Illinois Statutes Chapter 225. Professions,Occupations and Business Operations § 510/14.1. Investigations; orders; civil penalties

(a) The Department may at any time, and shall upon receiving a complaint from any interested person, investigate any person licensed or applying for a license under this Act suspected of violating any provision of any Section except Section 14.3. The Department shall investigate any person who operates or advertises a nurse agency without being licensed under this Act. The Department shall establish a system of reporting complaints against a health care staffing agency. The Department shall publish on its website how an interested party may submit a complaint of a violation of this Act to the Department. Complaints may be made by an interested party. Complaints against a nurse agency shall be investigated by the Department of Labor. The investigations shall take into consideration the responsibility of health care facilities under Section 12 for supervising nurse agency employees assigned or referred to the facilities. For purposes of this Section, “interested party” means a health care facility, nurse staffing agency, or an employee of a health care facility or nurse staffing agency.

The Director or his or her authorized representative may examine the premises of any nurse agency, may compel by subpoena, for examination or inspection, the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of books, payrolls, records, papers and other evidence in any investigation or hearing, and may administer oaths or affirmations to witnesses.

(b) After appropriate notice and hearing, and if supported by the evidence, the Department may issue and cause to be served on any person an order to cease and desist from violation of this Act and to take any further action that is reasonable to eliminate the effect of the violation of any Section except Section 14.3.

Whenever it appears that any person has violated a valid order of the Department issued under this Act, the Director may commence an action and obtain from the court an order directing the person to obey the order of the Department or be subject to punishment for contempt of court.

The Department may petition the court for an order enjoining any violation of any Section of this Act except Section 14.3.

(c) Any licensee or applicant who violates any provision of this Act or the rules adopted under this Act shall be subject to a civil penalty of $10,000 per occurrence payable to the Department for the purpose of enforcing this Act. Civil penalties may be assessed by the Department in an administrative action and may, if necessary, be recovered in a civil action brought by the Director through the Attorney General of the State of Illinois or the State's attorney of any county in which the violation occurred. The court may order that the civil penalties assessed for violation of this Act, together with any costs or attorney's fees arising out of the action to collect the penalties, be paid to the Department. The fact that the violation has ceased does not excuse any person from liability for civil penalties arising from the violation.

(d) Any nurse staffing agency that has been found not to have paid an employee 100% of the hourly wage rate identified in the contract between such nurse staffing agency and health care facility shall be liable to the employee for the actual amount of the underpayment, plus damages of 5% of the amount of the underpayment.