The year is 2020, and the laws governing our society have been updated. Some you'll have heard of, and some may catch you by surprise. Either way, you should know what they are - and how to avoid breaking them. 

If you've been following our newsletter for a while, you know we love keeping you abreast of the most current legal obligations you have to adhere to both as an individual and as a business. 

In one of our older editions of the newsletter, we discussed some laws that were passed in Illinois that would affect businesses. 

Here are a few laws that we think you should know and adhere to in the year ahead: 

1. Gender Equality. A: Single-occupancy restrooms are now required to be marked as all gender and designated for single-use occupancy, family use, or assisted use. No gendered signs can be posted for these facilities. (Patch.com). We recommend designating at least one restroom in your facility as a gender-neutral restroom for the purpose of inclusivity. B: Non-Binary Gender. New laws allow those in the Queer community to designate their gender identity as "female", "male", or "non-binary" on their official identification. As an employer, it's important to recognize that non-binary people do exist, and do work. Consider introducing a training on gender and orientation sensitivity and review pronouns and procedures that may currently be gendered. 

2. Pay Rate. Those receiving pay of minimum wage at $8.25 will now be paid at $9.25 an hour. The minimum wage, however, will raise to $15.00 hourly. We recommend making sure your employees are aware of this wage change and are properly compensated. 

3. Applications. While this isn't actually a new law passed in 2020, it's still deeply relevant and important to adhere to. As an employer, you are unable to survey for an employee's last rate of pay or use it to determine current rates of pay. If your current applications for employment still ask what the last rate of pay is, you could be in serious trouble. Make sure to update your applications to reflect this new law. 

4. Consumer Fraud. Code (SB 1599) - Requires businesses publishing criminal record information publicly to amend any error within 5 business days of being notified of the error; failure to do so is a violation of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. (Patch.com)

5. The Assumed Business Name Act - code (2528) allows people operating a home-based business under an assumed name to list the county clerk and it's addressed as it's default agent for process service including but not limited to court orders or police reports. 

6. The New Business Act (Code HB 2670) reduces restrictions on those with a recorded criminal history opening a new business. The new law provides flexibility to the state department's review of previous offenses. 

7. Business Enterprise (SB 177)  Increases provisions and support for minority-owned businesses and allows some companies to qualify for the Business Enterprise Program provided they meet municipal-level qualifications, and increase diversity in apprenticeships for construction and the building trades. (Patch.com)

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