(820 ILCS 180/1) Sec. 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Victims' Economic Security and Safety Act. (Source: P.A. 93‑591, eff. 8‑25‑03.)
(820 ILCS 180/5) Sec. 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds and declares the following: (1) Domestic and sexual violence affects many
persons without regard to age, race, educational level, socioeconomic status, religion, or occupation.
(2) Domestic and sexual violence has a devastating
effect on individuals, families, communities and the workplace.
(3) Domestic violence crimes account for
approximately 15% of total crime costs in the United States each year.
(4) Violence against women has been reported to be
the leading cause of physical injury to women. Such violence has a devastating impact on women's physical and emotional health and financial security.
(5) According to recent government surveys, from
1993 through 1998 the average annual number of violent victimizations committed by intimate partners was 1,082,110, 87% of which were committed against women.
(6) Female murder victims were substantially more
likely than male murder victims to have been killed by an intimate partner. About one‑third of female murder victims, and about 4% of male murder victims, were killed by an intimate partner.
(7) According to recent government estimates,
approximately 987,400 rapes occur annually in the United States, 89% of the rapes are perpetrated against female victims.
(8) Approximately 10,200,000 people have been
stalked at some time in their lives. Four out of every 5 stalking victims are women. Stalkers harass and terrorize their victims by spying on the victims, standing outside their places of work or homes, making unwanted phone calls, sending or leaving unwanted letters or items, or vandalizing property.
(9) Employees in the United States who have been
victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking too often suffer adverse consequences in the workplace as a result of their victimization.
(10) Victims of domestic violence, dating violence,
sexual assault, and stalking face the threat of job loss and loss of health insurance as a result of the illegal acts of the perpetrators of violence.
(11) The prevalence of domestic violence, dating
violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other violence against women at work is dramatic. Approximately 11% of all rapes occur in the workplace. About 50,500 individuals, 83% of whom are women, were raped or sexually assaulted in the workplace each year from 1992 through 1996. Half of all female victims of violent workplace crimes know their attackers. Nearly one out of 10 violent workplace incidents is committed by partners or spouses.
(12) Homicide is the leading cause of death for
women on the job. Husbands, boyfriends, and ex‑partners commit 15% of workplace homicides against women.
(13) Studies indicate that as much as 74% of
employed battered women surveyed were harassed at work by their abusive partners.
(14) According to a 1998 report of the U.S. General
Accounting Office, between one‑fourth and one‑half of domestic violence victims surveyed in 3 studies reported that the victims lost a job due, at least in part, to domestic violence.
(15) Women who have experienced domestic violence or
dating violence are more likely than other women to be unemployed, to suffer from health problems that can affect employability and job performance, to report lower personal income, and to rely on welfare.
(16) Abusers frequently seek to control their
partners by actively interfering with their ability to work, including preventing their partners from going to work, harassing their partners at work, limiting the access of their partners to cash or transportation, and sabotaging the child care arrangements of their partners.
(17) More than one‑half of women receiving welfare
have been victims of domestic violence as adults and between one‑fourth and one‑third reported being abused in the last year.
(18) Sexual assault, whether occurring in or out of
the workplace, can impair an employee's work performance, require time away from work, and undermine the employee's ability to maintain a job. Almost 50% of sexual assault survivors lose their jobs or are forced to quit in the aftermath of the assaults.
(19) More than one‑fourth of stalking victims report
losing time from work due to the stalking and 7% never return to work.
(20) (A) According to the National Institute of
Justice, crime costs an estimated $450,000,000,000 annually in medical expenses, lost earnings, social service costs, pain, suffering, and reduced quality of life for victims, which harms the Nation's productivity and drains the Nation's resources. (B) Violent crime accounts for $426,000,000,000 per year of this amount. (C) Rape exacts the highest costs per victim of any criminal offense, and accounts for $127,000,000,000 per year of the amount described in subparagraph (A).
(21) The Bureau of National Affairs has estimated
that domestic violence costs United States employers between $3,000,000,000 and $5,000,000,000 annually in lost time and productivity. Other reports have estimated that domestic violence costs United States employers $13,000,000,000 annually.
(22) United States medical costs for domestic
violence have been estimated to be $31,000,000,000 per year.
(23) Ninety‑four percent of corporate security and
safety directors at companies nationwide rank domestic violence as a high security concern.
(24) Forty‑nine percent of senior executives
recently surveyed said domestic violence has a harmful effect on their company's productivity, 47% said domestic violence negatively affects attendance, and 44% said domestic violence increases health care costs.
(25) Employees, including individuals participating
in welfare to work programs, may need to take time during business hours to:
(A) obtain orders of protection or civil no
contact orders;
(B) seek medical or legal assistance,
counseling, or other services; or
(C) look for housing in order to escape from
domestic or sexual violence.
(Source: P.A. 96‑635, eff. 8‑24‑09.)
(820 ILCS 180/10) Sec. 10. Definitions. In this Act, except as otherwise expressly provided: (1) "Commerce" includes trade, traffic, commerce,
transportation, or communication; and "industry or activity affecting commerce" means any activity, business, or industry in commerce or in which a labor dispute would hinder or obstruct commerce or the free flow of commerce, and includes "commerce" and any "industry affecting commerce".
(2) "Course of conduct" means a course of repeatedly
maintaining a visual or physical proximity to a person or conveying oral or written threats, including threats conveyed through electronic communications, or threats implied by conduct.
(3) "Department" means the Department of Labor. (4) "Director" means the Director of Labor. (5) "Domestic or sexual violence" means domestic
violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
(6) "Domestic violence" means abuse, as defined in
Section 103 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986, by a family or household member, as defined in Section 103 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986.
(7) "Electronic communications" includes
communications via telephone, mobile phone, computer, e‑mail, video recorder, fax machine, telex, or pager, or any other electronic communication, as defined in Section 12‑7.5 of the Criminal Code of 1961.
(8) "Employ" includes to suffer or permit to work. (9) Employee. (A) In general. "Employee" means any person
employed by an employer.
(B) Basis. "Employee" includes a person employed
as described in subparagraph (A) on a full or part‑time basis, or as a participant in a work assignment as a condition of receipt of federal or State income‑based public assistance.
(10) "Employer" means any of the following: (A) the
State or any agency of the State; (B) any unit of local government or school district; or (C) any person that employs at least 15 employees.
(11) "Employment benefits" means all benefits
provided or made available to employees by an employer, including group life insurance, health insurance, disability insurance, sick leave, annual leave, educational benefits, pensions, and profit‑sharing, regardless of whether such benefits are provided by a practice or written policy of an employer or through an "employee benefit plan". "Employee benefit plan" or "plan" means an employee welfare benefit plan or an employee pension benefit plan or a plan which is both an employee welfare benefit plan and an employee pension benefit plan.
(12) "Family or household member", for employees
with a family or household member who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence, means a spouse, parent, son, daughter, other person related by blood or by present or prior marriage, other person who shares a relationship through a son or daughter, and persons jointly residing in the same household.
(13) "Parent" means the biological parent of an
employee or an individual who stood in loco parentis to an employee when the employee was a son or daughter. "Son or daughter" means a biological, adopted, or foster child, a stepchild, a legal ward, or a child of a person standing in loco parentis, who is under 18 years of age, or is 18 years of age or older and incapable of self‑care because of a mental or physical disability.
(14) "Perpetrator" means an individual who commits
or is alleged to have committed any act or threat of domestic or sexual violence.
(15) "Person" means an individual, partnership,
association, corporation, business trust, legal representative, or any organized group of persons.
(16) "Public agency" means the Government of the
State or political subdivision thereof; any agency of the State, or of a political subdivision of the State; or any governmental agency.
(17) "Public assistance" includes cash, food stamps,
medical assistance, housing assistance, and other benefits provided on the basis of income by a public agency or public employer.
(18) "Reduced work schedule" means a work schedule
that reduces the usual number of hours per workweek, or hours per workday, of an employee.
(19) "Repeatedly" means on 2 or more occasions. (20) "Sexual assault" means any conduct proscribed
by the Criminal Code of 1961 in Sections 12‑13, 12‑14, 12‑14.1, 12‑15, and 12‑16.
(21) "Stalking" means any conduct proscribed by the
Criminal Code of 1961 in Sections 12‑7.3, 12‑7.4, and 12‑7.5.
(22) "Victim" or "survivor" means an individual who
has been subjected to domestic or sexual violence.
(23) "Victim services organization" means a
nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that provides assistance to victims of domestic or sexual violence or to advocates for such victims, including a rape crisis center, an organization carrying out a domestic violence program, an organization operating a shelter or providing counseling services, or a legal services organization or other organization providing assistance through the legal process.
(Source: P.A. 96‑635, eff. 8‑24‑09.)
(820 ILCS 180/15) Sec. 15. Purposes. The purposes of this Act are: (1) to promote the State's interest in reducing
domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking by enabling victims of domestic or sexual violence to maintain the financial independence necessary to leave abusive situations, achieve safety, and minimize the physical and emotional injuries from domestic or sexual violence, and to reduce the devastating economic consequences of domestic or sexual violence to employers and employees;
(2) to address the failure of existing laws to
protect the employment rights of employees who are victims of domestic or sexual violence and employees with a family or household member who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence, by protecting the civil and economic rights of those employees, and by furthering the equal opportunity of women for economic self‑sufficiency and employment free from discrimination;
(3) to accomplish the purposes described in
paragraphs (1) and (2) by (A) entitling employed victims of domestic or sexual violence and employees with a family or household member who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence to take unpaid leave to seek medical help, legal assistance, counseling, safety planning, and other assistance without penalty from their employers for the employee or the family or household member who is a victim; and (B) prohibiting employers from discriminating against any employee who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence or any employee who has a family or household member who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence, in a manner that accommodates the legitimate interests of employers and protects the safety of all persons in the workplace.
(Source: P.A. 96‑635, eff. 8‑24‑09.)
