1. Employers are now required to reasonably accommodate pregnancies and related medical conditions under an amendment to the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA). Further, the anti-retaliation provision of the IHRA now bans retaliation for having requested, having attempted to request, having used, or having attempted to use a reasonable accommodation This relates to any request for reasonable accommodations under the IHRA.
2. The Illinois Human Rights Act now includes unpaid interns as “employees” to protect them from sexual harassment pursuant to Public Act 098-1037.
3. Employers are now forbidden from requiring prospective employees to disclose their criminal history on a job application. The "Job Opportunities For Qualified Applicants Act," prohibits employers from inquiring into, considering, or requiring the disclosure of a job applicant's criminal history or background on a job application.
4. The Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act now prohibits employers from requiring employees to accept payroll cards (essentially debit cards) to pay wages. An employer using a payroll card to pay an employee’s wages must meet several requirements and is prohibited from imposing certain fees on employees who do accept them, among other things. Public Act 098-0862.