Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the Illinois Department of Human Rights are breaking out the bubbly over the passage of new legislation aimed at putting a stronger punch in the state's civil rights laws. In an update to the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA), House Bill 5371 has made its way through the General Assembly, drawing applause from state officials for its promise to reinforce the fight against discriminatory practices. This legislative move is touted as a beacon for enhancing civil rights in Illinois.
With finesse, "The Illinois Human Rights Act is an important tool for combating discrimination," Raoul stated, according to the Office of the Illinois Attorney General. He hailed the Assembly for leveling up the effectiveness of the act, intent on safeguarding the people of Illinois from prejudiced entities and ensuring justice is served right. Aligning with Raoul, IDHR Director Jim Bennett praised Illinois as a national leader against hate, asserting that the bill would bolster this standing by protecting citizens' ability to report discrimination fearlessly.
The crux of the bill is delivering enhanced civil rights safeguards. It aims to sync the IHRA with federal fair housing standards, beef up penalties for repeat discrimination offenders, bestow on victims the unhampered right to collect court-awarded judgments, and assure sensitive reporting of discrimination and hate occurrences. Moreover, the legislation vows to slice away procedural redundancies to smoothen the enforcement pathway, as per statements from State Sen. Laura Fine and State Rep. Ann Williams, the sponsors who carried the bill through the legislative gauntlet. Now, it's up to the governor to stamp it into law.
"This measure makes important clarifications to the law to enhance protections against discrimination in housing and employment and will help make the implementation of IDHR's new hate crimes hotline a success," Fine relayed, as stated by the Office of the Illinois Attorney General, underlining the envisioned impact on Illinois' defense mechanisms against discrimination. Williams added that the bill is a stride towards assisting victims in claiming their deserved restitution—a historically complicated endeavor.