(820 ILCS 180/20) Sec. 20. Entitlement to leave due to domestic or sexual violence. (a) Leave requirement. (1) Basis. An employee who is a victim of domestic
or sexual violence or has a family or household member who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence whose interests are not adverse to the employee as it relates to the domestic or sexual violence may take unpaid leave from work to address domestic or sexual violence by:
(A) seeking medical attention for, or recovering
from, physical or psychological injuries caused by domestic or sexual violence to the employee or the employee's family or household member;
(B) obtaining services from a victim services
organization for the employee or the employee's family or household member;
(C) obtaining psychological or other counseling
for the employee or the employee's family or household member;
(D) participating in safety planning,
temporarily or permanently relocating, or taking other actions to increase the safety of the employee or the employee's family or household member from future domestic or sexual violence or ensure economic security; or
(E) seeking legal assistance or remedies to
ensure the health and safety of the employee or the employee's family or household member, including preparing for or participating in any civil or criminal legal proceeding related to or derived from domestic or sexual violence.
(2) Period. Subject to subsection (c), an employee
working for an employer that employs at least 50 employees shall be entitled to a total of 12 workweeks of leave during any 12‑month period. Subject to subsection (c), an employee working for an employer that employs at least 15 but not more than 49 employees shall be entitled to a total of 8 workweeks of leave during any 12‑month period. The total number of workweeks to which an employee is entitled shall not decrease during the relevant 12‑month period. This Act does not create a right for an employee to take unpaid leave that exceeds the unpaid leave time allowed under, or is in addition to the unpaid leave time permitted by, the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.).
(3) Schedule. Leave described in paragraph (1) may
be taken intermittently or on a reduced work schedule.
(b) Notice. The employee shall provide the employer with at least 48 hours' advance notice of the employee's intention to take the leave, unless providing such notice is not practicable. When an unscheduled absence occurs, the employer may not take any action against the employee if the employee, upon request of the employer and within a reasonable period after the absence, provides certification under subsection (c). (c) Certification. (1) In general. The employer may require the
employee to provide certification to the employer that:
(A) the employee or the employee's family or
household member is a victim of domestic or sexual violence; and
(B) the leave is for one of the purposes
enumerated in paragraph (a)(1).
The employee shall provide such certification to the
employer within a reasonable period after the employer requests certification.
(2) Contents. An employee may satisfy the
certification requirement of paragraph (1) by providing to the employer a sworn statement of the employee, and upon obtaining such documents the employee shall provide:
(A) documentation from an employee, agent, or
volunteer of a victim services organization, an attorney, a member of the clergy, or a medical or other professional from whom the employee or the employee's family or household member has sought assistance in addressing domestic or sexual violence and the effects of the violence;
(B) a police or court record; or (C) other corroborating evidence. (d) Confidentiality. All information provided to the employer pursuant to subsection (b) or (c), including a statement of the employee or any other documentation, record, or corroborating evidence, and the fact that the employee has requested or obtained leave pursuant to this Section, shall be retained in the strictest confidence by the employer, except to the extent that disclosure is: (1) requested or consented to in writing by the
employee; or
(2) otherwise required by applicable federal or
State law.
(e) Employment and benefits. (1) Restoration to position. (A) In general. Any employee who takes leave
under this Section for the intended purpose of the leave shall be entitled, on return from such leave:
(i) to be restored by the employer to the
position of employment held by the employee when the leave commenced; or
(820 ILCS 180/1) Sec. 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Victims' Economic Security and Safety Act. (Source: P.A. 93‑591, eff. 8‑25‑03.)
(820 ILCS 180/5) Sec. 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds and declares the following: (1) Domestic and sexual violence affects many
persons without regard to age, race, educational level, socioeconomic status, religion, or occupation.
(2) Domestic and sexual violence has a devastating
effect on individuals, families, communities and the workplace.
(3) Domestic violence crimes account for
approximately 15% of total crime costs in the United States each year.
(4) Violence against women has been reported to be
the leading cause of physical injury to women. Such violence has a devastating impact on women's physical and emotional health and financial security.
(5) According to recent government surveys, from
1993 through 1998 the average annual number of violent victimizations committed by intimate partners was 1,082,110, 87% of which were committed against women.
(6) Female murder victims were substantially more
likely than male murder victims to have been killed by an intimate partner. About one‑third of female murder victims, and about 4% of male murder victims, were killed by an intimate partner.
(7) According to recent government estimates,
approximately 987,400 rapes occur annually in the United States, 89% of the rapes are perpetrated against female victims.
(8) Approximately 10,200,000 people have been
stalked at some time in their lives. Four out of every 5 stalking victims are women. Stalkers harass and terrorize their victims by spying on the victims, standing outside their places of work or homes, making unwanted phone calls, sending or leaving unwanted letters or items, or vandalizing property.
(9) Employees in the United States who have been
victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking too often suffer adverse consequences in the workplace as a result of their victimization.
(10) Victims of domestic violence, dating violence,
sexual assault, and stalking face the threat of job loss and loss of health insurance as a result of the illegal acts of the perpetrators of violence.
