Bill Text: IL HB5259 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Creates the Family First Employer Program Act. Establishes the Family First Employer Program under the Department of Labor to award employers that create family-friendly workplaces by providing, for all full-time employees, advancement and leadership opportunities; the same pay rates for similar work; stipends or assistance for child care; paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child and medical care for employees or family members of employees; flexible work accommodations for other family obligations; and health insurance and retirement plan options. Provides for the awards to be presented by the Governor and to come with a logo that a designated employer may use for promotional purposes. Provides that the Department shall adopt rules to implement the program.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-02-18 - Referred to Rules Committee [HB5259 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2019-HB5259-Introduced.html

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101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2019 and 2020 HB5259 Introduced , by Rep. Sonya M. Harper SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act
Creates the Family First Employer Program Act. Establishes the Family First Employer Program under the Department of Labor to award employers that create family-friendly workplaces by providing, for all full-time employees, advancement and leadership opportunities; the same pay rates for similar work; stipends or assistance for child care; paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child and medical care for employees or family members of employees; flexible work accommodations for other family obligations; and health insurance and retirement plan options. Provides for the awards to be presented by the Governor and to come with a logo that a designated employer may use for promotional purposes. Provides that the Department shall adopt rules to implement the program.
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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning employment.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Family
First Employer Program Act.
Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:
"Department" means the Department of Labor.
"Designation" means designation as an Illinois Family
First Employer.
"Employer" means a person engaged in business in the State
that employs full time one or more persons. "Employer" includes
the State and any political subdivision with one or more
employees.
"Program" means the Family First Employer Program
established in this Act.
Section 10. Program established. The Family First Employer
Program is established within the Department to award a
designation to an employer who meets the criteria under Section
15.
Section 15. Program criteria. In order to be eligible for
the program, an employer, with respect to all full-time

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employees, must meet at least 4 of the following criteria:
(1) Demonstrate that all employees, including women,
persons of color, and persons with disabilities, have equal
opportunity to advance to leadership positions.
(2) Provide employees with access to or the opportunity
to take time off for mentorship training or leadership
opportunities to assist in advancing to leadership
positions.
(3) Demonstrate that the employer does not pay
different wage rates to employees for substantially
similar work when the work is viewed as a composite of
skill, effort, and responsibility and is performed under
the same working conditions, except when the wage rate
difference is based upon one or more of the following:
(A) a seniority system;
(B) a merit system;
(C) a system that measures earnings by quantity or
quality of production; or
(D) a bona fide reason such as education, training
or experience.
(4) Make a child care stipend, facility, or service
available to employees or qualify for the federal
employer-provided child care tax credit under 26 United
States Code, Section 45F.
(5) Provide employees at least 2 weeks' paid leave, in
addition to other sick or vacation time that employees may

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accrue, for the birth or adoption of a child, medical care
of the employees, and, if possible, medical care of family
members of employees.
(6) Provide employees with flexible work arrangements
to accommodate important family obligations.
(7) Provide health insurance options for or contribute
to the health insurance costs of employees and dependents
of employees.
(8) Contribute to each employee's retirement benefit
plan at a level equal to or greater than the minimum
contribution required for an employee to participate in the
retirement plan.
Section 20. Program procedures. The Department shall
establish procedures by rule for the program by which an
employer may apply for and be awarded a designation for a
3-year period. The application for the designation must include
the following:
(1) the employer's name and address and a description
of the type of business or industry or the department of
the employer;
(2) evidence that the employer meets at least 4 of the
criteria under Section 15; and
(3) the signature of the owner, manager, chief
executive officer, supervisor, or department head of the
employer, or the owner's, manager's, chief executive

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officer's, supervisor's, or department head's designee,
attesting that the information provided in the application
is correct. The Department may revoke a designation if an
employer knowingly provides false information on the
application.
Section 25. Determination of designation. The Department
shall review all applications to determine eligibility for a
designation. If an employer meets all of the criteria in
Section 15, the employer is entitled to a platinum designation.
If an employer meets at least 4, but not all, of the criteria
in Section 15, the employer is entitled to a gold designation.
Section 30. Award of the designation; logo. The Governor
shall award in writing or electronically the designation to an
employer that the Department has determined is entitled to a
designation under Section 25. The Department shall create a
logo to be included in the awarding of the designation that an
employer that is awarded a designation may use for promotional
purposes. A person who has not received a designation under
this Act may not use the logo for any purpose.
Section 35. List of designated employers. The Department
shall publish a list of all designated employers under Section
25 on the Department's publicly accessible website. The
Department shall update the list at least 3 times per year.

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Section 40. Rules. The Department may adopt rules in
accordance with the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to
carry out the purposes of this Act.