HB3129 EngrossedLRB103 30957 SPS 57530 b

1    AN ACT concerning employment.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Equal Pay Act of 2003 is amended by changing
5Sections 10, 20, and 30 as follows:
 
6    (820 ILCS 112/10)
7    Sec. 10. Prohibited acts.
8    (a) No employer may discriminate between employees on the
9basis of sex by paying wages to an employee at a rate less than
10the rate at which the employer pays wages to another employee
11of the opposite sex for the same or substantially similar work
12on jobs the performance of which requires substantially
13similar skill, effort, and responsibility, and which are
14performed under similar working conditions, except where the
15payment is made under:
16        (1) a seniority system;
17        (2) a merit system;
18        (3) a system that measures earnings by quantity or
19    quality of production; or
20        (4) a differential based on any other factor other
21    than: (i) sex or (ii) a factor that would constitute
22    unlawful discrimination under the Illinois Human Rights
23    Act, provided that the factor:

 

 

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1            (A) is not based on or derived from a differential
2        in compensation based on sex or another protected
3        characteristic;
4            (B) is job-related with respect to the position
5        and consistent with a business necessity; and
6            (C) accounts for the differential.
7    No employer may discriminate between employees by paying
8wages to an African-American employee at a rate less than the
9rate at which the employer pays wages to another employee who
10is not African-American for the same or substantially similar
11work on jobs the performance of which requires substantially
12similar skill, effort, and responsibility, and which are
13performed under similar working conditions, except where the
14payment is made under:
15        (1) a seniority system;
16        (2) a merit system;
17        (3) a system that measures earnings by quantity or
18    quality of production; or
19        (4) a differential based on any other factor other
20    than: (i) race or (ii) a factor that would constitute
21    unlawful discrimination under the Illinois Human Rights
22    Act, provided that the factor:
23            (A) is not based on or derived from a differential
24        in compensation based on race or another protected
25        characteristic;
26            (B) is job-related with respect to the position

 

 

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1        and consistent with a business necessity; and
2            (C) accounts for the differential.
3    An employer who is paying wages in violation of this Act
4may not, to comply with this Act, reduce the wages of any other
5employee.
6    Nothing in this Act may be construed to require an
7employer to pay, to any employee at a workplace in a particular
8county, wages that are equal to the wages paid by that employer
9at a workplace in another county to employees in jobs the
10performance of which requires equal skill, effort, and
11responsibility, and which are performed under similar working
12conditions.
13    (b) It is unlawful for any employer to interfere with,
14restrain, or deny the exercise of or the attempt to exercise
15any right provided under this Act. It is unlawful for any
16employer to discharge or in any other manner discriminate
17against any individual for inquiring about, disclosing,
18comparing, or otherwise discussing the employee's wages or the
19wages of any other employee, or aiding or encouraging any
20person to exercise his or her rights under this Act. It is
21unlawful for an employer to require an employee to sign a
22contract or waiver that would prohibit the employee from
23disclosing or discussing information about the employee's
24wages, salary, benefits, or other compensation. An employer
25may, however, prohibit a human resources employee, a
26supervisor, or any other employee whose job responsibilities

 

 

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1require or allow access to other employees' wage or salary
2information from disclosing that information without prior
3written consent from the employee whose information is sought
4or requested.
5    (b-5) It is unlawful for an employer or employment agency,
6or employee or agent thereof, to (1) screen job applicants
7based on their current or prior wages or salary histories,
8including benefits or other compensation, by requiring that
9the wage or salary history of an applicant satisfy minimum or
10maximum criteria, (2) request or require a wage or salary
11history as a condition of being considered for employment, as
12a condition of being interviewed, as a condition of continuing
13to be considered for an offer of employment, as a condition of
14an offer of employment or an offer of compensation, or (3)
15request or require that an applicant disclose wage or salary
16history as a condition of employment.
17    (b-10) It is unlawful for an employer to seek the wage or
18salary history, including benefits or other compensation, of a
19job applicant from any current or former employer. This
20subsection (b-10) does not apply if:
21        (1) the job applicant's wage or salary history is a
22    matter of public record under the Freedom of Information
23    Act, or any other equivalent State or federal law, or is
24    contained in a document completed by the job applicant's
25    current or former employer and then made available to the
26    public by the employer, or submitted or posted by the

