Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced that legislation amending the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA) to clarify and strengthen its protections has been signed into law.
“The Illinois Human Rights Act is an important tool for combating discrimination,” Raoul said. “I want to thank Gov. JB Pritzker for signing this legislation, which will help my office enhance our efforts protecting the people of Illinois by strengthening enforcement against bad actors and improving processes for taking action. I remain committed to defending the civil rights of all Illinois residents.”
House Bill (HB) 5371 is the result of collaborative efforts between the Attorney General’s office and the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR), which enforce the state’s Human Rights Act.
“The Illinois Human Rights Act provides one of the strongest sets of protections against discrimination in the country, in part because our state continues to clarify and expand the Act,” said IDHR Director Jim Bennett. “We applaud Governor Pritzker’s support of HB 5371. The bill improves the Human Rights Act by enhancing enforcement of civil rights protections in employment and housing.”
The new law aims to enhance civil rights protections for people in Illinois and provide important clarifications to existing laws. Specifically, it will:
- Continue bringing IHRA into substantial compliance with federal fair housing law.
- Strengthen relief in discriminatory pattern-and-practice determinations by clarifying the term “per violation.” For example, a business that repeatedly discriminates against multiple employees could be held accountable for each instance of a violation.
- Clarify that aggrieved parties have the right to take action to collect judgments, even if they do not intervene in the state’s enforcement action.
- Codify criteria language from the Illinois Civil Rights Act of 2003 to expressly prohibit unjustified disparate impacts in real estate transactions.
- Ensure confidential reporting of discrimination and hate incidents to helplines administered by IDHR and the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.
- Reduce redundancies and improve enforcement processes.
State Sen. Laura Fine sponsored the bill in the Senate, while State Rep. Ann Williams sponsored it in the House.
“This measure makes important clarifications to enhance protections against discrimination in housing and employment and will help make IDHR’s new hate crimes hotline a success,” Fine said.
“HB 5371 cuts red tape and will help victims of harassment and discrimination collect judgments they are entitled to but have historically had difficulty collecting. This will make a real difference in victims' lives,” Williams said.
The Illinois Attorney General’s office remains committed to protecting civil rights across Illinois. The IHRA grants authority to investigate broad systemic problems or incidents referred to as “patterns or practices” and file suits accordingly. To file a complaint regarding such patterns or practices, visit the Attorney General’s website or contact their Civil Rights Bureau at 877-581-3692 or via email at civilrights@ilag.gov.
IDHR is dedicated to securing freedom from unlawful discrimination for all residents. Any individual who believes they have been a victim can file a charge with IDHR within 300 days from an incident or within one year for housing violations by calling (312) 814-6200 or visiting dhr.illinois.gov/filing-a-charge. Hate incidents can also be reported by calling (877) 458-4283 or visiting cdhc.illinois.gov/report-hate.