(a)No person shall discharge, discipline, or in any other way discriminate against, or cause to be discharged, disciplined, or discriminated against, any employee or any authorized representative of employees by reason of the fact that the employee or representative has filed, instituted, or caused to be filed or instituted any proceeding under this Act, or has testified or is about to testify in any proceeding resulting from the administration or enforcement of this Act, or offers any evidence of any violation of this Act.
(b)Any employee or a representative of employees who believes that he has been discharged, disciplined, or otherwise discriminated against by any person in violation of subsection (a) of this Section may, within 30 days after the alleged violation occurs, apply to the
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(a) No person shall discharge, discipline, or in any other way discriminate against, or cause to be discharged, disciplined, or discriminated against, any employee or any authorized representative of employees by reason of the fact that the employee or representative has filed, instituted, or caused to be filed or instituted any proceeding under this Act, or has testified or is about to testify in any proceeding resulting from the administration or enforcement of this Act, or offers any evidence of any violation of this Act. (b) Any employee or a representative of employees who believes that he has been discharged, disciplined, or otherwise discriminated against by any person in violation of subsection (a) of this Section may, within 30 days after the alleged violation occurs, apply to the Director of Labor for a review of the discharge, discipline, or alleged discrimination. A copy of the application shall be sent to the person who allegedly committed the violation, who shall be the respondent. Upon receipt of an application, the Director shall cause such investigation to be made as he or she deems appropriate. The investigation shall provide an opportunity for a public hearing at the request of any party to the review to enable the parties to present information relating to the alleged violation. The parties shall be given written notice of the time and place of the hearing at least 5 days before the hearing. Upon receiving the report of the investigation, the Director shall make findings of fact. If the Director finds that a violation did occur, he or she shall issue a decision incorporating his or her findings and requiring the party committing the violation to take such affirmative action to abate the violation as the Director deems appropriate, including, but not limited to, the rehiring or reinstatement of the employee or representative of employees to his or her former position and compensating him or her for the time he or she was unemployed. The party committing the violation shall also be liable to the Department of Labor for a penalty of $5,000 for each violation of this Section. If the Director finds that there was no violation, he or she shall issue an order denying the application. An order issued by the Director under this Section shall be subject to judicial review under the Administrative Review Law. (c) The Director shall adopt rules implementing this Section in accordance with the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act.