(11) The prevalence of domestic violence, dating
violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other violence against women at work is dramatic. Approximately 11% of all rapes occur in the workplace. About 50,500 individuals, 83% of whom are women, were raped or sexually assaulted in the workplace each year from 1992 through 1996. Half of all female victims of violent workplace crimes know their attackers. Nearly one out of 10 violent workplace incidents is committed by partners or spouses.
(12) Homicide is the leading cause of death for
women on the job. Husbands, boyfriends, and ex‑partners commit 15% of workplace homicides against women.
(13) Studies indicate that as much as 74% of
employed battered women surveyed were harassed at work by their abusive partners.
(14) According to a 1998 report of the U.S. General
Accounting Office, between one‑fourth and one‑half of domestic violence victims surveyed in 3 studies reported that the victims lost a job due, at least in part, to domestic violence.
(15) Women who have experienced domestic violence or
dating violence are more likely than other women to be unemployed, to suffer from health problems that can affect employability and job performance, to report lower personal income, and to rely on welfare.
(16) Abusers frequently seek to control their
partners by actively interfering with their ability to work, including preventing their partners from going to work, harassing their partners at work, limiting the access of their partners to cash or transportation, and sabotaging the child care arrangements of their partners.
(17) More than one‑half of women receiving welfare
have been victims of domestic violence as adults and between one‑fourth and one‑third reported being abused in the last year.
(18) Sexual assault, whether occurring in or out of
the workplace, can impair an employee's work performance, require time away from work, and undermine the employee's ability to maintain a job. Almost 50% of sexual assault survivors lose their jobs or are forced to quit in the aftermath of the assaults.
(19) More than one‑fourth of stalking victims report
losing time from work due to the stalking and 7% never return to work.
(20) (A) According to the National Institute of
Justice, crime costs an estimated $450,000,000,000 annually in medical expenses, lost earnings, social service costs, pain, suffering, and reduced quality of life for victims, which harms the Nation's productivity and drains the Nation's resources. (B) Violent crime accounts for $426,000,000,000 per year of this amount. (C) Rape exacts the highest costs per victim of any criminal offense, and accounts for $127,000,000,000 per year of the amount described in subparagraph (A).
(21) The Bureau of National Affairs has estimated
that domestic violence costs United States employers between $3,000,000,000 and $5,000,000,000 annually in lost time and productivity. Other reports have estimated that domestic violence costs United States employers $13,000,000,000 annually.
(22) United States medical costs for domestic
violence have been estimated to be $31,000,000,000 per year.
(23) Ninety‑four percent of corporate security and
safety directors at companies nationwide rank domestic violence as a high security concern.
(24) Forty‑nine percent of senior executives
recently surveyed said domestic violence has a harmful effect on their company's productivity, 47% said domestic violence negatively affects attendance, and 44% said domestic violence increases health care costs.
(25) Employees, including individuals participating
in welfare to work programs, may need to take time during business hours to:
(A) obtain orders of protection or civil no
contact orders;
(B) seek medical or legal assistance,
counseling, or other services; or
(C) look for housing in order to escape from
domestic or sexual violence.
(Source: P.A. 96‑635, eff. 8‑24‑09.)
(820 ILCS 180/10) Sec. 10. Definitions. In this Act, except as otherwise expressly provided: (1) "Commerce" includes trade, traffic, commerce,
transportation, or communication; and "industry or activity affecting commerce" means any activity, business, or industry in commerce or in which a labor dispute would hinder or obstruct commerce or the free flow of commerce, and includes "commerce" and any "industry affecting commerce".
(2) "Course of conduct" means a course of repeatedly
maintaining a visual or physical proximity to a person or conveying oral or written threats, including threats conveyed through electronic communications, or threats implied by conduct.
(3) "Department" means the Department of Labor. (4) "Director" means the Director of Labor. (5) "Domestic or sexual violence" means domestic
violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
(6) "Domestic violence" means abuse, as defined in
Section 103 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986, by a family or household member, as defined in Section 103 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986.
(7) "Electronic communications" includes
communications via telephone, mobile phone, computer, e‑mail, video recorder, fax machine, telex, or pager, or any other electronic communication, as defined in Section 12‑7.5 of the Criminal Code of 1961.
(8) "Employ" includes to suffer or permit to work. (9) Employee. (A) In general. "Employee" means any person
employed by an employer.
(B) Basis. "Employee" includes a person employed
as described in subparagraph (A) on a full or part‑time basis, or as a participant in a work assignment as a condition of receipt of federal or State income‑based public assistance.
(10) "Employer" means any of the following: (A) the
State or any agency of the State; (B) any unit of local government or school district; or (C) any person that employs at least 15 employees.
(11) "Employment benefits" means all benefits
provided or made available to employees by an employer, including group life insurance, health insurance, disability insurance, sick leave, annual leave, educational benefits, pensions, and profit‑sharing, regardless of whether such benefits are provided by a practice or written policy of an employer or through an "employee benefit plan". "Employee benefit plan" or "plan" means an employee welfare benefit plan or an employee pension benefit plan or a plan which is both an employee welfare benefit plan and an employee pension benefit plan.
