Residency Requirement For State Workers Passes Illinois Senate

SPRINGFIELD, IL — A bill requiring that future state employees live within its borders unanimously passed the Illinois Senate Wednesday. It would not apply to existing workers, third-party contractors or anyone granted an exemption for "just cause."

Current Illinois law says non-residents may be hired if there are fewer than three residents available for appointment on an eligibility list and the director the Department of Central Management Services waives the residency requirement.

The proposed change was introduced by Glenview Democrat Sen. Laura Fine in February and received unanimous committee approval on March 6.

“Since the salaries of state workers are paid by the taxpayers of Illinois, the workers should be subject to those same taxes,” said Fine, in a statement announcing her bill's passage. “This also ensures that every state employee has the state’s best interests in mind, since any decisions made will affect them as well.”

Her original version applied to all state employees hired from eligibility lists and was effective immediately, giving newly hired state employees three months from their hiring date to establish residency. It eliminated the opportunity for the agency to waive the requirement.

On March 26, Fine filed an amendment to the proposal, which advanced through committee Tuesday. The amended version of the bill limited it it to employees hired after Jan. 1, 2020 and granted the head of Central Management Services, which handles human resources for the state, discretion to waive the residency requirement.

As amended, the bill allows for the residency requirements for employees hired after Dec. 31 to be set aside in a broader set of circumstances than current state law — waivers could be potentially granted even if there were three or more Illinois residents available on eligibility lists. The bill, Senate Bill 1639, passed 53-0 with six senators not voting.

Earlier: Bill Requiring State Workers To Reside In Illinois Advances