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Published: Thursday, March 21, 2019 04:10 PM
Capitol News Illinois - March 20, 2019 | original article
SPRINGFIELD — A package of bills to increase private-sector protections for sexual harassment victims has advanced out of the state Senate Judiciary Committee.
The four bills, sponsored by Grayslake Democratic state Sen. Melinda Bush, add to lawmakers’ work last session to address sexual harassment and ethics issues in the legislature.
“Last year, we dealt with a lot of things that happened under the dome,” Bush said. “So this year, a lot of the recommendations from the task force were how we deal with different issues in the private sector.”
The task force is the Senate Task Force on Sexual Discrimination and Harassment Awareness and Prevention. It was formed in May 2018 in legislation that, among other things, allowed sexual harassment complaints at the Capitol to be investigated by the Legislative Inspector General without prior approval from the state ethics commission.
The task force’s most recent suggestions take shape in Bush’s bills, which were advanced Tuesday to the Senate floor with bipartisan support.
“They were the issues that came up over and over again,” Bush said. “But the big one is the nondisclosure agreements.”
Senate Bill 30, or the Workplace Transparency Act, would protect employees from being forced to sign nondisclosure agreements relating to sexual harassment, retaliation and unlawful discrimination.
“You’re seeing these agreements used as ways to protect perpetrators,” Bush said. “Victims are not able to talk about the issues or seek civil remedy for them.”
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Category: In The News