Last week, Governor Bruce Rauner signed Senate Bill 20, making critical changes to the Human Rights Commission in Illinois, the body responsible for enforcing the Illinois Human Rights Act. The following statement can be attributed to John Knight, director of the LGBTQ Rights Project at the ACLU of Illinois:
This is a great step forward for those seeking to challenge discrimination in Illinois. The Illinois Human Rights Act long has been critical to protecting all individuals within our state from discrimination. But the process for protecting these rights has not run efficiently in recent years – with those who face discrimination often waiting years for a decision. The new law helps to address some of the reasons for these long delays and will allow individuals who have faced discrimination to more quickly vindicate their claims. The law provides more resources to the Human Rights Commission to help it to fulfill its mission, making Commission appointments full-time and requiring formal training for the Commissioners.
We hope that all people in Illinois will be better served by these improvements to this important process.