(a) Every person who is given an offer of employment with the city shall file an affidavit with the department of human resources disclosing any unpaid court-ordered child support obligations owed by the applicant, and including the court number of their child support case and the county and state in which the child support case is pending.
(b) Where an applicant's affidavit discloses, or the department of human resources otherwise determines, that an applicant owes any unpaid court- ordered child support, such applicant shall only be hired by the city on the condition that he or she establishes one of the following within six months of the start of employment:
(1) the applicant has paid to the obligee all child support due under the court order, as evidenced by a certified court order or official clerk's record that no support is due and owing; or
(2) the applicant has entered into a court- approved agreement for the payment of all child support owed and is in compliance with that agreement; or
(3) the applicant is not an obligor under a court-ordered child support obligation.
Failure to establish one of the above criteria within six months of the start of employment shall be grounds for discharge.
(c) In addition, all new and existing city employees must take all steps within their power to ensure that an income withholding notice for any current, ongoing child support obligation has been served upon the City of Chicago and amounts are being deducted from their salary or wages in compliance therewith.
(d) All city employees must comply with all court-ordered child support obligations as a condition of employment. Noncompliance shall be grounds for discipline.
(e) The department of human resources is authorized to treat administrative child support orders in the same manner as it does court-ordered child support obligations under this section and to promulgate rules and regulations to govern the treatment of such administrative orders. As used herein, "administrative child support orders" are orders or findings by the Illinois Department of Public Aid (or any other state agency authorized by statute to so act in its stead), pursuant to Article X of the Illinois Public Aid Code, 305 ILCS 5/10-1 to 1-022, or any similar statute, imposing child support payment obligations.
(f) The department of human resources is further authorized to do the following:
(1) investigate the child support payment records of employees and applicants to determine compliance with court-ordered child support obligations;
(2) provide information on employees and applicants to the appropriate Cook County and State of Illinois governmental entities, to the extent allowed by law, to assist those offices in enforcement of child support obligations;
(3) provide the names and business addresses of employees to persons seeking to enforce court- ordered child support orders and child support withholding notices, and their legal representatives, to the extent allowed by law, on the condition that such information be used solely for the purpose of assisting in child support enforcement; provided that the names and identifying information of persons seeking to enforce child support orders shall be deemed confidential; and
(4) promulgate regulations relating to the operation of this section.
(Added Coun. J. 2-7-96, p. 15393; Amend Coun. J. 7-29-98, p. 75051; Amend Coun. J. 12-7-05, p. 64870, § 1.6)