Senate Bill No. 1312, also known as Public Act No. 25-117, aims to enhance the administration of unemployment benefits and occupational disease reporting as recommended by the Labor Department. Key provisions include reducing the timeframe for employers to file written protests regarding improperly charged benefits from sixty days to forty days. The bill establishes the Unemployed Workers' Advocate as a full-time classified position responsible for managing the Office of the Unemployed Workers' Advocate, rather than serving at the discretion of the Labor Commissioner. Additionally, healthcare professionals are now required to report suspected occupational diseases related to specific hazardous exposures to the Labor Department within forty-eight hours, with non-compliance potentially resulting in civil penalties.

The bill also modifies employer chargeability for unemployment benefits, ensuring that certain circumstances, such as natural disasters or the return of an employee from a bona fide leave of absence, do not negatively impact an employer's account. It specifies that no base period employer's account shall be charged for benefits paid to claimants discharged or suspended due to the loss of their operator license from a drug or alcohol test while off duty. Furthermore, the bill deletes a provision that would have exempted employer accounts from being charged for benefits paid through the voluntary shared work unemployment compensation program if the state's average unemployment rate reached specified thresholds, thus removing the stipulation related to the unemployment rate conditions set to take effect on January 1, 2024.