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| | 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
HB2381 Introduced , by Rep. Justin Slaughter SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
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Amends the Public Officer Prohibited Activities Act. Defines "auditing official", "employee", "improper governmental action", and "retaliation". Provides that it is prohibited for a unit of local government, any agent or representative of a unit of local government, or another employee to retaliate against an employee who (1) reports an improper governmental action, (2) cooperates with an investigation by an auditing official related to a report of improper governmental action, or (3) testifying in a proceeding or prosecution arising out of an improper governmental action if the employee files a report with the auditing official regarding improper governmental action. Provides that the reports are confidential as allowed by law. Provides for procedures for the auditing official to process reports. Provides for remedies available to an employee who has been subject of an improper governmental action. Provides for penalties for retaliation against a report of improper governmental action.
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| | | FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY | | HOUSING AFFORDABILITY IMPACT NOTE ACT MAY APPLY |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning local government.
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| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | | Section 5. The Public Officer Prohibited Activities Act is |
| 5 | | amended by adding Section 4.1 as follows:
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| 6 | | (50 ILCS 105/4.1 new) |
| 7 | | Sec. 4.1. Retaliation against a whistleblower. |
| 8 | | (a) It is prohibited for a unit of local government, any |
| 9 | | agent or representative of a unit of local government, or |
| 10 | | another employee to retaliate against an employee who: |
| 11 | | (1) reports an improper governmental action under this |
| 12 | | Section; |
| 13 | | (2) cooperates with an investigation by an auditing |
| 14 | | official related to a report of improper governmental |
| 15 | | action; or |
| 16 | | (3) testifying in a proceeding or prosecution arising |
| 17 | | out of an improper governmental action. |
| 18 | | (b) To invoke the protections of this Section, an employee |
| 19 | | shall make a written report of improper governmental action to |
| 20 | | the appropriate auditing official. An employee who believes he |
| 21 | | or she has been retaliated against in violation of this Section |
| 22 | | must submit a written report to the auditing official within 60 |
| 23 | | days of gaining knowledge of the retaliatory action. If the |
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| 1 | | auditing official is the individual doing the improper |
| 2 | | governmental action, then a report under this subsection may be |
| 3 | | submitted to any State's Attorney. |
| 4 | | (c) Each auditing official shall establish written |
| 5 | | processes and procedures for managing complaints filed under |
| 6 | | this Section, and each auditing official shall investigate and |
| 7 | | dispose of reports of improper governmental action in |
| 8 | | accordance with these processes and procedures.
If an auditing |
| 9 | | official concludes that an improper governmental action has |
| 10 | | taken place or concludes that the relevant unit of local |
| 11 | | government, department, agency, or supervisory officials have |
| 12 | | hindered the auditing official's investigation into the |
| 13 | | report, the auditing official shall notify in writing the chief |
| 14 | | executive of the unit of local government and any other |
| 15 | | individual or entity the auditing official deems necessary in |
| 16 | | the circumstances. |
| 17 | | (d) An auditing official may transfer a report of improper |
| 18 | | governmental action to another auditing official for |
| 19 | | investigation if an auditing official deems it appropriate, |
| 20 | | including, but not limited to, the appropriate State's |
| 21 | | Attorney. |
| 22 | | (e) To the extent allowed by law, the identity of an |
| 23 | | employee reporting information about an improper governmental |
| 24 | | action shall be kept confidential unless the employee waives |
| 25 | | confidentiality in writing. Auditing officials may take |
| 26 | | reasonable measures to protect employees whom reasonably |
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| 1 | | believe they may be subject to bodily harm for reporting |
| 2 | | improper government action. |
| 3 | | (f) The following remedies are available to employees |
| 4 | | subjected to adverse actions for reporting improper government |
| 5 | | action: |
| 6 | | (1) Auditing officials may reinstate, reimburse for |
