On August 24, 2018, Governor Bruce Rauner signed into law Public
Act 100-1066, which makes several significant changes to the
Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA). One additional important change
occurred effective June 8, 2018. Additionally, with the November 6,
2018, election of Democratic Governor J. B. Pritzker, employers can
expect more changes in the future, many of which may not be
particularly employer-friendly.
Time to File Charge of Discrimination
The first change, which went into effect on June 8, 2018, after
Public Act 100-588 was signed into law, gives Illinois employees
300 days to file a Charge of Discrimination with the Illinois
Department of Human Rights (IDHR) for alleged violations of the
IHRA. (This change was made with no publicity, possibly because it
was quietly inserted at the end of a much longer bill amending an
entirely different law.) Previously, Illinois employees only had
180 days to file a charge at the IDHR. Under federal law,