HB2622eng 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB2622 Engrossed LRB102 13073 JLS 18416 b

AN ACT concerning employment.

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

Section 5. The School Visitation Rights Act is amended by changing Section 35 as follows:

(820 ILCS 147/35)

Sec. 35. Employee rights.

(a) No employee shall lose any employee benefits, except as provided for in Section 20 of this Act, for exercising his or her rights under this Act. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect an employer's obligation to comply with any collective bargaining agreement or employee benefit plan. Nothing in this Act shall prevent an employer from providing school visitation rights in excess of the requirements of this Act. The rights afforded by this Act shall not be diminished by any collective bargaining act or by any employee benefit plan.

(b) An employer may not terminate an employee for an absence from work if the absence is due solely to the employee's attendance at a school conference, behavioral meeting, or academic meeting, as provided in Section 15.

(c) An employer violating subsection (b) is liable in a civil action for damages resulting to the employee. The employer has the burden of proof to demonstrate that termination is not related to an employee's absence for attendance at a school conference, behavioral meeting, or academic meeting.

(Source: P.A. 101-486, eff. 8-1-20.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect August 1, 2021.