The whistleblower statute, effective on July 1, 2021, created new whistleblower protections for government employees. This statute was part of the Illinois Public Officer Prohibited Activities Act, 50 ILCS/105/4.1, and was amended to Public Act 101-0652, known as the SAFE-T ACT.
Retaliation for Engaging in Protected Activity
The whistleblower statute prohibits retaliatory action against government employees when they:
- report an improper governmental action;
- cooperate with an investigation by an auditing official related to a report of improper governmental action; or
- testify in a proceeding or prosecution arising out of improper governmental action. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office serves as the “auditing official” for any local unit of government that has not designated an auditing official.
Retaliatory action means:
- Reprimand, discharge, suspension, demotion, denial of promotion or transfer, or change the terms or conditions of employment of any government employee that occurs in retaliation for an employee’s involvement in the protected activities, above.
An employee of any local unit of government that has not designated an auditing official who believes they have been retaliated against in violation of the law should call the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office at (773)-674-2728.