Looking back on the past year and ahead to the new one, Illinois employers may want to reflect on the ways in which state legislators and regulators kept busy in 2022.
A number of employment laws will take effect on January 1, 2023, and other recent legislative changes have spawned new regulations, too.
In keeping with a recent legislative trend, a prohibition on hair-based discrimination will be added to the Illinois Human Rights Act, which covers virtually all Illinois employers. The Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act expands the Human Rights Act’s definition of “race” to include traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles like twists, locks, and braids. The change has the effect of banning hairstyle discrimination in employment, housing, financial services, and public accommodations. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed the CROWN Act into law on June 29, 2022, and it takes effect on January 1, 2023.
New Year’s Day brings a new name and new employee benefits to an existing Illinois law. As we previously explained here, the Child Bereavement Act will henceforth be referred to as the Family Bereavement Leave Act. Applicable to Illinois employers also covered by the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)—that is, with 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius—the Family Bereavement Leave Act will require employers to provide a...
Unfortunately, Gregg Phillips’ claims that he was twice teleported from one place to another aren’t the biggest problems for this top government official with a long history of shady deals, charit...