Governor Signs Illinois Equal Pay Act Amendments: What Comes Next?

On Wednesday, July 31, 2019, Governor Pritzker signed House Bill 834 which amended the Illinois Equal Pay Act.  As we previously described in our prior summary of the bill, the Equal Pay Act will be amended in several ways. Among other issues, beginning on September 29, 2019:

• Employers should have revised job applications as necessary to remove requests for salary histories. 

• Employers should have trained employees or outside recruiters involved in the hiring process on appropriate ways to discuss the employer’s expectations about wages, salary, benefits, or other compensation. 

• Employers that may maintain a pay differential should be prepared to demonstrate the job-related reason that is both consistent with a business necessity and accounts for these pay differences. 

The penalties for violations of the amendments can be significant. Over the next sixty days, employers should audit their pay practices and hiring practices carefully, in order to reduce the risk of a claim.