Illinois Democratic Rep. Kimberly Du Buclet, who represents the 5th District in Chicago, filed the Illinois House Bill 4224 Wednesday that would allow individuals in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections to obtain remote employment with approved businesses and companies that choose to participate in the yet-unnamed program.
Du Buclet was a co-sponsor of the Bivens Act, which was recently passed and signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker as part of Illinois House Bill 1312.
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Here are some of the requisites the bill stipulates at minimum for those in the custody of the state Department of Corrections:
* have received a State of Illinois High School Diploma or an exemption approved by the Department
* have served at least 30 days of the term of imprisonment in the facility where the committed person will be working remotely
* be a general population resident
* completed or is actively participating in vocational or educational programs
* not be found guilty of a disciplinary violation not be found guilty of any disciplinary violations within 90 days of submitting the application and not have a disciplinary report pending at the time of submitting the application
* be eligible to use a computer and eligible to access the Internet, in accordance with Department policy, and be issued a laptop other than a loaner laptop or have access to a computer designated for remote work by the Department
* agree to and sign the necessary contracts and terms of conditions in accordance with Department policy regarding remote work programs
The bill says the program must also provide "a committed person may be terminated from the committed person's remote work employment at any time for any reason at the complete discretion of the Director of Corrections or the facility chief administrative officer, or their designees," according to the bill's synopsis. Additionally, the bill provides that all monetary compensation shall be directly deposited by the employer into the committed person's Illinois Department of Corrections account."
But not all incarcerated individuals in the Department of Corrections are eligible for the proposed program.
Stipulations to being ineligible to work remotely while in custody of the Department of Corrections include:
* the committed person's convicted offense, past convictions, or pending charges involve the use of computers, including, but not limited to, financial fraud, pornography using a computer, human trafficking, identity theft, cybercrime, and terrorism
* the committed person is prohibited from accessing the Internet, prohibited from using an electronic device, or there is a similar prohibition
* the work involves access to information protected under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
* the work involves access to information from the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
* the committed person has a sex offense criminal conviction and the work involves working for a school or school district or other employer where the committed person may have access to information about children
* the committed person does not have the qualifications required for the position
If the bill reaches Pritzker's desk to be signed into law, everything in the bill would go into effect Jan. 1, 2027.
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