20 ILCS 1510/ Illinois Guaranteed Job Opportunity Act.

(20 ILCS 1510/1)

Sec. 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Illinois Guaranteed Job Opportunity Act.

(Source: P.A. 88-114.)

(20 ILCS 1510/5)

Sec. 5. Statement of Findings and Purpose.

(a) Findings. The General Assembly finds that:

(1) the relationship between a strong educational system, practical and realistic training and retraining programs and a healthy national economy is inseparable in an era in which economic growth is dependent on technology and is imperiled by unemployment, increasing numbers of unskilled, ill-trained and undereducated individuals in the workforce or seeking employment;

(2) restoring the competitiveness and enhancing the productivity of Illinois will require that all workers possess basic educational skills and job experience; and

(3) our State must recognize the substantial impact that an investment in human capital will have on increasing productivity.

(b) Purpose. It is therefore the purpose of this Act to establish a State program designed to improve our productivity and competitive position by investing in human capital, and to assist youth and adults to become productive workers in a competitive economy by authorizing a job opportunity program.

(Source: P.A. 88-114.)

(20 ILCS 1510/10)

Sec. 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:

"Department" means the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

"Eligible area" means a county, township, municipality, or ward or precinct of a municipality.

"Participant" means an individual who is determined to be eligible under Section 25.

"Project" means the definable task or group of tasks which:

(1) will be carried out by a public agency, a private nonprofit organization, a private contractor, or a cooperative,

(2) (blank),

(3) will result in a specific product or accomplishment, and

(4) would not otherwise be conducted with existing funds.

"Director" means the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

(Source: P.A. 93-46, eff. 7-1-03; 94-793, eff. 5-19-06.)

(20 ILCS 1510/15)

Sec. 15. Establishment of program. The Department may issue grants for the operation of projects under this Act. The issuance of the grants is subject to the availability of State or federal funds and at the discretion of the Director. The General Assembly may appropriate funds for the purposes of this Section from any appropriate State source or from any appropriate federal source, regardless of which State agency is the initial recipient of the federal funds.

(Source: P.A. 93-46, eff. 7-1-03.)

(20 ILCS 1510/20)

Sec. 20. (Repealed).

(Source: P.A. 88-114. Repealed by P.A. 93-46, eff. 7-1-03.)

(20 ILCS 1510/25)

Sec. 25. Program eligibility.

(a) General Rule. An individual is eligible to participate in the job projects assisted under this Act if the individual:

(1) is at least 16 years of age;

(2) has resided in the eligible area for at least 30 days;

(3) has been unemployed for 35 days prior to the determination of employment for job projects assisted under this Act;

(4) is a citizen of the United States, is a national of the United States, is a lawfully admitted permanent resident, is a lawfully admitted refugee or parolee, or is otherwise authorized by the United States Attorney General to work in the United States; and

(5) is a recipient of assistance under Article IV of the Illinois Public Aid Code.

(b) Limitations.

(1) (Blank).

(2) (Blank).

(3) No individual participating in the job opportunity project assisted under this Act may work in any compensated job other than the job assisted under this Act for more than 20 hours per week.

(4) Individuals participating under this Act shall seek employment during the period of employment assisted under this Act.

(5) Any individual eligible for retirement benefits under the Social Security Act, under any retirement system for Federal Government employees, under the railroad retirement system, under the military retirement system, under a State or local government pension plan or retirement system, or any private pension program is not eligible to receive a job under a job project assisted under this Act.

(Source: P.A. 102-1030, eff. 5-27-22.)

(20 ILCS 1510/30)

Sec. 30. Education requirements. Any individual who has not completed high school and who participates in a job project under this Act may enroll, if appropriate, in and maintain satisfactory progress in a secondary school or an adult basic education or high school equivalency testing program. Any individual with limited English speaking ability may participate, if appropriate, in an English as a Second Language program.

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

(20 ILCS 1510/35)

Sec. 35. Local Job Projects.

(a) General authority. The Department may accept applications and issue grants for operation of projects under this Act.