(12) "Family or household member", for employees
with a family or household member who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence, means a spouse, parent, son, daughter, other person related by blood or by present or prior marriage, other person who shares a relationship through a son or daughter, and persons jointly residing in the same household.
(13) "Parent" means the biological parent of an
employee or an individual who stood in loco parentis to an employee when the employee was a son or daughter. "Son or daughter" means a biological, adopted, or foster child, a stepchild, a legal ward, or a child of a person standing in loco parentis, who is under 18 years of age, or is 18 years of age or older and incapable of self‑care because of a mental or physical disability.
(14) "Perpetrator" means an individual who commits
or is alleged to have committed any act or threat of domestic or sexual violence.
(15) "Person" means an individual, partnership,
association, corporation, business trust, legal representative, or any organized group of persons.
(16) "Public agency" means the Government of the
State or political subdivision thereof; any agency of the State, or of a political subdivision of the State; or any governmental agency.
(17) "Public assistance" includes cash, food stamps,
medical assistance, housing assistance, and other benefits provided on the basis of income by a public agency or public employer.
(18) "Reduced work schedule" means a work schedule
that reduces the usual number of hours per workweek, or hours per workday, of an employee.
(19) "Repeatedly" means on 2 or more occasions. (20) "Sexual assault" means any conduct proscribed
by the Criminal Code of 1961 in Sections 12‑13, 12‑14, 12‑14.1, 12‑15, and 12‑16.
(21) "Stalking" means any conduct proscribed by the
Criminal Code of 1961 in Sections 12‑7.3, 12‑7.4, and 12‑7.5.
(22) "Victim" or "survivor" means an individual who
has been subjected to domestic or sexual violence.
(23) "Victim services organization" means a
nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that provides assistance to victims of domestic or sexual violence or to advocates for such victims, including a rape crisis center, an organization carrying out a domestic violence program, an organization operating a shelter or providing counseling services, or a legal services organization or other organization providing assistance through the legal process.
(Source: P.A. 96‑635, eff. 8‑24‑09.)
(820 ILCS 180/15) Sec. 15. Purposes. The purposes of this Act are: (1) to promote the State's interest in reducing
domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking by enabling victims of domestic or sexual violence to maintain the financial independence necessary to leave abusive situations, achieve safety, and minimize the physical and emotional injuries from domestic or sexual violence, and to reduce the devastating economic consequences of domestic or sexual violence to employers and employees;
(2) to address the failure of existing laws to
protect the employment rights of employees who are victims of domestic or sexual violence and employees with a family or household member who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence, by protecting the civil and economic rights of those employees, and by furthering the equal opportunity of women for economic self‑sufficiency and employment free from discrimination;
(3) to accomplish the purposes described in
paragraphs (1) and (2) by (A) entitling employed victims of domestic or sexual violence and employees with a family or household member who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence to take unpaid leave to seek medical help, legal assistance, counseling, safety planning, and other assistance without penalty from their employers for the employee or the family or household member who is a victim; and (B) prohibiting employers from discriminating against any employee who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence or any employee who has a family or household member who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence, in a manner that accommodates the legitimate interests of employers and protects the safety of all persons in the workplace.
(Source: P.A. 96‑635, eff. 8‑24‑09.)
(820 ILCS 180/20) Sec. 20. Entitlement to leave due to domestic or sexual violence. (a) Leave requirement. (1) Basis. An employee who is a victim of domestic
or sexual violence or has a family or household member who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence whose interests are not adverse to the employee as it relates to the domestic or sexual violence may take unpaid leave from work to address domestic or sexual violence by:
(A) seeking medical attention for, or recovering
from, physical or psychological injuries caused by domestic or sexual violence to the employee or the employee's family or household member;
(B) obtaining services from a victim services
organization for the employee or the employee's family or household member;
(C) obtaining psychological or other counseling
for the employee or the employee's family or household member;
(D) participating in safety planning,
temporarily or permanently relocating, or taking other actions to increase the safety of the employee or the employee's family or household member from future domestic or sexual violence or ensure economic security; or
(E) seeking legal assistance or remedies to
ensure the health and safety of the employee or the employee's family or household member, including preparing for or participating in any civil or criminal legal proceeding related to or derived from domestic or sexual violence.
(2) Period. Subject to subsection (c), an employee
working for an employer that employs at least 50 employees shall be entitled to a total of 12 workweeks of leave during any 12‑month period. Subject to subsection (c), an employee working for an employer that employs at least 15 but not more than 49 employees shall be entitled to a total of 8 workweeks of leave during any 12‑month period. The total number of workweeks to which an employee is entitled shall not decrease during the relevant 12‑month period. This Act does not create a right for an employee to take unpaid leave that exceeds the unpaid leave time allowed under, or is in addition to the unpaid leave time permitted by, the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.).
(3) Schedule. Leave described in paragraph (1) may
be taken intermittently or on a reduced work schedule.
