Generally, an employer can layoff or terminate an employee for economic reasons. SB 02354: Students can now take one year of forensic speech and debate in high school as a substitute for music, art or foreign language requirements. REISSUES EXECUTIVE ORDERS Reissues most executive orders, extending a majority of the provisions through January 9, 2021. Includes Executive Order 2020-30, which prohibits residential evictions. IN-PERSON LEARNING All public and nonpublic schools in Illinois serving pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students may open for in-person learning after the regular 2019-2020 school term. The requirements do not apply if the bird-safe alternatives result in significant additional cost or when buildings are leased instead of owned by the state. This year, the minimum wage will increase to $12 per hour. In general, individuals not authorized to work in the United States are not eligible for regular unemployment benefits or benefits under the PUA. According to the Kankakee County State's Attorney, the ruling means the pre-trial release and bail reforms will not take effect on Jan. 1 in the 65 Illinois counties who challenged the law. This Executive Order supplements the Community Revitalization Order, Executive Order 43. HB 00605: Prohibits state institutions from buying Illinois and American flags not produced in the U.S. HB 03027: Allows expectant mothers to use a disabilities motor decal or device for no more than 90 days during their third trimester. Illinois reported 735 new COVID cases and 0 related deaths Monday as statewide seven-day test positivity dropped to 1.5%. 99) January 13, 2022 WHEREAS, since early March 2020, Illinois has faced a pandemic that has caused extraordinary sickness and loss of life, infecting over 2,520,000, and taking the lives of more than 28,800 residents; and, Following the passage of the bill, former Legislative Inspector General Carol Pope resigned in protest, warning that her office had no power to highlight ethics violations and that lawmakers had shown that "true ethics reform is not a priority. Amends Executive Order 2022-06 and establishes that all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, shall continue to be required to wear a face covering (1) where federally required; (2) in congregate facilities such as correctional facilities and homeless shelters; and (3) in healthcare settings. Also new to Illinois schools in 2022, a law prohibiting rules regarding hairstyles such as braids and twists. AMENDS EXECUTIVE ORDER 24 - Makes specific amendments to Executive Order 2021-24, to provide more detail regarding the measures schools must take to ensure the safety of students and school personnel. STAY AT HOME ORDER EXTENSION An extension of the states disaster proclamation, requiring individuals to stay at home or their place of residence for an additional 30 days. All schools must follow IDPH and ISBE health guidelines, including using PPE, temperature checks, hygienic practices, social distancing, and limiting people to 50 or fewer in one space. 2022 Clay County Final Multiplier Announced. This guidance is intended to help both employers and employees educate themselves about minimum required workplace safety requirements, as well as best practices to promote a safe and well-functioning workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to provide guidance on some frequently asked questions about COVID-19 and the workplace. ON NOW. Specific health and safety factors will be taken into account when determining the process for transfers to IDOC. 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. 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. COVID-19 also has raised other employment-related questions involving issues such as pay and benefits, leave, and eligibility for unemployment insurance. Individuals must continue to practice social distancing, maintaining at least a six-foot distance, and wear a face covering in public places or when working. Non-essential retail stores may fulfill online and telephonic orders through pick-up outside the store or delivery. Yes. (COVID-19 EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. Reissues previous Executive Orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic through December 9, 2022. Schools no longer can crack down on nonwhite hairstyles, and they must do more to protect children from sexual misconduct. This law ensures people whose cars have been stolen will not be liable for violations, fees, fines or penalties when their vehicles are caught on red light or speed cameras. To begin the process of filing a charge, individuals should complete and submit the Complainant Information Sheet located on IDHRs website. The director of the Central Management Services Department must ensure that bird mortality is monitored at every state building. J.B. Pritzker's COVID-19 disaster declaration last year, Madigan opted to convene the Illinois House for a just single four-day emergency session. HB 01838: Expands the definition of discrimination based on a disability in the Illinois Human Rights Act to include unlawful discrimination against an individual because of the individuals association with a person with a disability. The Office of the Illinois Attorney General has issued more detailed guidance on the FFCRA and paid sick leave. Re-issues former executive orders to protect individuals and businesses from the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus. REISSUES EXECUTIVE ORDERS Reissues most executive orders, extending a majority of the provisions through August 22, 2020. Illinois school districts do not need approval by the school board for an e-learning curriculum. school personnel, higher education personnel, and higher education students must receive their first dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine series or a single dose vaccine by September 19, 2021, and if applicable, receive the second dose in a two-dose vaccine . 