Peters champions temporary worker protections

SPRINGFIELD – Temporary workers will soon have increased safety, transparency and recourse thanks to a new law sponsored by State Senator Robert Peters.

“Temp workers’ contributions to our economy are often overlooked and taken for granted, even though they often deal with the most unsafe work conditions,” said Peters (D-Chicago). “This new law is long overdue. Temporary workers deserve to work in the same safe conditions as permanent workers.”

The Day and Temporary Labor Services Act requires staffing agencies to provide transportation and safety equipment to workers, provide an itemized list of wages due to workers and maintain records related to third party clients.

Peters’ law expands the Day and Temporary Labor Services Act to ensure safety and transparency for workers. Under the expansion, temporary laborers assigned to a third party client for more than 90 days will be paid no less than the rate of pay and equivalent benefits as the lowest paid hired employee of the client with the same level of seniority and performing the same or substantially similar work.

The measure also requires agencies to notify laborers that the assigned workplace is where a strike, lockout, or other labor trouble exists and that the laborers have a right to refuse the workplace assignment. Further, temporary and day labor service agencies must obtain information about a client company’s safety practices and provide training to workers on industry hazards they may encounter at the worksite.

“The expansion of the Day and Temporary Labor Services Act will bring an end to the hazardous workplace situations that many Black and Brown workers face,” Peters said. “A new normal is coming. I appreciate the work the Chicago Workers’ Collaborative, the Illinois AFL-CIO and State Representative Edgar Gonzalez have done to make this new normal a reality for a service sector that is often forgotten.”

House Bill 2862 was signed into law Friday and takes effect immediately.

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Peters law to offer unpaid leave to families impacted by homicide

SPRINGFIELD – Illinoisans whose family member was killed in a violent crime will soon be able to take two weeks of unpaid leave, thanks to a new law sponsored by Senator Robert Peters.

“The pain of homicide and other violent crimes on families, from the original trauma to re-victimization from the investigation and prosecution, is unimaginable,” said Peters (D-Chicago). “We can’t expect anyone to operate as usual under these circumstances. People need time to adjust to their new normal.”

A report published by the University of California, Berkeley Law School’s International Human Rights Law Clinic found that family members of homicide victims commonly experience anxiety, depression, complicated grief, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Symptoms of PTSD can include nightmares, intrusive thoughts, startled reactions, and difficulty concentrating – and almost a quarter fully develop PTSD which means that they experienced intense, ongoing symptoms that interfered with day-to-day functioning.

The Victims Economic Security and Safety Leave Act provides employees who were victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, gender violence, or any other violent crime up to 12 weeks of leave.

Under Peters’ new law, all employees who are already eligible for leave under the Victims Economic Security and Safety Leave Act may now use up to 10-days of leave for bereavement when family members fall victim to violent crime.

“We have to remember that trauma manifests in both physical and mental ways,” Peters said. “Grief isn’t linear and there’s no set time frame in which people are able to grieve. This measure gives families something to fall back on in the event of the unthinkable.”

House Bill 2493 was signed into law Friday.

Peters modernizes earned sentence credit methods

SPRINGFIELD – Thanks to a new law sponsored by State Senator Robert Peters, time served in county jail will soon be included as part of the minimum 60-day sentence required to earn discretionary sentence credit.

“Public safety reform needs to happen at every stage of the system,” said Peters (D-Chicago). “Instead of being treated as a number, incarcerated individuals ought to be treated as the humans they are. Modernizing earned sentence credit methods is one way to recognize the humanity of incarcerated individuals.”

Peters’ new law also ensures the Department of Corrections will recalculate program credits awarded to those with justice system involvement who completed rehabilitation programs or re-entry planning before July 2021 at the rate set for the credits on and after July 2021.

“Individuals involved in the justice system who participate in rehabilitation programs while serving time are making positive strides toward personal development and should be rewarded,” said Peters. “This new law makes sure that earned sentence credit is not only awarded to those who have earned it, but is rewarded on a consistent basis.”

House Bill 3026 was signed into law Friday.

New Peters law to create Property Tax Payment Plan Task Force

SPRINGFIELD – With the intention of studying a potential payment plan program for owner-occupants to repay delinquent property taxes, State Senator Robert Peters’ measure creating the Property Tax Payment Plan Task Force was signed into law.

“Cook County's annual sale of delinquent property taxes puts people at risk of losing their homes if they fall behind on their property taxes,” said Peters (D-Chicago). “Property tax sales and delinquent tax redemption disproportionately affect Black and Brown folks, especially seniors and those living with disabilities.”

Peters’ new law creates the Property Tax Payment Plan Task Force to study a potential payment plan program for residents to repay delinquent property taxes and make recommendations for implementing one or more payment plan options in Cook County. The Task Force will issue a report by Nov. 15, 2023, which will take into account the impact of the payment plan on homeowners, taxpayers, local agencies responsible for the collection of property taxes, and local taxing districts.

“Some people are losing their homes despite owing less than $1,000,” said Peters. “This new task force will illuminate the problems with the current property tax payment system and help local agencies develop ways to partner with homeowners to ensure payment of property taxes instead of taking advantage of people in tough financial situations.”

Senate Bill 74 was signed into law Friday.