(b) Notice. The employee shall provide the employer with at least 48 hours' advance notice of the employee's intention to take the leave, unless providing such notice is not practicable. When an unscheduled absence occurs, the employer may not take any action against the employee if the employee, upon request of the employer and within a reasonable period after the absence, provides certification under subsection (c). (c) Certification. (1) In general. The employer may require the
employee to provide certification to the employer that:
(A) the employee or the employee's family or
household member is a victim of domestic or sexual violence; and
(B) the leave is for one of the purposes
enumerated in paragraph (a)(1).
The employee shall provide such certification to the
employer within a reasonable period after the employer requests certification.
(2) Contents. An employee may satisfy the
certification requirement of paragraph (1) by providing to the employer a sworn statement of the employee, and upon obtaining such documents the employee shall provide:
(A) documentation from an employee, agent, or
volunteer of a victim services organization, an attorney, a member of the clergy, or a medical or other professional from whom the employee or the employee's family or household member has sought assistance in addressing domestic or sexual violence and the effects of the violence;
(B) a police or court record; or (C) other corroborating evidence. (d) Confidentiality. All information provided to the employer pursuant to subsection (b) or (c), including a statement of the employee or any other documentation, record, or corroborating evidence, and the fact that the employee has requested or obtained leave pursuant to this Section, shall be retained in the strictest confidence by the employer, except to the extent that disclosure is: (1) requested or consented to in writing by the
employee; or
(2) otherwise required by applicable federal or
State law.
(e) Employment and benefits. (1) Restoration to position. (A) In general. Any employee who takes leave
under this Section for the intended purpose of the leave shall be entitled, on return from such leave:
(i) to be restored by the employer to the
position of employment held by the employee when the leave commenced; or
(820 ILCS 180/1) Sec. 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Victims' Economic Security and Safety Act. (Source: P.A. 93‑591, eff. 8‑25‑03.)
(820 ILCS 180/5) Sec. 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds and declares the following: (1) Domestic and sexual violence affects many
persons without regard to age, race, educational level, socioeconomic status, religion, or occupation.
(2) Domestic and sexual violence has a devastating
effect on individuals, families, communities and the workplace.
(3) Domestic violence crimes account for
approximately 15% of total crime costs in the United States each year.
(4) Violence against women has been reported to be
the leading cause of physical injury to women. Such violence has a devastating impact on women's physical and emotional health and financial security.
(5) According to recent government surveys, from
1993 through 1998 the average annual number of violent victimizations committed by intimate partners was 1,082,110, 87% of which were committed against women.
(6) Female murder victims were substantially more
likely than male murder victims to have been killed by an intimate partner. About one‑third of female murder victims, and about 4% of male murder victims, were killed by an intimate partner.
(7) According to recent government estimates,
approximately 987,400 rapes occur annually in the United States, 89% of the rapes are perpetrated against female victims.
(8) Approximately 10,200,000 people have been
stalked at some time in their lives. Four out of every 5 stalking victims are women. Stalkers harass and terrorize their victims by spying on the victims, standing outside their places of work or homes, making unwanted phone calls, sending or leaving unwanted letters or items, or vandalizing property.
(9) Employees in the United States who have been
victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking too often suffer adverse consequences in the workplace as a result of their victimization.
(10) Victims of domestic violence, dating violence,
sexual assault, and stalking face the threat of job loss and loss of health insurance as a result of the illegal acts of the perpetrators of violence.
(11) The prevalence of domestic violence, dating
violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other violence against women at work is dramatic. Approximately 11% of all rapes occur in the workplace. About 50,500 individuals, 83% of whom are women, were raped or sexually assaulted in the workplace each year from 1992 through 1996. Half of all female victims of violent workplace crimes know their attackers. Nearly one out of 10 violent workplace incidents is committed by partners or spouses.
(12) Homicide is the leading cause of death for
women on the job. Husbands, boyfriends, and ex‑partners commit 15% of workplace homicides against women.
(13) Studies indicate that as much as 74% of
employed battered women surveyed were harassed at work by their abusive partners.
(14) According to a 1998 report of the U.S. General
Accounting Office, between one‑fourth and one‑half of domestic violence victims surveyed in 3 studies reported that the victims lost a job due, at least in part, to domestic violence.
(15) Women who have experienced domestic violence or
dating violence are more likely than other women to be unemployed, to suffer from health problems that can affect employability and job performance, to report lower personal income, and to rely on welfare.
(16) Abusers frequently seek to control their
partners by actively interfering with their ability to work, including preventing their partners from going to work, harassing their partners at work, limiting the access of their partners to cash or transportation, and sabotaging the child care arrangements of their partners.
(17) More than one‑half of women receiving welfare
have been victims of domestic violence as adults and between one‑fourth and one‑third reported being abused in the last year.
(18) Sexual assault, whether occurring in or out of
the workplace, can impair an employee's work performance, require time away from work, and undermine the employee's ability to maintain a job. Almost 50% of sexual assault survivors lose their jobs or are forced to quit in the aftermath of the assaults.
(19) More than one‑fourth of stalking victims report
losing time from work due to the stalking and 7% never return to work.