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. Employers should also clean and disinfect all areas used by the person who is sick, such as offices, bathrooms, common areas, shared equipment, etc. However, employees may be entitled to use vacation or other paid time off in accordance with their employers established leave program. Also delineates the principal public health restrictions and mitigations for Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, and Phase 4. Alongside SAFE-T Act and Workers Rights Amendment, new Illinois laws address latex allergies, carjackings, miscarriages and more. REGION 2 MITIGATIONS Region 2North-Central Illinoishas reported three consecutive days of a test positivity rate of 8 percent or higher. Find recently issued legally binding orders and regulations help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and help our country cope during the pandemic. New Illinois Laws For 2022 Include First-In-Nation Legislation Bills taking effect next month create new rules for school districts, limit police from lying to children and establish a. Failure to comply with the new law is punishable by a civil penalty of $10,000. Defines essential businesses and operations. Suspends classroom training for private security and fingerprint vendors, as any training can be conducted online. REISSUES EXECUTIVE ORDERS - Reissues several executive orders, extending a majority of the provisions through April 30, 2022. SB 00672: No-compete clauses will be banned for individuals making less than $75,000 per year. This Executive Order is effective November 11 and supplements the Community Revitalization Order, Executive Order 43. SB 01577: Public school students shall be granted up to five days of excused absences for mental or behavioral health, with no medical note required. (Employees should be aware that they may have to cover their portion of the health insurance expense that is typically deducted from their pay.). Individuals with Green Cards issued by the federal government are generally able and available to work and may be eligible for unemployment benefits. For further information or to contact the Illinois Department of Employment Security, visit: https://www2.illinois.gov/ides/aboutides/Pages/Contact_IDES.aspx. Employees who have a medical condition or disability that prevents them from safely wearing a face covering may seek a reasonable accommodation from these requirements. SB 00147: Entitles Medicare supplement policyholders to an annual open enrollment period lasting at least 45 days starting on their birthday to buy a Medicare supplement policy irrespective of health status, claims experience or medical conditions. Employers may not ask about an employees family members health information, but may ask employees whether they have had contact with anyone who has been diagnosed with, or is experiencing symptoms of, COVID-19. CANNABIS REQUIREMENTS Suspends the requirement that IDFPR issue up to 75 Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization Licenses before May 1, 2020. Federal employment laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), also protect employees from discrimination and harassment. 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. Federal and Illinois law require employers to maintain a safe and healthy workplace. 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. 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 November 1, 2020. Under the Child Care Act of 1969, the definition of child is suspended to ensure those who are 18 years or older can remain in their placement. Employers may require an employee to take a COVID-19 test or submit a medical verification clearing them to return to work after they have experienced symptoms associated with COVID-19, been in close contact with an individual who has been diagnosed with COVID-19, or tested positive for COVID- 19, been sick, or experienced COVID-19 related symptoms. More than 180 new laws are set to take effect on January 1, 2023, covering a range of issues big and small that affect Illinoisans. Therefore, the regions will move out of Tier 3 of the States Mitigation Plan and into the less restrictive Tier 2, effective January 15, 2021. SB 539 includes amendments to Illinois Governmental Ethics Act and the Lobbyist Registration Act touted as ethics reforms by members of the Democratic Party's legislative supermajority . REISSUES EXECUTIVE ORDERS - Reissues several executive orders, extending the provisions through March 5, 2022. The order expands the use of available emergency relief dollars for Illinois utility customers currently at risk of service disconnections following the end of the winter moratorium, and maximizes the number of households eligible for relief. REISSUES EXECUTIVE ORDERS - Reissues several executive orders, extending a majority of the provisions through November 13, 2021. IDES will backdate claims to the first week of unemployment due to the COVID-19-related reason. However, the positivity rate has continued to increase, and Region 1 currently has the highest in the State at nearly 12 percent. Employers are responsible for maintaining a safe and healthy workplace and there is nothing in Illinois or federal law that prohibits an employer from requiring a doctors note or COVID-19 test before an employee returns to work. IDPH will continue to conduct on-site reviews to the