted
13 employees, including feelings of shame and humiliation,
14 stress, loss of sleep, severe anxiety, depression,
15 post-traumatic stress disorder, reduced immunity to infection,
16 stress-related gastrointestinal disorders, hypertension, and
17 pathophysiologic changes that increase the risk of
18 cardiovascular diseases; and
 
19     WHEREAS, Surveys and studies have documented that abusive
20 work environments can have serious consequences for employers,
21 including reduced employee productivity and morale, higher

 

 

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1 turnover and compensation claims; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Unless mistreated employees have been subjected
3 to abusive treatment in the workplace for unlawful
4 discriminatory reasons, they are unlikely to have legal
5 recourse to redress such treatment; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Legal protection from abusive work environments
7 should not be limited to behavior grounded in protected class
8 status as required by employment discrimination statutes; and
 
9     WHEREAS, Current laws apply in only 20% of bullying cases;
10 and
 
11     WHEREAS, Legal protections apply when the target is a
12 member of a protected status group except in same-sex and
13 same-race harassment which accounts for 61% of bullying, which
14 accounts for a legal loophole; and
 
15     WHEREAS, It is important that Illinois promote the health,
16 safety, and welfare of Illinois employees; therefore, be it
 
17     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
18 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
19 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that an Illinois Legislative Task
20 Force on Workplace Bullying is created, to consist of 8 members

 

 

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1 of the Illinois General Assembly appointed as follows: 2
2 members of the Senate appointed by the Senate President, one of
3 whom shall serve as co-chairman; 2 members of the Senate
4 appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; 2 members of
5 the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the
6 House of Representatives, one of whom shall serve as
7 co-chairman; and 2 members of the House of Representatives
8 appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of
9 Representatives; all Task Force members shall serve without
10 compensation, but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable and
11 necessary expenses from funds appropriated for that purpose;
12 and be it further
 
13     RESOLVED, That the mission of the Illinois Legislative Task
14 Force on Workplace Bullying shall be to examine: (1) the
15 prevalence and impact of workplace bullying on Illinois private
16 sector employees to include, but not be limited to, physical
17 and psychological health, economic security, work and family
18 relationships; (2) the barriers faced by private sector
19 employers, both for-profit and not-for-profit, who employ
20 individuals who engage in intentional abusive conduct such as
21 increased turnover, lost productivity through absenteeism,
22 worker's compensation and disability insurance claims, and
23 corporate recruitment and retention as related to workplace
24 bullying; and (3) incentives to businesses who implement
25 policies and procedures to prevent and respond to the

 

 

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1 mistreatment of employees at work; and be it further
 
2     RESOLVED, That the Illinois Legislative Task Force on
3 Workplace Bullying shall receive administrative support from
4 the Department of Human Services, may employ skilled experts
5 with the approval of the Speaker of the House and the President
6 of the Senate, and shall report its findings to the General
7 Assembly on or before December 1, 2010.