(20) (A) According to the National Institute of
Justice, crime costs an estimated $450,000,000,000 annually in medical expenses, lost earnings, social service costs, pain, suffering, and reduced quality of life for victims, which harms the Nation's productivity and drains the Nation's resources. (B) Violent crime accounts for $426,000,000,000 per year of this amount. (C) Rape exacts the highest costs per victim of any criminal offense, and accounts for $127,000,000,000 per year of the amount described in subparagraph (A).
(21) The Bureau of National Affairs has estimated
that domestic violence costs United States employers between $3,000,000,000 and $5,000,000,000 annually in lost time and productivity. Other reports have estimated that domestic violence costs United States employers $13,000,000,000 annually.
(22) United States medical costs for domestic
violence have been estimated to be $31,000,000,000 per year.
(23) Ninety‑four percent of corporate security and
safety directors at companies nationwide rank domestic violence as a high security concern.
(24) Forty‑nine percent of senior executives
recently surveyed said domestic violence has a harmful effect on their company's productivity, 47% said domestic violence negatively affects attendance, and 44% said domestic violence increases health care costs.
(25) Employees, including individuals participating
in welfare to work programs, may need to take time during business hours to:
(A) obtain orders of protection or civil no
contact orders;
(B) seek medical or legal assistance,
counseling, or other services; or
(C) look for housing in order to escape from
domestic or sexual violence.
(Source: P.A. 96‑635, eff. 8‑24‑09.)
(820 ILCS 180/10) Sec. 10. Definitions. In this Act, except as otherwise expressly provided: (1) "Commerce" includes trade, traffic, commerce,
transportation, or communication; and "industry or activity affecting commerce" means any activity, business, or industry in commerce or in which a labor dispute would hinder or obstruct commerce or the free flow of commerce, and includes "commerce" and any "industry affecting commerce".
(2) "Course of conduct" means a course of repeatedly
maintaining a visual or physical proximity to a person or conveying oral or written threats, including threats conveyed through electronic communications, or threats implied by conduct.
(3) "Department" means the Department of Labor. (4) "Director" means the Director of Labor. (5) "Domestic or sexual violence" means domestic
violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
(6) "Domestic violence" means abuse, as defined in
Section 103 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986, by a family or household member, as defined in Section 103 of the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986.
(7) "Electronic communications" includes
communications via telephone, mobile phone, computer, e‑mail, video recorder, fax machine, telex, or pager, or any other electronic communication, as defined in Section 12‑7.5 of the Criminal Code of 1961.
(8) "Employ" includes to suffer or permit to work. (9) Employee. (A) In general. "Employee" means any person
employed by an employer.
(B) Basis. "Employee" includes a person employed
as described in subparagraph (A) on a full or part‑time basis, or as a participant in a work assignment as a condition of receipt of federal or State income‑based public assistance.
(10) "Employer" means any of the following: (A) the
State or any agency of the State; (B) any unit of local government or school district; or (C) any person that employs at least 15 employees.
(11) "Employment benefits" means all benefits
provided or made available to employees by an employer, including group life insurance, health insurance, disability insurance, sick leave, annual leave, educational benefits, pensions, and profit‑sharing, regardless of whether such benefits are provided by a practice or written policy of an employer or through an "employee benefit plan". "Employee benefit plan" or "plan" means an employee welfare benefit plan or an employee pension benefit plan or a plan which is both an employee welfare benefit plan and an employee pension benefit plan.
(12) "Family or household member", for employees
with a family or household member who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence, means a spouse, parent, son, daughter, other person related by blood or by present or prior marriage, other person who shares a relationship through a son or daughter, and persons jointly residing in the same household.
(13) "Parent" means the biological parent of an
employee or an individual who stood in loco parentis to an employee when the employee was a son or daughter. "Son or daughter" means a biological, adopted, or foster child, a stepchild, a legal ward, or a child of a person standing in loco parentis, who is under 18 years of age, or is 18 years of age or older and incapable of self‑care because of a mental or physical disability.
(14) "Perpetrator" means an individual who commits
or is alleged to have committed any act or threat of domestic or sexual violence.
(15) "Person" means an individual, partnership,
association, corporation, business trust, legal representative, or any organized group of persons.
(16) "Public agency" means the Government of the
State or political subdivision thereof; any agency of the State, or of a political subdivision of the State; or any governmental agency.
(17) "Public assistance" includes cash, food stamps,
medical assistance, housing assistance, and other benefits provided on the basis of income by a public agency or public employer.
(18) "Reduced work schedule" means a work schedule
that reduces the usual number of hours per workweek, or hours per workday, of an employee.
(19) "Repeatedly" means on 2 or more occasions. (20) "Sexual assault" means any conduct proscribed
by the Criminal Code of 1961 in Sections 12‑13, 12‑14, 12‑14.1, 12‑15, and 12‑16.
(21) "Stalking" means any conduct proscribed by the
Criminal Code of 1961 in Sections 12‑7.3, 12‑7.4, and 12‑7.5.
