HB3388 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB099 08598 JWD 28761 b

99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
HB3388

Introduced , by Rep. Robert W. Pritchard

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

20 ILCS 415/8c

from Ch. 127, par. 63b108c

Amends the Personnel Code. Removes a provision exempting the Upward Mobility Program from State recovery of payments for coursework or training programs. Effective immediately.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning State government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Personnel Code is amended by changing Section 8c as follows:

(20 ILCS 415/8c) (from Ch. 127, par. 63b108c)

Sec. 8c. Jurisdiction C; conditions of employment. For positions in the State service subject to the jurisdiction of the Department of Central Management Services with respect to conditions of employment:

(1) For establishment of a plan for resolving employee grievances and complaints, excluding compulsory arbitration.

(2) For hours of work, holidays, and attendance regulation in the various classes of positions in the State service; for annual, sick and special leaves of absence, with or without pay or with reduced pay; for compensatory time off for overtime or for pay for overtime, and for the rate at which compensatory time off is to be allowed or for the rate which is to be paid for overtime. If the services of an employee in the State service are terminated by reason of his retirement, disability or death, he, or his estate, as the case may be, shall be paid a lump sum, for the number of days for leave for personal business which the employee had accumulated but not used as of the date his services were terminated, in an amount equal to 1/2 of his pay per working day times the number of such leave days so accumulated and not used.

(3) For the development and operation of programs to improve the work effectiveness and morale of employees in the State service, including training, safety, health, welfare, counseling, recreation, employee relations, a suggestion system, and others.

Employees whose tuition and fees are paid by the State, either directly or by reimbursement, shall incur a work commitment to the State. Employees whose State paid training has not led to a postsecondary degree shall be obligated to continue in the employ of the State, but not necessarily in the same agency, for a period of at least 18 months following completion of the most recent course. Employees whose State paid training has led to a postsecondary degree and whose State payments have paid for 50% or more of the required credit hours shall be obligated to continue in the employ of the State, but not necessarily in the same agency, for a minimum of 4 years after receiving the degree.

If the employee does not fulfill this work commitment by voluntarily leaving State employment, the State may recover payments in a civil action and may also recover interest at the rate of 1% per month from the time the State makes payment until the time the State recovers the payment. The amount the State may recover under this subsection (3) shall be reduced by 25% of the gross amount paid by the State for each year the employee is employed by the State after the employee receives a postsecondary degree, and 1/18th of the gross amount paid by the State for each month the employee is employed by the State after the employee completes the most recent course which has not led to a postsecondary degree.

The State shall not recover payments for course work or a training program that was (a) started before the effective date of this Act; (b) completed as a requirement for a grammar school certificate or a high school diploma, to prepare for high school equivalency testing, or to improve literacy or numeracy; (c) specialized training in the form of a conference, seminar, workshop, or similar arrangement offered by public or private organizations; (d) (blank) provided as part of the Upward Mobility Program administered by the Department of Central Management Services; or (e) a condition of continued employment.

Department of State Police employees who are enrolled in an official training program that lasts longer than one year shall incur a work commitment to the State. The work commitment shall be 2 months for each month of completed training. If the employee fails to fulfill this work commitment by voluntarily leaving State employment, the State may recover wages in a civil action and may also recover interest at the rate of 1% per month from the time the State makes payment until the time the State recovers the payment. The amount the State may recover under this subsection (3) shall be reduced by the number of months served after the training is completed times the monthly salary at the time of separation.

The Department of Central Management Services shall promulgate rules governing recovery activities to be used by all State agencies paying, whether directly or by reimbursement, for employee tuition and fees. Each such agency shall make necessary efforts, including pursuing appropriate legal action, to recover the actual reimbursements and applicable interest due the State under this subsection (3).

(4) For the establishment of a sick pay plan in accordance with Section 36 of the State Finance Act.

(5) For the establishment of a family responsibility leave plan under which an employee in the State service may request and receive a leave of absence for up to one year without penalty whenever such leave is requested to enable the employee to meet a bona fide family responsibility of such employee. The procedure for determining and documenting the existence of a bona fide family responsibility shall be as provided by rule, but without limiting the circumstances which shall constitute a bona fide family responsibility under the rules, such circumstances shall include leave incident to the birth of the employee's child and the responsibility thereafter to provide proper care to that child or to a newborn child adopted by the employee, the responsibility to provide regular care to a disabled, incapacitated or bedridden resident of the employee's household or member of the employee's family, and the responsibility to furnish special guidance, care and supervision to a resident of the employee's household or member of the employee's family in need thereof under circumstances temporarily inconsistent with uninterrupted employment in State service. The family responsibility leave plan so established shall provide that any such leave shall be without pay, that the seniority of the employee on such leave shall not be reduced during the period of the leave, that such leave shall not under any circumstance or for any purpose be deemed to cause a break in such employee's State service, that during the period of such leave any coverage of the employee or the employee's dependents which existed at the commencement of the leave under any group health, hospital, medical and life insurance plan provided through the State shall continue so long as the employee pays to the State when due the full premium incident to such coverage, and that upon expiration of the leave the employee shall be returned to the same position and classification which such employee held at the commencement of the leave. The Director of Central Management Services shall prepare proposed rules consistent with this paragraph within 45 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1983, shall promptly thereafter cause a public hearing thereon to be held as provided in Section 8 and shall within 120 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1983 cause such proposed rules to be submitted to the Civil Service Commission as provided in Section 8.

(6) For the development and operation of a plan for alternative employment for any employee who is able to perform alternative employment after a work related or non-work related disability essentially precludes that employee from performing his or her currently assigned duties. Such a plan shall be voluntary for any employee and nonparticipation shall not be grounds for denial of any benefit to which the employee would otherwise be eligible. Any plan seeking to cover positions for which there is a recognized bargaining agent shall be subject to collective bargaining between the parties.

(7) For the development and operation of an Executive Development Program to provide scholarships for the receipt of academic degrees or senior executive training beyond the Bachelor's degree level for as many as 25 employees at any given time:

(i) each of whom is nominated for such scholarship by the head of the employee's agency and approved by the Director;

(ii) who are subject to Term Appointment under Section 8b.18 or who would be subject to such Term Appointment but for Federal funding or who are exempt from Jurisdiction B under subsections (2), (3) or (6) of Section 4d of this Act:

(iii) who meet the admission standards established by the institution awarding the advanced degree or conducting the training;

(iv) each of whom agrees, as a condition of accepting such scholarship, that the State may recover the scholarship by garnishment, lien or other appropriate legal action if the employee fails to continue in the employ of the State, but not necessarily in the same agency, for a minimum of 4 years following receipt of an advanced degree or training and that the State may charge interest from the time of payment until the time of recovery of such scholarship of no less than 1% per month or 12% per annum on all funds recovered by the State. The amount the State may recover under this Section will be reduced by 25% of the gross amount paid by the State for each year of employment following receipt of the advanced degree or training.

The Director shall in approving eligible employees for the Executive Development Program make every attempt to guarantee that at least 1/3 of the employees appointed to the program reflect the ratio of sex, race, and ethnicity of eligible employees.

Such scholarships shall not exceed the amount established for tuition and fees for the applicable advanced degree or training at State universities in Illinois whether the employee enrolls at any Illinois public or private institution, and shall not include any textbooks or equipment such as personal computers.

The Department of Central Management Services shall make necessary efforts, including appropriate legal action, to recover scholarships and interest thereupon due subject to recovery by the State under Subparagraph (iv) of this Subsection (7).

(Source: P.A. 98-718, eff. 1-1-15.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.