Illinois Human Rights Act Expanded to Include AI Regulation
Recently, Illinois Governor Pritzker signed H.B. 3773 into law, marking a significant expansion of the Illinois Human Rights Act to include specific regulations on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in employment decisions. This move reflects the state’s ongoing commitment to civil rights protection, now extending into the realm of advanced technology.
What Does H.B. 3773 Mean for Your Business?
Time to Review Severance Agreement
Employers who have not already done so should comprehensively review their past and present severance agreements to ensure that any non-disparagement and confidentiality clauses contained therein do not run afoul of the National Labor Relations Board’s ruling in a February 2023 case called McLaren Macomb, in which the NLRB significantly—and retroactively—restricted employers’ rights to include such clauses.
Referring to a provision of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) that protects employees’ rights to “engage in protected, concerted activities to address or improve working conditions,” the board wrote that: “a severance agreement is unlawful if its terms have a reasonable tendency to interfere with, or coerce employees in the exercise of their Section 7 rights.”
Illinois Amends One Day in Seven Rest Act
The new year will bring with it activation dates for new or amended state legislation that passed earlier this year, some of which will have an impact on small business owners and their employees.
One significant change that employers should know about centers on the One Day Rest in Seven Act, or ODRISA. Heretofore, that law has mandated a minimum of 24 hours of rest per calendar week, but as of January 1, this will change to 24 hours of rest per seven-consecutive-day period. So if an employee works for six consecutive days, the law now covers with them on day seven, even if those six days don’t align with a Sunday through Saturday work week.
By Jillian Tattersall, Chicago Employment Lawyer & Guest Blogger
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) was created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020. The United States Department of Labor has provided the following useful succinct summary of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance:
Unemployment Benefits under CARES Act
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