 

 

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1    employer to comply with State or federal law; or
2        (2) the job applicant is a current employee and is
3    applying for a position with the same current employer.
4    (b-15) Nothing in subsections (b-5) and (b-10) shall be
5construed to prevent an employer or employment agency, or an
6employee or agent thereof, from:
7        (1) providing information about the wages, benefits,
8    compensation, or salary offered in relation to a position;
9    or
10        (2) engaging in discussions with an applicant for
11    employment about the applicant's expectations with respect
12    to wage or salary, benefits, and other compensation,
13    including unvested equity or deferred compensation that
14    the applicant would forfeit or have canceled by virtue of
15    the applicant's resignation from the applicant's current
16    employer. If, during such discussion, the applicant
17    voluntarily and without prompting discloses that the
18    applicant would forfeit or have canceled by virtue of the
19    applicant's resignation from the applicant's current
20    employer unvested equity or deferred compensation, an
21    employer may request the applicant to verify the aggregate
22    amount of such compensation by submitting a letter or
23    document stating the aggregate amount of the unvested
24    equity or deferred compensation from, at the applicant's
25    choice, one of the following: (1) the applicant's current
26    employer or (2) the business entity that administers the

 

 

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1    funds that constitute the unvested equity or deferred
2    compensation.
3    (b-20) An employer is not in violation of subsections
4(b-5) and (b-10) when a job applicant voluntarily and without
5prompting discloses his or her current or prior wage or salary
6history, including benefits or other compensation, on the
7condition that the employer does not consider or rely on the
8voluntary disclosures as a factor in determining whether to
9offer a job applicant employment, in making an offer of
10compensation, or in determining future wages, salary,
11benefits, or other compensation.
12    (b-25) It is unlawful for an employer with 15 or more
13employees to fail to include the pay scale and benefits for a
14position in any job posting. If an employer with 15 or more
15employees engages a third party to announce, post, publish, or
16otherwise make known a job posting, the employer shall provide
17the pay scale and benefits to the third party and the third
18party shall include the pay scale and benefits in the job
19posting. An employer is liable for a third party's failure to
20include the pay scale and benefits in the job posting. An
21employer shall announce, post, or otherwise make known all
22opportunities for promotion to all current employees no later
23than the same calendar day that the employer makes an external
24job posting for the position. Nothing in this subsection
25requires an employer to make a job posting. As used in this
26subsection, "pay scale and benefits" means the wage or salary,

 

 

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1or the wage or salary range, and a general description of the
2benefits and other compensation the employer reasonably
3expects to offer for the position.
4    (c) It is unlawful for any person to discharge or in any
5other manner discriminate against any individual because the
6individual:
7        (1) has filed any charge or has instituted or caused
8    to be instituted any proceeding under or related to this
9    Act;
10        (2) has given, or is about to give, any information in
11    connection with any inquiry or proceeding relating to any
12    right provided under this Act;
13        (3) has testified, or is about to testify, in any
14    inquiry or proceeding relating to any right provided under
15    this Act; or
16        (4) fails to comply with any wage or salary history
17    inquiry.
18(Source: P.A. 101-177, eff. 9-29-19; 102-277, eff. 1-1-22.)
 
19    (820 ILCS 112/20)
20    Sec. 20. Recordkeeping requirements. An employer subject
21to any provision of this Act shall make and preserve records
22that document the name, address, and occupation of each
23employee, the wages paid to each employee, the pay scale and
24benefits, as defined in subsection (b-25) of Section (10), for
25a position, and any other information the Director may by rule

 

 

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1deem necessary and appropriate for enforcement of this Act. An
2employer subject to any provision of this Act shall preserve
3those records for a period of not less than 5 years and shall
4make reports from the records as prescribed by rule or order of
5the Director, unless the records relate to an ongoing
6investigation or enforcement action under this Act, in which
7case the records must be maintained until their destruction is
8authorized by the Department or by court order.
9(Source: P.A. 96-467, eff. 8-14-09.)
 
