ROCKFORD —Amid an onslaught of scandals that brought down prominent public figures, Gov. Bruce Rauner on Nov. 16 signed into law legislation to strengthen existing state laws on workplace sexual harassment.
The amendment gave local units of government two months to do the same.
As of Monday, all local government bodies, including the Winnebago County Board and Rockford City Council, were to have updated their harassment policies, which at a minimum must:
Prohibit sexual harassment
Provide details on how an individual can report an allegation of sexual harassment, including options for making a confidential report to a supervisor, ethics officer, Inspector General, or the Illinois Department of Human Rights.
Prohibit retaliation for reporting sexual harassment allegations and allow claims of retaliation to be filed under the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act, the Whistleblower Act and the Illinois Human Rights Act.
Detail the consequences for violating the prohibition against sexual harassment and knowingly making a false report.
In a 60-day review of strengths and weaknesses of county government, issued after his first two months in office, Winnebago County Board Chairman Frank Haney identified sexual harassment as an issue.
"Sexual harassment complaints were reported but ignored by an elected official, permitting sexual harassment and perpetuating a hostile work environment," he said in the report.
From 2012 to 2017, Winnebago County received eight employee complaints of sexual harassment, according to information the Register Star received after a Freedom of Information Act request. Separate from county government employee complaints, the Winnebago County Sheriff's Department received five complaints. Officials concede the number of incidents could be underreported if victims fear retaliation or think that nothing will come of their complains.
The county's policy on discrimination and harassment was revised April 14.
On Monday, Haney said, "Although I am proud that our administration and our board were proactive in reviewing our harassment policies before the national sexual harassment scandals hit, I do not believe we have arrived at some perfect state just because we changed a few words in a policy document.
"The harder you look at this issue the more it comes down to basic core values as well as having a fair process to review concerns. A good written policy must be backed up by a solid process — a process that is fair to both the accuser and the accused."
Winnebago County Human Resources Director Kim Ponder said four changes were made to the county's harassment and discrimination policy. The changes included creating a separate policy on bullying; designating the State's Attorney's Office as a place to initiate a complaint, including one against an elected official; updating the list of protected classes under state and federal law; and updating outside agency contact information.
Rockford city employees filed six sexual harassment complaints from 2012 to 2017.
Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara said his administration has worked to be proactive as the national conversation about harassment has unfolded.
All city employees are expected to attend a Jan. 25 workshop at the Nordlof Center conducted by Rockford employment lawyer Bobbie Holzwarth to raise awareness about the issues.
McNamara said one goal is prevention.
"We want everyone to No. 1, understand that we will not tolerate sex harassment in our workplace," McNamara said. "And, No. 2, we need to make sure those who are victims know about the avenues and support systems we have for them so they always feel comfortable bringing things forward."
The Illinois Human Rights Act was amended to require the Illinois Department of Human Rights to create a sexual harassment hotline by Feb. 16.
The hotline will give individuals employed in the public or private sector a way to report sexual harassment anonymously.
Through the hotline, the Department of Human Rights will help connect callers to counselors or other resources and assist in the filing of sexual harassment complaints with the department or other agencies. The department may recommend that an individual seek the advice of an attorney.
Register Star reporter Jeff Kolkey contributed to this report.
Chris Green: 815-987-1241; cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen