Illinois NOW Legislative Report #21 10/15/03

From Executive Director Susan Bramlet-Lavin  

(For more information or to see the full text of legislation go to www.legis.state.il.us )

Fall Veto Session Dates: November 4,5,6,18,19,20. 

 Senate Bills

Civil Rights

SB 30              (Obama)         State Police-Cultural Diversity                  

            Requires the Department of State Police to provide training to State Police officers concerning sensitivity toward racial and ethnic differences. Requires the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board to provide for similar training for probationary police officers. Provides for a 4-year traffic stop statistical study based on information that must be recorded on the face of a uniform traffic citation, warning citation, or uniform stop card by State and local law enforcement officers. Signed into law by Governor 7/18.

SB 101            (Ronen)          Human Rights Act-Sexual Orientation      

            Amends the Human Rights Act. Provides that nothing in the Act shall be construed as requiring any employer, employment agency, or labor organization to give preferential treatment or special rights or implement affirmative action policies or programs based on sexual orientation. Provides that discrimination against a person because of his or her sexual orientation constitutes unlawful discrimination under the Act.  Referred to Senate Rules. 

We REALLY NEED calls to the following Senators from people in their districts: 
      Sen. Pamela Althoff (R-Crystal Lake) 815-455-6330, 815-455-8284 Fax
      Sen. Maggie Crotty (D-Oak Forest) 708-687-9696, 708 687-9801 Fax
      Sen. Kirk Dillard (R-Westmont) 630-969-0990, 708-969-1007 Fax
      Sen. Denny Jacobs (D-Moline) 309-797-0001, 309-797-0003 Fax
      Sen. Edward Maloney (D-Chicago) 773-881-4180, 773-881-4243 Fax
      Sen. James Meeks (D-Calumet City) 708-862-1515, 708-862-4745 Fax
      Sen. Louis Viverito (D-Burbank) 708-430-2510, 708-430-2610 Fax

Economic Justice

SB 2                (Ronen)          Equal Pay Act                                               

            Creates the Equal Pay Act of 2003. Provides that no employer may discriminate between employees on the basis of sex by paying wages solely on the basis of the employee's gender. Prohibits retaliatory discharge or discrimination against an employee on the basis of the employee's use of the Act and provides for penalties for violations of the Act. 

Passed Both Houses-Signed by Governor.

SB 1036 (Collins) Dept Labor-Workplace Study-Women           

                    Amends the Department of Labor Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Requires the     Department of Labor to conduct a study to determine the causes of and remedies for any barriers that minorities and women face in gaining access to apprenticeship programs in the State and to report the results of the study to the Governor and General Assembly no later than Labor Day in 2004.  Referred to Senate Rules.

Violence Against Women

  SB 406 (Rutherford)           Criminal Code-Sexual Assault-Consent    

            Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Provides that a victim may not be deemed to have consented to an act of sexual penetration or sexual conduct if the victim initially consented to the sexual penetration or sexual conduct and later withdraws consent if the accused continues the act of sexual penetration or sexual conduct after the victim withdraws consent.

Signed by Governor on 7/25

SB 407            (Silverstein)  Criminal Code-Hate Crimes-Electronic 

            Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Provides that harassment through electronic communications by reason of the harassed person's actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or national origin is a hate crime. Signed by Governor on 8/8.

SB 681 (Ronen)                     Gender Violence Act                                               

            Creates the Gender Violence Act. Defines "gender-related violence". Provides a cause of action for any person who has been subjected to gender-related violence. Provides for damages for violation of the Act. Sets a 10-year limitation for bringing a cause of action under the Act. The General Assembly PASSED HB536, a gender violence act that does not include sexual orientation. HB 536 was signed into law by the Governor on 8/5. IL NOW supported the more inclusive SB681. SB681 referred to Rules.

SB 1035       (Collins)            Criminal Code-Limitations

            Changes the statute of limitations for a prosecution of certain sex offenses committed against a person under 18 from 10 years to 20 years after the victim reaches the age of 18.  Signed by Governor on 7/24.                

SB 1543    (Radogno)           Nursing Home-Sex Assault Review 

Creates the Residential Health Care Facility Resident Sexual Assault and Death Review Team Act. Requires the Director of Public Health to appoint a residential health care facility resident sexual assault and death review team in each of the Department's administrative regions outside Cook County and at least one such team in Cook County. Provides that a team shall review every sexual assault of a nursing home resident and every death of a nursing home resident occurring in its region.  Signed by Governor on 8/21.

House Bills 

Reproductive Rights and Women’s Health

HB 211  (Feigenholtz)            Insurance Coverage-Contraceptives     

            Amends the Illinois Insurance Code, the Health Maintenance Organization Act, and the Voluntary Health Services Plans Act. Requires coverage under those Acts to include benefits for outpatient prescription contraceptive drugs and devices and outpatient contraceptive services. Signed into law by Governor on July 7.   