(22) "Victim" or "survivor" means an individual who
has been subjected to domestic or sexual violence.
(23) "Victim services organization" means a
nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that provides assistance to victims of domestic or sexual violence or to advocates for such victims, including a rape crisis center, an organization carrying out a domestic violence program, an organization operating a shelter or providing counseling services, or a legal services organization or other organization providing assistance through the legal process.
(Source: P.A. 96‑635, eff. 8‑24‑09.)
(820 ILCS 180/15) Sec. 15. Purposes. The purposes of this Act are: (1) to promote the State's interest in reducing
domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking by enabling victims of domestic or sexual violence to maintain the financial independence necessary to leave abusive situations, achieve safety, and minimize the physical and emotional injuries from domestic or sexual violence, and to reduce the devastating economic consequences of domestic or sexual violence to employers and employees;
(2) to address the failure of existing laws to
protect the employment rights of employees who are victims of domestic or sexual violence and employees with a family or household member who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence, by protecting the civil and economic rights of those employees, and by furthering the equal opportunity of women for economic self‑sufficiency and employment free from discrimination;
(3) to accomplish the purposes described in
paragraphs (1) and (2) by (A) entitling employed victims of domestic or sexual violence and employees with a family or household member who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence to take unpaid leave to seek medical help, legal assistance, counseling, safety planning, and other assistance without penalty from their employers for the employee or the family or household member who is a victim; and (B) prohibiting employers from discriminating against any employee who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence or any employee who has a family or household member who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence, in a manner that accommodates the legitimate interests of employers and protects the safety of all persons in the workplace.
(Source: P.A. 96‑635, eff. 8‑24‑09.)
(820 ILCS 180/20) Sec. 20. Entitlement to leave due to domestic or sexual violence. (a) Leave requirement. (1) Basis. An employee who is a victim of domestic
or sexual violence or has a family or household member who is a victim of domestic or sexual violence whose interests are not adverse to the employee as it relates to the domestic or sexual violence may take unpaid leave from work to address domestic or sexual violence by:
(A) seeking medical attention for, or recovering
from, physical or psychological injuries caused by domestic or sexual violence to the employee or the employee's family or household member;
(B) obtaining services from a victim services
organization for the employee or the employee's family or household member;
(C) obtaining psychological or other counseling
for the employee or the employee's family or household member;
(D) participating in safety planning,
temporarily or permanently relocating, or taking other actions to increase the safety of the employee or the employee's family or household member from future domestic or sexual violence or ensure economic security; or
(E) seeking legal assistance or remedies to
ensure the health and safety of the employee or the employee's family or household member, including preparing for or participating in any civil or criminal legal proceeding related to or derived from domestic or sexual violence.
(2) Period. Subject to subsection (c), an employee
working for an employer that employs at least 50 employees shall be entitled to a total of 12 workweeks of leave during any 12‑month period. Subject to subsection (c), an employee working for an employer that employs at least 15 but not more than 49 employees shall be entitled to a total of 8 workweeks of leave during any 12‑month period. The total number of workweeks to which an employee is entitled shall not decrease during the relevant 12‑month period. This Act does not create a right for an employee to take unpaid leave that exceeds the unpaid leave time allowed under, or is in addition to the unpaid leave time permitted by, the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.).
(3) Schedule. Leave described in paragraph (1) may
be taken intermittently or on a reduced work schedule.
(b) Notice. The employee shall provide the employer with at least 48 hours' advance notice of the employee's intention to take the leave, unless providing such notice is not practicable. When an unscheduled absence occurs, the employer may not take any action against the employee if the employee, upon request of the employer and within a reasonable period after the absence, provides certification under subsection (c). (c) Certification. (1) In general. The employer may require the
employee to provide certification to the employer that:
(A) the employee or the employee's family or
household member is a victim of domestic or sexual violence; and
(B) the leave is for one of the purposes
enumerated in paragraph (a)(1).
The employee shall provide such certification to the
employer within a reasonable period after the employer requests certification.
(2) Contents. An employee may satisfy the
certification requirement of paragraph (1) by providing to the employer a sworn statement of the employee, and upon obtaining such documents the employee shall provide:
(A) documentation from an employee, agent, or
volunteer of a victim services organization, an attorney, a member of the clergy, or a medical or other professional from whom the employee or the employee's family or household member has sought assistance in addressing domestic or sexual violence and the effects of the violence;
(B) a police or court record; or (C) other corroborating evidence. (d) Confidentiality. All information provided to the employer pursuant to subsection (b) or (c), including a statement of the employee or any other documentation, record, or corroborating evidence, and the fact that the employee has requested or obtained leave pursuant to this Section, shall be retained in the strictest confidence by the employer, except to the extent that disclosure is: (1) requested or consented to in writing by the
employee; or
(2) otherwise required by applicable federal or
State law.
(e) Employment and benefits. (1) Restoration to position. (A) In general. Any employee who takes leave
under this Section for the intended purpose of the leave shall be entitled, on return from such leave:
(i) to be restored by the employer to the
position of employment held by the employee when the leave commenced; or
