SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (Legal Newsline) – A new Illinois law designed to strengthen protections for service members' employment and rights while they are serving has been signed into state law.
The Illinois Service Member Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (ISERRA), which was initiated by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and sponsored by Sen. Tom Cullerton, D-Villa Park and Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, will go into effect Jan. 1, according to the Illinois Attorney General's Office.
"When military service members serve our country, they should not lose their civilian jobs at home," Madigan said in a statement. "This new law strengthens service members' employment protections."
"Illinois' laws should reflect the commitment our residents, businesses and communities have to members of the military by making it easier for employers to hire service members and be assured they are following the law when their military employees are on active duty," Cullerton said in a statement. "By consolidating and strengthening the law, we can help provide stability for service members and give employers the tools they need to keep them on the job."
According to the attorney general's office, ISERRA will consolidate existing state law, give the attorney general authority to file civil lawsuits and to create a ISERRA Advocate to train and provide information to employers and service members.
"As a former officer in the U.S. Army and veteran of the Illinois National Guard, I understand the difficulty of putting your life on hold when you are called to serve, and this law will give service members some peace of mind that their jobs will be waiting for them when the mission is over," Chapa LaVia said in a statement.