HB 274  (Soto)                       Women and Minorities Research                          

        Creates the Inclusion of Women and Minorities in Clinical Research Act. Provides that in conducting or supporting a project of clinical research, a grantee receiving State funds must ensure that women and members of minority groups are included as subjects in research projects. Provides that a grantee must conduct or support outreach programs for the recruitment of women and members of minority groups as subjects in projects of clinical research. Became law without Governor signature on 8/12.

 HB 2486         (Nekritz)         Access Clinics                                                          

            Creates the offense of unlawful interference with access to reproductive health services. Establishes penalties. Provides that a person aggrieved by a violation of this Act may bring a civil action to enjoin the violation, for compensatory and punitive damages, and for the costs of suit and reasonable fees for attorneys and expert witnesses. Provides that the Attorney General, a State's Attorney, or a municipal attorney may bring a civil action to enjoin a violation of this Act, for compensatory damages to persons aggrieved by a violation of this Act, and for the assessment of a civil penalty against each violator of this Act. Referred to Senate Rules.

Civil Rights

HB 469            (Currie)          State Lawsuit Immunity-Federal Law        

            Amends the State Lawsuit Immunity Act. Provides that an employee, former employee, or prospective employee of the State who is aggrieved by any conduct or action or inaction of the State that would constitute a violation of the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, or Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 may bring a civil action under that Act against the State. Signed by Governor 8/5.

HB 2345          (Hamos)           Housing Initiative-Low Income                            

            Creates the Illinois Housing Initiative Act of 2003. Requires that a task force, composed of all key State agencies with functions related to housing and other experts in housing, develop an annual comprehensive housing plan that prioritizes the development of a range of permanent housing for certain underserved populations, including low-income and homeless persons. Provides for funding housing construction and rehabilitation and supportive services. Requires every municipality to create a local development plan. Governor vetoed on 8/26.                                                                                         

HB 3023         (Feigenholtz)     Public Aid-Rights & Responsibilities

Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code in relation to rights and responsibilities of applicants and recipients. Prohibits discrimination on account of marriage status. Requires the establishment of review procedures in cases of termination of benefits for reasons other than financial eligibility or death of the recipient. Requires determinations of eligibility for other assistance. Requires that a recipient with employment or earned income be provided with information concerning Family Assist, Family Care, and available education and training opportunities. Signed by Governor 8/26.

Violence Against Women

HB 206            (Davis, M.)     DV-Training

            Amends the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 and the IL Domestic Violence Act of 1986. Provides that a violation of an order of protection shall (now, may) be enforced by a criminal court under certain circumstances. Signed by Governor 7/24.

  HB 571  (Dunn)        Criminal Code-Murder-Tech

Eliminates the provisions making a sentence of probation available to a defendant convicted of criminal sexual assault when the defendant was a family member of the victim. Signed by Governor 8/5.

HB 1400          (Fritchey)       Civil No Contact Order                                           

            Sets forth procedures under which a victim of non-consensual sexual conduct or non-consensual sexual penetration may petition a court for a civil no contact order requiring the person who committed the non-consensual sexual conduct or non-consensual sexual penetration to stay away from the victim. Signed by Governor 7/22.

HB 2525      (Jones,L.)            Criminal Code-Domestic Battery                                     

            Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Includes a prior conviction under the laws of another jurisdiction that is similar to a violation under the laws of this State for which the defendant is guilty of a Class 4 felony for domestic battery. Signed by Governor 7/24.

HB 3044   (Washington)       DHS-Public Aid- Violence Victims

                Adds categories of non-citizens who are eligible for public aid to children or adults who are victims of domestic violence.  Signed by Governor 7/24.

HB 3486      (Bailey)              DV-Employment Leave        (IL VESSA)               

         Creates the Victims of Domestic Violence Employment Leave Act. Provides that specified employers may not discharge or discriminate against an employee for taking time off from work to seek relief as a victim of domestic violence. Also prohibits those employers from discharging, discriminating, or retaliating against an employee who is a victim of domestic violence for taking time off from work to seek medical attention or counseling for injuries or psychological trauma caused by domestic violence. Signed by Governor 8/25..

HB 3547          (Howard)        Insurance-Domestic Violence                    

Amends the Illinois Insurance Code relating to coverage for subjects of abuse. Extends the restrictions on denying coverage for subjects of abuse to property and casualty insurers. Signed by Governor 7/14.

HB 3552          (Berrios)        Adoption Act Consents

        Removes requirement that a rape victim get offender's consent to allow adoption of a child conceived through rape.  Signed by Governor 8/11.

Family Law

HB 2863  (McCarthy)                        Marriage Act-Child Support

Amends the IL Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. Raises the minimum amount support percentage of the supporting party’s net income to 28% for 2 children (from 25%) Effective immediately. Signed by Governor 7/10.

  HB 2895 (Lyons, E.)                        IDPA-Child Support-Find Parent                                        Amends the Illinois Public Aid Code. Provides that if a custodial parent who is receiving child support enforcement services under the Code provides the Department of Public Aid with credible information concerning the location of the putative father or noncustodial parent of the child, the Department must attempt to locate the putative father or noncustodial parent within 60 days after receiving that information. Governor vetoed on 8/7.