Employers should recognize that health care providers may be extremely busy and not able to provide the requested documentation in a timely manner. SB 1730 requires all public corporations with their principal executive offices in Illinois to include in their annual reports to the Secretary of State's office the self-identified sexual orientation and gender identity of each member of its board of directors. Requires schools to exclude students and school personnel who are confirmed cases, probable cases, or close contacts. This Executive Order supplements the Community Revitalization Order, Executive Order 43. Suspends requiring certain courses as a prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma for twelfth grade students who are unable to complete coursework as a result of the suspension of in-person instruction due to COVID-19. Amends a few previous executive orders, such as EO-2020-07, in-person meeting requirements, and EO 2020-40, the resumption of limited in-person instruction at schools. State and federal laws require employers to maintain a workplace free of discrimination and harassment, and to ensure that employees are treated equally regardless of age, disability, sex, race, national origin, religion, or any other protected category. Illinois school employees across the state will receive paid COVID sick leave if they are fully vaccinated under new law signed by Gov. Instead, a verbal attestation documented by the State constitutes a valid signature. LIMITED REOPENING OF SCHOOLS All public and nonpublic schools in Illinois serving pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students may open for limited in-person educational purposes, such as summer school, after the regular 2019-2020 school term. HB 00155 and HB 00310: Provides that SNAP and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infant and Childrens Programs may use their benefits to purchase menstrual hygiene products. HB 3914, the Positive Action Act, requires the director of the Central Management Services Department to strive to identify and modify laws and policies that make it harder for minorities and marginalized people to get state jobs. HB 376, also known as the Teaching Equitable Asian American History Act, requires that all public elementary and high schools must include a unit that teaches the contributions of Asian American communities and individuals to the history of the United States and the Midwest, including the arts, science, politics and civil rights. The . The Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act requires that, after separation from employment, employees must be paid all final compensation, including bonus payments, vacation pay, wages and commissions on their next regularly scheduled payday. COVID-19 diagnostic testing should generally be covered by private insurance and available at no cost to individuals who do not have insurance under federal reimbursement programs or at a community based testing site. First, not all individuals classified as 1099 employees are actually independent contractors as defined by the Unemployment Insurance Act. 106) May 27, 2022 WHEREAS, since early March 2020, Illinois has faced a pandemic that has caused extraordinary sickness and loss of life, infecting over 3,280,000, and taking the lives of more than 33,700 residents; and, HB 00135: Requires health insurance policies to cover health care or patient care around the dispensation of birth control. RESUMES ADMISSIONS TO IDOC FROM COUNTY JAILS The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) will resume accepting the transfer of individuals from Illinois county jails. The law restores sick days to school staff who had to take time off due to COVID-related reasons during the 2021-2022 school year and provides paid leave in the future. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance is available for up to 39 weeks for individuals whose unemployment is attributable to COVID-19 and who are not eligible for other unemployment benefits. ", Related: Another Watchdog Vacancy Means Complaints Against Lawmakers Won't Be Addressed. SB 2129 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to allow the chief prosecutor of the county where a convicted person was sentenced to petition a judge to resentence to a shorter sentence. More information on unpaid wages and the wage claim process is available on the Illinois Department of Labors (IDOL) website. Suspends provisions regarding pest control, milk production, mobile homes, body piercing and speech language pathology. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) was created to help self-employed individuals, freelancers, and independent contractors who lose work as a result of specific reasons set forth in federal law attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic and are not eligible for regular unemployment insurance. Yes. State Stimulus Money Might Be Taxable if You Live in These States Governor Pritzker Announces New Partnership Between Illinois Universities and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. EXTENDS CANNABIS APPLICATIONS Further extends the deadline for cannabis craft grower, infuser and transporter license applications and directs applicants to mail completed applications. SB 00968: Requires all health insurance plans, the Public Aid Code and public health benefits in Illinois to provide coverage for medically-necessary pancreatic cancer screening. COVID Illinois Update: IL reports 735 new cases, no deaths - ABC7 Chicago The Illinois Whistleblower Protection Act, 740 ILCS 174, prohibits retaliation against an employee for disclosing information they believe violates a state or federal law, rule, or regulation. PHASE FOUR REOPENING The community revitalization phase safely resumes and expands activities that were paused or limited as COVID-19 cases rose exponentially. SUSPENDS PROVISIONS IN THE ILLINOIS VEHICLE CODE Suspends the repossession of vehicles; however, individuals must still comply with any obligation they may have to a loan agreement or otherwise. REISSUES EXECUTIVE ORDERS - Reissues several executive orders, extending a majority of the provisions through May 29, 2021. In response, public health restrictions and mitigations are implemented for restaurants and bars, meetings and social events, gaming and casinos and for all workplaces, effective October 31, 2020. Per guidance from the U.S. The EEOC has issued guidance stating that due to the acknowledgment of COVID-19 community spread by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local public health authorities, employers may take employees temperatures. Under the IHRA and federal law, employers must make reasonable accommodations for employees if, as a result of a disability, they need an accommodation to perform their jobs. REISSUES EXECUTIVE ORDERS - Reissues most executive orders, extending a majority of the provisions through March 6, 2021. 