Public Act 102-0378
 
SB2240 EnrolledLRB102 17242 RJF 22708 b

    AN ACT concerning government.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Government Severance Pay Act is amended by
changing Sections 5 and 10 as follows:
 
    (5 ILCS 415/5)
    Sec. 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:
    "Department" means any branch, department, college, or
school of a university established by the board of trustees of
the university.
    "Misconduct" includes, but is not limited to, the
following:
        (1) Conduct demonstrating conscious disregard of an
    employer's interests and found to be a deliberate
    violation or disregard of the reasonable standards of
    behavior which the employer expects of his or her
    employee. Such conduct may include, but is not limited to,
    willful damage to an employer's property that results in
    damage of more than $50, or theft of employer property or
    property of a customer or invitee of the employer.
        (2) Carelessness or negligence to a degree or
    recurrence that manifests culpability or wrongful intent,
    or shows an intentional and substantial disregard of the
    employer's interests or of the employee's duties and
    obligations to his or her employer.
        (3) Chronic absenteeism or tardiness in deliberate
    violation of a known policy of the employer or one or more
    unapproved absences following a written reprimand or
    warning relating to more than one unapproved absence.
        (4) A willful and deliberate violation of a standard
    or regulation of this State by an employee of an employer
    licensed or certified by this State, which violation would
    cause the employer to be sanctioned or have its license or
    certification suspended by this State.
        (5) A violation of an employer's rule, unless the
    claimant can demonstrate that:
            (A) he or she did not know, and could not
        reasonably know, of the rule's requirements;
            (B) the rule is not lawful or not reasonably
        related to the job environment and performance; or
            (C) the rule is not fairly or consistently
        enforced.
        (6) Other conduct, including, but not limited to,
    committing criminal assault or battery on another
    employee, or on a customer or invitee of the employer, or
    committing abuse or neglect of a patient, resident,
    disabled person, elderly person, or child in her or his
    professional care.
    "Severance pay" means the actual or constructive
compensation, including salary, benefits, or perquisites, for
employment services yet to be rendered which is provided to an
employee who has recently been or is about to be terminated, or
a university president or chancellor who is transitioning to a
new position within the university for which he or she is
employed, excluding interim presidents and interim
chancellors.
    "Unit of government" means and includes all boards,
commissions, agencies, institutions, authorities, and bodies
politic and corporate of the State, created by or in
accordance with the constitution or statute, of the executive
branch of State government and does include colleges,
universities, and institutions under the jurisdiction of the
governing boards of the University of Illinois, Southern
Illinois University, Illinois State University, Eastern
Illinois University, Northern Illinois University, Western
Illinois University, Chicago State University, Governors State
University, Northeastern Illinois University, and the Board of
Higher Education. "Unit of government" also includes units of
local government, school districts, and community colleges
under the Public Community College Act.
(Source: P.A. 100-895, eff. 1-1-19.)
 
    (5 ILCS 415/10)
    Sec. 10. Severance pay.
    (a) A unit of government that enters into a contract or
employment agreement, or renewal or renegotiation of an
existing contract or employment agreement, that contains a
provision for severance pay with an officer, agent, employee,
or contractor must include the following provisions in the
contract:
        (1) a requirement that severance pay provided may not
    exceed an amount greater than 20 weeks of compensation;
    and
        (2) a prohibition of provision of severance pay when
    the officer, agent, employee, or contractor has been fired
    for misconduct by the unit of government; and .
        (3) a requirement that if a provision to transition
    into a different position is included in a university
    president's or chancellor's contract, then the contract
    must include which department he or she will transition
    into, and a provision that compensation shall not exceed
    the annual compensation of the highest paid employee in
    the department, and that the annual salary shall be
    commensurate with his or her assigned duties and rank as
    determined by the Dean of the College, and with the
    approval of the interim or acting president and the board
    of trustees.
    (b) Nothing in this Section creates an entitlement to
severance pay in the absence of its contractual authorization
or as otherwise authorized by law.
    (c) Notwithstanding any other provision to the contrary,
this Act shall not apply to contracts or employment agreements
for individuals employed by the department of intercollegiate
athletics of a college or university when the employee's
compensation is funded by non-State-appropriated funds, such
as revenues generated by athletic events or activities, gifts
or donations, or any combination thereof. Nothing in this
Section entitles an individual employed by the department of
intercollegiate athletics of a college or university to
receive severance pay when that individual has been dismissed
for misconduct.
(Source: P.A. 100-895, eff. 1-1-19; 101-195, eff. 8-2-19.)
 
    Section 10. The Board of Higher Education Act is amended
by changing Section 13 as follows:
 
    (110 ILCS 205/13)
    Sec. 13. Leadership training for university board members.
    (a) The Board shall require every voting member of the
governing board of a public university appointed for a term
beginning after January 1, 2016 to complete a minimum of 4
hours of professional development leadership training covering
topics that shall include, but are not limited to, public
university and labor law, contract law, ethics, sexual
violence on campus, financial oversight and accountability,
audits, and fiduciary responsibilities of a member of a
governing board within 2 years after beginning service and
within every 2 years of service thereafter.
    (b) A public university shall maintain on its Internet
website the names of all voting members of the governing board
who have successfully completed the training.
    (b-5) Beginning July 1, 2022, the Board shall create and
maintain on its Internet website an online trustee resource
center that shall, at a minimum, do all of the following:
        (1) provide updates on all statutes relevant to the
    work of the governing boards of universities;
        (2) include all of the documents and resources
    provided to trustees during the professional development
    leadership training course; and
        (3) provide an online portal for trustees to submit
    questions and receive answers from the Board.
    (c) Beginning after the effective date of this amendatory
Act of the 99th General Assembly, by July 31 of each year, the
chairperson of each governing board shall certify to the Board
the number of hours of training that each member received
during the preceding fiscal year.
    (d) If the certification indicates that a board member has
not completed the training required under this Section, the
Board shall send a notice to the Governor, the President of the
Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, and the Minority Leader of the House
of Representatives of that fact, and the governing board shall
suspend the board member from continued service, at which
point, the board member has 45 days to complete all training
deemed incomplete as provided by the certification. Failure of
the board member to complete the necessary training within
this probationary period constitutes a resignation from and
creates a vacancy in the governing board, to be filled as
provided by law.
    (e) The training under this Section may be provided by the
Board or by other qualified providers approved by the Board.
(Source: P.A. 99-695, eff. 1-1-17.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.