>>> AROUND 800,000 ILLINOISANS ARE WORKING IN TEMPORARY JOBS.

MORE THAN DOUBLE OVER THE LAST TWO DECADES.

THOSE TEMPS OFTEN DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY WILL BE WORKING ONE DAY TO THE NEXT OR IF THEY WILL BE WORKING AND IT'S A GROUP OF WORKERS ADVOCATES SAY ARE MORE VULNERABLE TO HARASSMENT AND ABUSE INCLUDING SO-CALLED PERMA-TEMPING WHERE THEY ARE HELD BACK FROM GETTING HIRED FULL TIME.

AS NICK BLUMBERG REPORTS, A BILL AWAITING THE GOVERNOR'S SIGNATURE AIMS TO CREATE PROTECTIONS FOR TEMPS.

JOSE SAYS TEMPORARY WORK IS JUST THAT.

TEMPORARY.

BUT MANY ILLINOIS COMPANIES HAVE CREATED WHAT ADVOCATES CALL PERMA-TEMPS.

>> A LOT OF THESE WORKERS ARE WORKING IN THESE COMPANIES FOR FIVE, 10, OVER 15 YEARS AS TEMP WORKERS.

>> Reporter: AT THE END OF THEIR TERM, THE WORKER GETS FIRED AND THEN PROMPTLY REHIRED, OFTEN INTO THE SAME ROLE TO ENSURE THEY REMAIN CLASSIFIED AS TEMPORARY.

>> NOW, IF AFTER 90 DAYS, TEMP WORKERS ARE GOING TO HAVE THE RIGHT TO BECOME PERMANENT WORKERS FOR THE COMPANY.

>> Reporter: WITH PAY AND BENEFITS EQUAL TO FULL TIME EMPLOYEES, A WAY TO INCENTIVIZE COMPANIES TO HIRE THE TEMPS AND STAFF.

THAT'S JUST ONE PART OF A MEASURE LAWMAKERS IN SPRINGFIELD PASSED DURING THE SPRING SESSION, THE BILL MANDATES NEW SAFETY STANDARDS.

ADVOCATES SAY TEMP WORKERS OFTEN HAVE LITTLE OR NO TRAINING ON POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS EQUIPMENT IN WAREHOUSES AND FACTORIES.

>> THEY LEFT ME WORKING THREE MACHINES AT ONCE WITHOUT ANY TRAINING.

THEY DON'T TELL ME HOW TO TURN OFF THE MACHINERY OR IF IT GETS STUCK, WHAT I HAVE TO DO.

>> Reporter: AND FOR TEMP WORKER VENISA THAT CHAVEZ AND OTHERS THERE IS A LANGUAGE BARRIER.

>> MOST OF THE WORKERS THAT FILL UP THE TEMP WORK ENTRY, THEY ARE BLACK AND BROWN.

MANY OF THESE ESPECIALLY AMONG THE LATINO COMMUNITY TEND TO BE UNDOCUMENTED.

I THINK FOR THE MOST PART, IT IS CORPORATIONS TRYING TO MAKE SURE THEY CAN DO, GET LABOR AS CHEAP AS POSSIBLE.

>> Reporter: WHILE INDUSTRY GROUPS ENDED UP NEUTRAL ON THE BILL, THE AMERICAN STAFFING ASSOCIATION SENT WTTW NEWS A LETTER IT WROTE TO GOVERNOR PRITZKER OUTLINING ITS CONCERN.

TO ENSURE THAT STAFFING AGENCIES UNDERSTAND THE CRITERIA THE STATE WILL USE IN IMPLEMENTS THE EQUAL PAY PROVISIONS, WE REQUIRE THEY STAY.

>> WE ARE ATTACKING PERMA-TEMPING.

>> Reporter: A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE STAFFING SERVICES ASSOCIATION OF ILLINOIS ECHOED THE CONCERNS ABOUT THE EQUAL PAY PROVISION AND SAYS ILLINOIS ALREADY HAS ONE OF THE TOUGHEST LAWS IN THE COUNTRY PROTECTING STAFFING WORKERS.

SOMETHING OUR ORGANIZATIONS WORKED ON AND IMPLEMENTED.

THERE WERE VERY FEW COMPLAINTS FILED AGAINST THE STATE WITH ANY OF OUR MEMBERS BUT WORKER ADVOCATES SAY AN UNDERSTAFFED DEPARTMENT OF LABOR CAN'T KEEP UP WITH ENFORCING EXISTING PROTECTIONS.

>> THEY WERE JUST SEVERELY UNDERSTAFFED.

AND THAT FOR THE WHOLE STATE, THEY ONLY HAVE A HANDFUL OF INVESTIGATORS.

>> Reporter: ANOTHER KEY PROVISION OF THE BILL, ALLOWING WORKER CENTERS AND OTHER GROUPS TO HELP PEOPLE WHO MAKE ALLEGATIONS OF HARASSMENT, ABUSE, WAGE THEFT, OR DISCRIMINATION.

>> THEY ARE REALLY MISTREATING PEOPLE.

>> Reporter: NORMAN GREEN SAYS HE HAS BEEN WORKING AS A TEMP ALMOST 20 YEARS.

HE WAS PART OF THE LOBBYING EFFORT TO GET THE NEW PROTECTIONS FOR TEMPS PASSED.

>> THEY WILL SAY YOU NEED TO BE THERE EARLY.

SIGN YOUR NAME FIRST SO YOU GO OUT AND GET WORK AND DO THOSE THINGS AND STILL WASN'T GETTING WORK.

I HAVE EIGHT KIDS AT HOME.

>> Reporter: GREEN HOPES NEW PROTECTION AND MORE ROBUST ENFORCEMENTS WILL BE A BOON TO THE TEMPS LIKE HIM ACROSS THE STATE.

>> IF A PERSON COMES IN AND BUSTS THEIR BUTT IN WORK, LET THEM WORK.

DON'T JUDGE BY SKIN COLOR.

>> YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THAT ABUSE.

IT EVENTUALLY STARTS AFFECTING YOUR PERSONAL LIFE.

YOU START TO BRING ALL THAT WEIGHT HOME.

>> Reporter: FOR CHICAGO