HB5335 Summary

• Amends the Illinois Human Rights Act to create a rebuttable presumption that an employer violated a petitioner's civil rights if a petition alleging a civil rights violation is filed with the Department of Human Rights, the Human Rights Commission, or in court.

• Adds prohibition on employer restrictions that prevent employees from speaking languages unrelated to job duties, defining "language" as a person's native tongue such as Polish, Spanish, or Chinese.

• Extends harassment protections to nonemployees (contractors and consultants) performing services for an employer, making employers responsible if they become aware of conduct and fail to take reasonable corrective measures.

• Expands sexual harassment protections to include nonemployees in the workplace under the same standards as employee harassment.

• Establishes comprehensive pregnancy discrimination protections requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnancy-related conditions unless accommodation would impose undue hardship on business operations.