Local Government Law

(Manar, D-Bunker Hill; Hoffman, D-Collinsville) prohibits the use of ticket quotas by law enforcement officers employed by the State, county, or unit of local government. It prohibits the unit of government from requiring a law enforcement officer to issue a specific number of citations within a designated period of time. It also prohibits the unit of government from comparing the number of citations issued by the law enforcement officer to the number of citations issued by any other law enforcement officer who has similar job duties to evaluate a law enforcement officer’s job performance. Exempts a municipality with its own independent inspector general and law enforcement review authority. It also preempts home rule. Effective Jan. 1, 2015.

(Flowers, D-Chicago; Hutchinson, D-Chicago Heights) amends the Illinois Human Rights Act to prohibit unlawful discrimination by an employer for pregnancy and require reasonable accommodation to a job applicant or employee for issues related to pregnancy or childbirth. Passed both chambers.

(Raoul, D-Chicago; Bradley, D-Marion) provides that there is no right to recover damages for injury or death, other than the compensation provided under the Act, from a service organization that is wholly owned by the employer or the employer’s insurer or broker and that provides safety service, advice, or recommendations. Current law immunizes from common law liability if the service organization is retained by the employer or the employer’s insurer or broker to provide safety service, advice, or recommendations. Effective June 5, 2014.

(Link, D-Lake Bluff; Zalewski, D-Chicago) allows court to award attorney’s fees for the prevailing party in certain administrative-review actions. It applies only to the decision of a code-hearing officer that imposes a fine or penalty against the owner of a single-family or multi-family residential dwelling for a violation relating to the condition or use of that residential property. It is limited to municipalities with a population of 500,000 or less. The court may award the plaintiff all reasonable costs, including court costs and attorney’s fees, if the court finds that (1) the hearing officer’s decision was arbitrary and capricious; or (2) the defendant failed to file a record under Section 3-108 of the Code of Civil Procedure that is sufficient to allow the court to determine whether the hearing officer’s decision was arbitrary and capricious. The court may award the municipality the same damages if the court finds that the plaintiff’s action seeking administrative review is not reasonably well grounded in fact, is not warranted by existing law, or is not accompanied by a reasonable argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing law. Passed both chambers.

(Monique Davis, D-Chicago) amends the Forcible Entry and Detainer section of the Code of Civil Procedure to do three things. (1) Limits the number of motions a tenant may file to stay the enforcement of an order for possession to two unless good cause is shown by written motion. (2) Allows a "peace officer" to execute an order for possession. (3) Also allows service of an order of possession by an off-duty peace officer who is employed on a part-time basis by a licensee under the Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint Vendor, and Locksmith Act of 2004. In the House on third reading.