(b) Project. Subject to appropriation, no more than 3 small projects may be selected to pilot a subsidized employment to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program for participants for a period of not more than 6 months. The selected projects shall demonstrate their ability to move clients from participation in the project to unsubsidized employment. The Department may refer TANF participants to other subsidized employment programs available through the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act or through other community-based programs.

(c) Political affiliation prohibited. No manager or other officer or employee of the job project assisted under this Act may apply a political affiliation test in selecting eligible participation for employment in the project.

(d) Limitations.

(1) Not more than 10% of the total expenses in any fiscal year of the job project may be used for transportation and equipment.

(2) (Blank).

(e) Minimum hours per week employed. No eligible participant employed in a job project assisted under this Act may be employed on the project for less than 30 hours per week.

(f) (Blank).

(Source: P.A. 100-477, eff. 9-8-17.)

(20 ILCS 1510/40)

Sec. 40. Benefits; supportive services; job clubs.

(a) Wages. Each eligible participant who is employed in job projects assisted under this Act shall receive wages equal to the higher of (1) the minimum wage under Section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 or (2) the minimum wage under the applicable minimum wage law.

(b) No participant shall be eligible for unemployment compensation during or on the basis of employment in a project.

(c) Supportive services. Each eligible participant who is employed in projects assisted under this Act shall be eligible for supportive services as provided under rules developed by the Department.

(d) Job clubs. All participants shall participate in a job club. The project shall operate or otherwise make arrangements for each participant to participate in a job club.

(Source: P.A. 93-46, eff. 7-1-03.)

(20 ILCS 1510/45)

Sec. 45. Labor standards applicable to job projects.

(a) Conditions of employment.

(1) Conditions of employment and training shall be appropriate and reasonable in light of factors such as the type of work, geographical region, and proficiency of the participant.

(2) Health and safety standards established under State and Federal law, otherwise applicable to working conditions of employees, shall be equally applicable to working conditions of participants.

(3) No funds available under this Act may be used for contributions on behalf of any participant to retirement systems or plans.

(b) Displacement rules.

(1) No currently employed worker shall be displaced by any participant, including partial displacement such as a reduction in the hours of nonovertime work, wages, or employment benefits.

(2) No job project shall impair existing contracts for services or collective bargaining agreements, except that no job project under this Act which would be inconsistent with the terms of a collective bargaining agreement shall be undertaken without the written concurrence of the labor organization and employer concerned.

(3) No participant shall be employed or job opening filled when any other individual is on layoff from the same or any substantially equivalent job, or when the employer has terminated the employment of any regular employee or otherwise reduced its workforce with the intention of filling the vacancy so created by hiring a participant whose wages are subsidized under this Act.

(4) No jobs shall be created in a promotional line that will infringe in any way upon the promotional opportunities of currently employed individuals.

(Source: P.A. 93-46, eff. 7-1-03.)

(20 ILCS 1510/50)

Sec. 50. Nondiscrimination.

(a) General rule.

(1) Discrimination on the basis of age, on the basis of physical or mental disability, on the basis of sex, or on the basis of race, color, or national origin is prohibited.

(2) No individual shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, subjected to discrimination under, or denied employment in the administration of or in connection with any project because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, or political affiliation or belief.

(3) (Blank).

(4) With respect to terms and conditions affecting, or rights provided to, individuals who are participants in activities supported by funds provided under this Act, the individuals shall not be discriminated against solely because of their status as the participants.

(b) (Blank).

(c) (Blank).

(Source: P.A. 99-143, eff. 7-27-15.)

(20 ILCS 1510/55)

Sec. 55. Evaluation. Each project shall maintain a file for each individual employed. These files shall be available to the Department upon request.

(Source: P.A. 93-46, eff. 7-1-03.)

(20 ILCS 1510/60)

Sec. 60. (Repealed).

(Source: P.A. 88-114. Repealed by P.A. 93-46, eff. 7-1-03.)

(20 ILCS 1510/65)

Sec. 65. Evaluation. The Department shall conduct an evaluation of the success of the projects funded under this Act. Each project shall cooperate with the Department in the collection of any data needed for the evaluation.

(Source: P.A. 93-46, eff. 7-1-03.)