2025 Amendments to Illinois Human Rights Act: Fact Finding Conferences No Longer Mandatory; Employers to Face New Civil Penalties
On August 15, 2025, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law two important changes to the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA) found in SB2487. Fact Finding Conferences No Longer Mandatory or Automatic First, the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) will no longer be required to conduct Fact Finding Conferences (FFCs) (a generally two-hour hearing with an investigator and each side present to answer questions) in each employment charge filed. Instead, FFCs will mostly be voluntary and will be conducted if both sides chose to opt-in to having the FFC. Specifically, if both the complainant and the respondent submit a written request for a FFC within 90 days after “the date on which the charge was filed,” then the IDHR must conduct a FFC, unless it issues its report before receiving both requests. If the parties request the FFC, they must also include a 120-day extension of time for the IDHR to investigate the charge and issue its report. The IDHR can also still decide to ho...