10    (820 ILCS 112/30)
11    Sec. 30. Violations; fines and penalties.
12    (a) If an employee is paid by his or her employer less than
13the wage to which he or she is entitled in violation of Section
1410 or 11 of this Act, the employee may recover in a civil
15action the entire amount of any underpayment together with
16interest, compensatory damages if the employee demonstrates
17that the employer acted with malice or reckless indifference,
18punitive damages as may be appropriate, injunctive relief as
19may be appropriate, and the costs and reasonable attorney's
20fees as may be allowed by the court and as necessary to make
21the employee whole. At the request of the employee or on a
22motion of the Director, the Department may make an assignment
23of the wage claim in trust for the assigning employee and may
24bring any legal action necessary to collect the claim, and the
25employer shall be required to pay the costs incurred in

 

 

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1collecting the claim. Every such action shall be brought
2within 5 years from the date of the underpayment. For purposes
3of this Act, "date of the underpayment" means each time wages
4are underpaid.
5    (a-5) If an employer violates subsection (b), (b-5),
6(b-10), or (b-20), or (b-25) of Section 10, the employee may
7recover in a civil action any damages incurred, special
8damages not to exceed $10,000, injunctive relief as may be
9appropriate, and costs and reasonable attorney's fees as may
10be allowed by the court and as necessary to make the employee
11whole. If special damages are available, an employee may
12recover compensatory damages only to the extent such damages
13exceed the amount of special damages. Such action shall be
14brought within 5 years from the date of the violation.
15    (b) The Director is authorized to supervise the payment of
16the unpaid wages under subsection (a) or damages under
17subsection (b), (b-5), (b-10), or (b-20), or (b-25) of Section
1810 owing to any employee or employees under this Act and may
19bring any legal action necessary to recover the amount of
20unpaid wages, damages, and penalties or to seek injunctive
21relief, and the employer shall be required to pay the costs.
22Any sums recovered by the Director on behalf of an employee
23under this Section shall be paid to the employee or employees
24affected.
25    (c) Employers who violate any provision of this Act or any
26rule adopted under the Act, except for a violation of

 

 

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1subsection (b-25) of Section 10, are subject to a civil
2penalty for each employee affected as follows:
3        (1) An employer with fewer than 4 employees: first
4    offense, a fine not to exceed $500; second offense, a fine
5    not to exceed $2,500; third or subsequent offense, a fine
6    not to exceed $5,000.
7        (2) An employer with between 4 and 99 employees: first
8    offense, a fine not to exceed $2,500; second offense, a
9    fine not to exceed $3,000; third or subsequent offense, a
10    fine not to exceed $5,000.
11        (3) An employer with 100 or more employees who
12    violates any Section of this Act except for Section 11
13    shall be fined up to $10,000 per employee affected. An
14    employer with 100 or more employees that is a business as
15    defined under Section 11 and commits a violation of
16    Section 11 shall be fined up to $10,000.
17    Before any imposition of a penalty under this subsection,
18an employer with 100 or more employees who violates item (b) of
19Section 11 and inadvertently fails to file an initial
20application or recertification shall be provided 30 calendar
21days by the Department to submit the application or
22recertification.
23    An employer or person who violates subsection (b), (b-5),
24(b-10), (b-20), or (c) of Section 10 is subject to a civil
25penalty not to exceed $5,000 for each violation for each
26employee affected.

 

 

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1    (c-5) The Department may initiate investigations of
2alleged violations of subsection (b-25) of Section (10) upon
3receiving a complaint from any individual, or at the
4Department's discretion. Any individual may submit a complaint
5of a violation of subsection (b-25) of Section (10) to the
6Department within one year after the date the individual
7learned of the violation. If the Department has determined
8that a violation of subsection (b-25) of Section (10) has
9occurred, the employer has 7 days upon receipt of notice of a
10violation from the Department to remedy the violation. The
11employer shall demonstrate to the Department that the
12violation has been remedied or the employer shall be subject
13to a civil penalty of $100 per day for each day that a
14violation continues after the 7-day notice period. Each job
15posting not in compliance with the requirements of subsection
16(b-25) of Section (10) shall be considered a separate
17violation.
18    (d) In determining the amount of the penalty, the
19appropriateness of the penalty to the size of the business of
20the employer charged and the gravity of the violation shall be
21considered. The penalty may be recovered in a civil action
22brought by the Director in any circuit court.
23(Source: P.A. 101-177, eff. 9-29-19; 102-36, eff. 6-25-21.)
 
24    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January
251, 2024.