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IN HB1082
Bill
Status
1/3/2019
Primary Sponsor
Karlee Macer
Click for details
AI Summary
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Expands the definition of "employer" under Indiana civil rights law from businesses with 6 or more employees to those with 1 or more employees, significantly increasing the number of workers covered by anti-discrimination protections.
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Expands available remedies for employment discrimination to include prospective economic losses, compensatory damages, attorney fees, costs of prosecution, and punitive damages—previously limited to lost wages, salary, or commissions.
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Requires the Civil Rights Commission to issue a right to sue notice upon complainant request, allowing individuals to bypass the administrative investigation process and file directly in court within 1 year.
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Permits civil rights actions to be tried by jury, removing the prior requirement that cases be tried by the court without a jury.
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Eliminates the requirement that both parties must consent in writing before a civil rights claim can proceed as a civil court action, allowing complainants to unilaterally elect to file suit.
Legislative Description
Civil rights enforcement. Expands the definition of "employer", for purposes of civil rights enforcement, to include any person employing one or more persons within the state. (Current law defines "employer" to include any person employing six or more persons within the state.) Expands the remedies available to a complainant if the civil rights commission (commission) finds that a person engaged in an unlawful discriminatory practice. Requires the commission to issue a right to sue letter if requested by the complainant, in lieu of an investigation and hearing. Permits a civil rights action to be tried by a jury. Removes the requirement that both parties must consent before a civil rights claim is heard as a civil cause of action.
Last Action
First reading: referred to Committee on Employment, Labor and Pensions
1/3/2019