­SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Ram Villivalam passed legislation that will provide employees with better access to their rights and more streamlined procedures from their employer.

“We are updating the codes to recognize the changing ways we do business,” said Villivalam (D-Chicago). “This legislation is designed to streamline procedures for responding to rights violations that employees may encounter and make the process updated for modern times.”

House Bill 3733 makes changes to labor laws in order to provide updated and modernized procedures. This will require employers to provide copies of personnel records to employees by mail or email upon request, and will require any employer with remote or traveling employees to make information regarding labor rights available electronically.

The legislation also allows electronic payment of fines for violations of labor laws, expands the Equal Pay Fund to include money collected from penalties, and removes requirements that businesses submit Employer Information Reports to the EEOC when applying for equal pay registration certificates.

“Many of these laws are outdated with the way we access information in the modern day,” Villivalam said. “It’s time to speed up these processes and ensure that Illinois is staying up-to-date with modern technology.”

House Bill 3733 passed the Senate on Wednesday.

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