extent feasible. Increased testing frequency may be required in certain situations. Published September 15, 2022 Updated on September 15, 2022 at 4:17 pm NBC Universal, Inc. Illinois Gov. SB 1846 amends the Illinois Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to establish a requirement that the default beverage for kids' meals at restaurants is unsweetened water, juice or milk. First, not all individuals classified as 1099 employees are actually independent contractors as defined by the Unemployment Insurance Act. REGION 5 MITIGATIONS Region 5 has reported three consecutive days of a test positivity rate of 8 percent or higher. Nearly 300 new laws will take effect in Illinois at the start of the new year. MEDICAL SCIENCE INSTITUTIONS Suspends medical science institutions from holding indigent cadavers for 30 days after receipt from the State facility, for cadavers testing positive for COVID-19. . RADIOLOGY CERTIFICATIONS Suspends the provision in the Radiation Protection Act of 1990 that limits the validity of industrial radiography certifications to five years and industrial radiography trainee certifications to two years. Workers who have paid out-of-pocket for employer-mandated COVID-19 testing may file a claim with the Illinois Department of Labor and use the box marked Other to describe the amount of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the employee for mandatory COVID-19 testing. Employees who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 can be asked to leave the workplace and stay at home until it has been 10 days since their symptoms first appeared and 24 hours with no fever (without the use of fever-reducing medications) and other symptoms of COVID-19 are improving.3An employee with a medical condition that causes symptoms similar to COVID-19 may provide their employer with medical documentation that their symptoms are due to a different condition in order to continue reporting to work. SB 02122: Provides that statements provided by minors are inadmissible as evidence if obtained using deceptive practices. In addition, requires universal masking in private long-term care facilities. The new state law establishes eviction-sealing provisions for cases filed before and during the coronavirus pandemic and prohibits tenant screening companies from reporting sealed eviction records. SB 00154: Allows tenants in Illinois Housing Development Authority-funded housing to keep at least two cats, or one dog that weighs under 50 pounds, regardless of breed or height. Here are 50 of the more notable pieces of legislation that will take effect in the new year. Related: Illinois 1st State To Ban Lying To Minors During Interrogation. Worker safety training and the corresponding written materials should be available in a language spoken by employees and accessible to employees with a range of education levels. For the third year in a row, low-wage workers are getting a raise as the calendar turns to 2022. The bill also adds Muhammad Ali's birthday, Jan. 17, as the law's eighth commemorative holiday. PUA payments are available for claimants who lost work due to specific COVID-19 related reasons provided for in the federal law beginning the week of February 2, 2020. Filing paperwork to take your abuser to court should not be dangerous. An example of an employee symptom screening form can be found on IDPHs website. CANNABIS REGSITRY INDENTIFICATION RENEWALS Suspends provisions in the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Program Act regarding renewal applications and renewal fees for registry identification cards. Business can continue with employees working from home. HB 00562: Significant changes to the FOID card system beginning in 2022, including encouraging, but not requiring, fingerprinting. CHICAGO A slate of new city, county and state laws in 2022 will affect education, criminal justice, deportation and eating out for Chicagoans. To promote scheduling consistency, employers should give employees the opportunity to provide input on their preferred schedule. If an employee believes they have been fired, demoted, or harassed because their employer believes that they are from a country where there is a high incidence of COVID-19 cases, they may file a charge with the IDHR. If an employee believes they have been fired, demoted, or harassed because they are being treated for, or recovering from, COVID- 19, they may file a charge with IDHR. It will increase $1 per hour every year until it reaches $15 an hour. 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 November 4, 2020. The minimum wage in Illinois is set to increase another dollar on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022. 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. NEW STAY AT HOME ORDER This new order allows Illinoisans to leave their home for essential activities, including for health and safety, for necessary supplies and services, for outdoor activity, for certain types of work, to take care of others, and to engage in the free exercise of religion, but otherwise requires them to stay at home or their place of residence to prevent spread of COVID-19. As a result, only three new laws took effect at the start of 2021 down from over 250 the prior year. SB 00139: Allows a person currently married to request a copy of their marriage license with the term spouse rather than any gender-identifying language. Minimum Wage Increase (Public Act 101-0001) Illinois is one of the states set to raise their minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025. An employer is not required to provide an accommodation that would be prohibitively expensive or unduly disruptive to the business. On Tuesday, Gov. HB 