42 U.S.C. Employers should provide face coverings at no charge to employees who are not able to maintain a minimum 6-foot social distance at all times; Ensure that all spaces where employees may gather, including locker rooms and lunchrooms, allow for social distancing; Ensure that all visitors (customers, vendors, etc.) For the third year in a row, low-wage workers are getting a raise as the calendar turns to 2022. New Illinois law will give teachers paid sick leave for COVID-19 HB 03955: Provides that automatic renewal offers or continuous service offers online should provide a toll-free number, email or a postal address if the seller directly bills the consumer, or to provide another cost-effective way to cancel the service. Here's a look at some of the most interesting laws set to go into effect. REISSUES EXECUTIVE ORDERS - Reissues most executive orders, extending a majority of the provisions through September 19, 2020. STATE FAIRS - Cancels the State Fairs in Springfield and DuQuoin scheduled for 2020, to protect the health and safety of fairgoers, entertainers, competitors, vendors, employees, and those living in the surrounding areas. The director of the Central Management Services Department must ensure that bird mortality is monitored at every state building. If there is prior guidance that implies different standards from these Tier 3 Mitigations, the more restrictive standards apply. To encourage Illinoisans to support the state economy, this law reduces vehicle registration fees for cars and small trucks if they are manufactured in Illinois. REGIONS 2, 3, AND 5 RESUME TIER 2 MITIGATIONS Region 2 (Northern Illinois), Region 3 (North-Central Illinois), and Region 5 (Southern Illinois) have met the metrics for a reduction of mitigations. Days before the SAFE-T Act was set to take effect, a Kankakee County judge ruled that the portion of the SAFE-T Act that ends cash bail in Illinois is unconstitutional. That led to the passage of a budget, temporary changes to election procedures and little else as Pritzker set pandemic policies through a series of executive orders. REGION 1 MITIGATIONS Region 1 has reported three consecutive days of a test positivity rate of 8 percent or higher. [{"code":"en","title":"Illinois' Virtual Agent","message":"Hello"},{"code":"es","title":"Agente virtual de Illinois","message":"Hola"}]. It will increase $1 per hour every year until it reaches $15 an hour. Employers should never require employees or other workers at the workplace to report to work while experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. No. No. Suspends the requirement that a fully executed marriage license must be submitted to the county clerk within 10 days. SB 01600: Requires restaurants and truck stops to provide employees with training in the recognition of human trafficking, and protocols for reporting observed human trafficking to proper authorities. For example, employers should consider staggering shifts or designating groups of employees to consistently work on the same days and times as each other. Executive Order 2021-24 has been amended by Executive Order 2021-25. SB 02122: Provides that statements provided by minors are inadmissible as evidence if obtained using deceptive practices. State and federal law requires exemptions for certain medical and religious reasons. JB Pritzker signed into law a proposal that gives teachers and other school workers paid administrative leave if they are forced to stay home with COVID-19 or if a family . REISSUES EXECUTIVE ORDERS - Reissues several executive orders, extending a majority of the provisions through April 30, 2022. COVID affects start of Illinois 2022 General Assembly - Yahoo! All employees are entitled to their promised wages for all hours of work performed, regardless of immigration status. HB 395 changes the Ivory Ban Act into the Animal Parts and Products Ban Act. Driven by the death of Jelani Day, this law requires a coroner or medical examiner to notify the FBI if human remains in their custody are not identified within 72 hours of discovery. An employee who is not experiencing symptoms but was tested due to close contact with someone with symptoms or a COVID-19 diagnosis should follow the guidance of public health authorities and any potential work restrictions, until they receive their test results. More information about coronavirus waivers and flexibilities is available on . HB 02589: Expands the use and reimbursement of dispensing opioid antagonists to prevent overdose deaths and improves treatment services for substance use disorders. An individual temporarily laid off in this situation can qualify for benefits if the individual is available for and actively seeking work. Employers are further prohibited from retaliating against an employee when the employee discloses information that they have reasonable cause to believe is a violation of a state or federal law, rule, or regulation. Hundreds of new laws coming to Illinois Jan. 1, 2022 - FOX 2 SB 1879 amends the Fish and Aquatic Life Code to ban fishing for carp, catfish, buffalo, suckers, gar, bowfin, shad and drum with a pitchfork, spear gun, bow and arrow, slingshot bow, spear or gig on or across from any public right of way or highway in the state. Second, the PUA program has been established for individuals who are unemployed for specific reasons attributable to COVID-19 and not covered by the states regular unemployment insurance program. Executive Order 2022-21 - coronavirus.illinois.gov HB 226: Allows students to choose whether to submit their ACT/SAT score when applying to Illinois . Minimum wage bump coming, Juneteenth to become a state holiday: Here COVID-19. ON NOW. Federal and Illinois law require employers to maintain a safe and healthy workplace. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) have also published guidelines and requirements for employers to follow in order to maintain a safe workplace during the pandemic. J.B. Pritzker's office announced Monday night he signed into law changes to the Health Care Right of Conscience Act. Per the Governors Executive Orders, an employer can require employees to use protective gear, including masks or face coverings. In response, additional public health restrictions and mitigations are instituted for Regions 5, 7, and 8, such as a tighter gathering cap of 10 individuals rather than 25 and new table caps of six rather than 10 at restaurants and bars. This Executive Order supersedes EO 2021-24 and EO 2021-25. Applying for and being denied benefits under the regular unemployment insurance program is the first step to establishing eligibility under PUA. However, the positivity rate has continued to significantly increase in these regions. This Executive Order supplements the Community Revitalization Order, Executive Order 43. Such protected concerted activity generally includes employees talking to one another about working conditions or workplace safety, or engaging in actions, such as petitions or walkouts, to try to improve safety conditions. State law prohibits an employer from requiring an employee to pay for the cost of medical examinations or records that the employer requires as a condition (or precondition) of employment.