Issue Spotlight: Family Caregiver Discrimination 👨👧👦👨👩👧👦
Dear Neighbor,
As the legislative session progresses, I’d like to continue a deep dive into some of the issues I’m focusing on this year in Springfield.
This week, I want to discuss HB 2161, a bill to protect people from discrimination at work on the basis of their family responsibilities.
There’s one example I always give to explain what this means. A woman was going up for a promotion, and her boss said to her, “Well, it seems like you’ve got a lot going on at home with your four kids, so it’s probably not a good time for you to take on more responsibilities at work.” The boss goes on to give the job to another male employee… who also happens to have four kids at home. (They just didn’t ask him about family life when talking about the promotion!) So the female employee is able to sue on the basis of gender discrimination. But if they’d given the position to a woman with no kids, for instance, it would have been perfectly legal.
That kind of discrimination happens all the time — especially to moms, but it also happens to lots of other people with caregiving responsibilities at home too. It’s a big part of the reason why the gender wage gap gets really bad in your 30s.
Our bill would change that. We’d make sure that hiring, firing, and promotion decisions couldn’t be made on the basis of a person’s actual or perceived responsibilities at home.
The bill doesn’t create any special accommodations for family caregivers. Their employers wouldn’t have to treat them differently — in fact, it’s about ensuring that they’re not treated differently. That they’re evaluated on the merits of their work, whether they show up on time and do a good job, and not on whatever the boss might think they’re doing outside of the office.
This is a crucial step towards addressing a critical gap in workplace protections, recognizing employees' rights to balance their professional responsibilities with caregiving duties, and fostering a more inclusive and equitable work environment.
I’ll keep you posted on the progress of our bill, but I’m hopeful that we can add this important protection to our state’s human rights law.
All my best,
Will
BEAD Map Challenge Process
Illinois was awarded $1.04 billion in federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funds by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to continue efforts to connect all homes and businesses to modern high-speed internet.
The BEAD Map Challenge Process gives Illinoisians an opportunity to correct inaccuracies in the state’s broadband map so it reflects the most up-to-date broadband access across the state. The updated map will determine which locations are eligible for funding through the BEAD program.
From February 27 – March 18, nonprofits, local government, and internet service providers can submit challenges using the BEAD Challenge Portal. Residents can also complete 3 speed tests over 3 days anytime before March 18. Learn more and participate here!
Tenants Rights Workshop
On Monday, March 11, learn more about your rights as a renter, speak with community-based organizations, and meet your city and county level elected representatives! The workshop will be at 6pm at Kosciuszko Park, 2732 N Avers Ave.
16th Police District Council Meeting
The 16th Police District Council will host their monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 12 at 6:30pm at Olympia Park, 6566 N Avondale Ave. They’ll be joined by Anthony Driver, the President of the Community Commission for Public and Safety and Accountability.
Friends of Holstein Park Annual Family Easter Event
Join Friends of Holstein Park for their Annual Family Easter Event on Saturday, March 16 at Senior Citizens Memorial Park, 2228 N Oakley Ave. and The Holstein Park Fieldhouse, 2200 N Oakley Ave. From 10am -11:15am, there will be an Easter egg hunt, arts and crafts, and a photo op with the Easter Bunny! Be sure to RSVP here.