| 7 | | loss wages or expenses incurred, promote, or provide some |
| 8 | | other form of restitution. |
| 9 | | (2) In instances where an auditing official determines |
| 10 | | that restitution will not suffice, the auditing official |
| 11 | | may make their investigation findings available for the |
| 12 | | purposes of aiding in that employee or the employee's |
| 13 | | attorney's effort to make the employee whole. |
| 14 | | (g) A person who engages in prohibited retaliatory action |
| 15 | | under subsection (a) is subject to the following penalties: a |
| 16 | | fine of no less than $500 and no more than $5000, suspension |
| 17 | | without pay, demotion, discharge, civil or criminal |
| 18 | | prosecution, or any combination of these penalties, as |
| 19 | | appropriate. |
| 20 | | (h) Every employee shall receive a written summary or a |
| 21 | | complete copy of this Section upon commencement of employment |
| 22 | | and at least once each year of employment. At the same time, |
| 23 | | the employee shall also receive a copy of the written processes |
| 24 | | and procedures for reporting improper governmental actions |
| 25 | | from the applicable auditing official. |
| 26 | | (i) As used in this Section: |
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| 1 | | "Auditing official" means any elected, appointed, or hired |
| 2 | | individual, by whatever name, in a unit of local government |
| 3 | | whose duties are similar to, but not limited to, receiving, |
| 4 | | registering, and investigating complaints and information |
| 5 | | concerning misconduct, inefficiency, and waste within the unit |
| 6 | | of local government; investigating the performance of |
| 7 | | officers, employees, functions, and programs; and promoting |
| 8 | | economy, efficiency, effectiveness and integrity in the |
| 9 | | administration of the programs and operations of the |
| 10 | | municipality. If a unit of local government does not have an |
| 11 | | "auditing official", the "auditing official" shall be a State's |
| 12 | | Attorney of the county in which the unit of local government is |
| 13 | | located within. |
| 14 | | "Employee" means anyone employed by a unit of local |
| 15 | | government, whether in a permanent or temporary position, |
| 16 | | including full-time, part-time, and intermittent workers. |
| 17 | | "Employee" also includes members of appointed boards or |
| 18 | | commissions, whether or not paid. "Employee" also includes |
| 19 | | persons who have been terminated because of any report or |
| 20 | | complaint submitted under this Section. |
| 21 | | "Improper governmental action" means any action by a unit |
| 22 | | of local government employee, an appointed member of a board, |
| 23 | | commission, or committee, or an elected official of the unit of |
| 24 | | local government that is undertaken in violation of a federal, |
| 25 | | State, or local government law or rule; is an abuse of |
| 26 | | authority; violates the public's trust or expectation of their |
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| 1 | | conduct; is of substantial and specific danger to the public's |
| 2 | | health or safety; or is a gross waste of public funds. The |
| 3 | | action need not be within the scope of the employee's, elected |
| 4 | | official's, board member's, commission member's, or committee |
| 5 | | member's official duties to be subject to a claim of "improper |
| 6 | | governmental action". "Improper governmental action" does not |
| 7 | | include a unit of local government personnel actions, |
| 8 | | including, but not limited to employee grievances, complaints, |
| 9 | | appointments, promotions, transfers, assignments, |
| 10 | | reassignments, reinstatements, restorations, reemployment, |
| 11 | | performance evaluations, reductions in pay, dismissals, |
| 12 | | suspensions, demotions, reprimands, or violations of |
| 13 | | collective bargaining agreements, except to the extent that the |
| 14 | | action amounts to retaliation. |
| 15 | | "Retaliate", "retaliation", or "retaliatory action" means |
| 16 | | any adverse change in an employee's employment status or the |
| 17 | | terms and conditions of employment that results from an |
| 18 | | employee's protected activity under this Ordinance. |
| 19 | | "Retaliatory action" includes, but is not limited to, denial of |
| 20 | | adequate staff to perform duties; frequent staff changes; |
| 21 | | frequent and undesirable office changes; refusal to assign |
| 22 | | meaningful work; unsubstantiated letters of reprimand or |
| 23 | | unsatisfactory performance evaluations; demotion; reduction in |
| 24 | | pay; denial of promotion; transfer or reassignment; suspension |
| 25 | | or dismissal; or other disciplinary action made because of an |
| 26 | | employee's protected activity under this Section.
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