168 amends the Humane Care for Animals Act by allowing judges to order that a person be forbidden from owning or having possession of any other animal if they have been convicted of any two of the following three crimes: animals for entertainment, dog fighting or aggravated cruelty. Requests for accommodations should be evaluated and resolved on a case-by-case basis. HB 03217: Amends numerous state statutes by deleting the use of Haitian or Negro and instead including terms such as Black or African-American.. This Executive Order supplements the Community Revitalization Order, Executive Order 43. All workplace safety policies, including required face coverings, must be applied and enforced equally for all employees in the workplace, except for those employees who have informed the employer of a medical condition or disability that prevents them from safely wearing a face covering. All valid registry identification cards that expire between October 1, 2020 and April 30, 2021 will be granted a one-year renewal or extension. SB 01681: Adds probation officers to the list of individuals that qualify for death benefits if they are killed in the line of study. Availability of COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Tests. RESTAURANTS & BARS Beginning March 16 at 9 p.m., bars and restaurants must suspend on-premises consumption, but are permitted to continue delivery service, drive-through and curbside pick-up. If your concern is about a state or local government employer, you may file a complaint with Illinois OSHA at https://www2.illinois.gov/idol/Laws-Rules/safety/Pages/Hazards.aspx It will soon be a new year, and that means that new laws are set to go into effect, with nearly 300 new measures beginning on Jan. 1. Provides the authority for the governor to sign additional executive orders to extend the Stay at Home order. It also will prevent the legislature from enacting a so-called right-to-work law, should it undergo a shift to the right, that would allow workers covered by union contracts to not pay dues. Eligible employees can receive up to 26 weeks worth of regular state unemployment insurance and, depending on the unemployment rate, Extended Benefits may be available for an additional 13 or 20 weeks. Region 10, Suburban Cook County, has had eight consecutive days of increases in test positivity and seven days of increased hospital admissions. Some of these individuals should have been classified as employees and therefore would be eligible for unemployment insurance. HB 633 establishes the Vegetable Garden Protection Act, which makes Illinois the second state in the nation to enshrine the right to cultivate a vegetable garden into state law. RELATED | Voters passed the workers' rights amendment in the 2022 election; what does that mean for Illinois? Under the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA), employees are protected from discrimination and harassment in their employment for reasons including, but not limited to, their actual or perceived disability, age, race, or national origin. HB 00226: Public universities will now be required to permit students to choose whether they submit ACT and SAT scores when applying for admission. The change permits the creation of five cultural districts every year and a total of 15 at any given time. This Executive Order supplements the Community Revitalization Order, Executive Order 43. The department must also increase counseling opportunities and dedicate staff to helping people who owe money for child support. REISSUES EXECUTIVE ORDERS Reissues most executive orders, extending a majority of the provisions through November 14, 2020. Individuals who refuse an offer of suitable work are disqualified from receiving unemployment insurance unless there is good cause for the refusal. Jelani Day's family looking for answers after missing ISU student found dead, went into effect in 2021 and applies to schools. . For example, employers should consider staggering shifts or designating groups of employees to consistently work on the same days and times as each other. HB 226: Allows students to choose whether to submit their ACT/SAT score when applying to Illinois . On January 7, 2022, the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) filed peremptory rules adopting the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS). Laid off employees who previously had employer-provided health insurance may continue their coverage under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). RESCINDS METRO EAST MITIGATIONS As of October 9, 2020, Region 4 the Metro East has reached the threshold to lift mitigations following three consecutive days with a rolling positivity rate below 6.5%. All state, county, and local law enforcement officers are instructed to cease enforcement of orders of eviction for residential premises. The IHRA and federal law prohibit an employer from treating employees differently based on their age or an actual or perceived disability. Unsigned applications for public assistance received by mail can be signed by a verbal attestation by telephone. Outlines requirements for various businesses and industries. Suspends the requirement that a fully executed marriage license must be submitted to the county clerk within 10 days. It shall not be construed to apply to domestic support obligations or relieving a debtor of any liability. (COVID-19 EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. Additional resources and frequently asked questions about COVID-19 and public health are available on IDPHs website, https://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19. This Executive Order supersedes EO 2021-24 and EO 2021-25.