HB4576eng 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB4576 Engrossed LRB098 18016 OMW 53143 b

AN ACT concerning State government.

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

Section 5. The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by adding Section 604-1020 as follows:

(20 ILCS 605/604-1020 new)

Sec. 604-1020. Credit and background checks and unpaid child support study.

(a) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall conduct a study regarding credit and background checks conducted by public and private employers. The purpose of the study is to determine what, if any, impact unpaid child support information has on an individual's ability to be considered, interviewed, and hired by an employer. The study shall focus on the following:

(1) Whether credit and background checks reveal unpaid child support obligations, including, but not limited to, amounts in arrears, civil judgments, and criminal convictions for failure to pay child support.

(2) Whether the information revealed in a credit or background check regarding unpaid child support prevents applicants from gaining employment.

(b) The study may include data related to the prevalence of information regarding unpaid child support on standard employer credit and background checks, the prevalence of criminal versus civil judgments on standard employer credit and background checks, and the number of employers who utilize this information when screening applicants for employment.

(c) The Department shall report the results of its study and any recommendations to the Governor and the General Assembly on or before May 1, 2016.

(d) This Section is repealed January 1, 2017.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January 1, 2015.