Contact Us NowDon’t Hit Pause! – Illinois Attorney General Issues PAC Formal Opinion 20-007 Clarifies Requirements for Livestreamed Remote Public Meetings under the Open Meetings Act By: Scott Brunton scott.brunton@mhtlaw.com During the global COVID-19 pandemic, American society has proven resilient in many ways. We have substantially altered the ways in which we carry out business transactions and…
Category: Local Government and Public Finance
New Labor Law SB 1754 Requires Illinois Public Bodies To Give Unions Employee Information and Creates New FOIA Exemptions and Unfair Labor Practices
By: Joshua D. Herman joshua.herman@mhtlaw.com On December 20, 2019, Illinois passed SB 1754 into law, imposing new obligations on public employers. Illinois public employers (governments, school districts, park districts and other public organizations) will now have to provide regular updates and information regarding their employees to public labor unions, as well as face new obligations…
Illinois Workplace Transparency Act Imposes New Requirements on Employers
By: Joshua D. Herman joshua.herman@mhtlaw.com The new Workplace Transparency Act imposes significant obligations on Illinois employers beginning January 1, 2020. The Act significantly changes the legal obligations of most employers throughout Illinois, including governments and elected and appointed officials. The Act was passed to ensure workplaces are free from unlawful discrimination and harassment by, among…
Employers must tackle new Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act
Recent Amendments Clarify Employer Right to Discipline for Off-Duty Use and Possession of Cannabis By: Joshua D. Herman joshua.herman@mhtlaw.com Beginning January 1, 2020, it will be lawful for adults in Illinois over the age of 21 to consume and possess cannabis in accordance with the Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (“CRTA”). The CRTA limits…
Equal Pay Act prohibits salary history inquiries
Employers Can No Longer Ask About or Look into Salary History By: Joshua D. Herman joshua.herman@mhtlaw.com Effective September 29, 2019, Public Act 101-0177 (the “Act”) made significant changes to the Illinois Equal Pay Act affecting the equality of pay and the types of inquiries employers may make of employees. Generally, the Act makes it unlawful…
Illinois FOIA prohibits disclosure of disciplinary records older than 4 years
Disciplinary Records Older Than 4 Years Prohibited from Disclosure in Response to FOIA Request By: Robert B. McCoy robert.mccoy@mhtlaw.com Public employers have sometimes attempted to prevent the disclosure of an employee’s disciplinary records in response to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request under the theory that a request for such records is an unwarranted invasion…
The Illinois Small Wireless Facilities Deployment Act
Implementing the Small Wireless Facilities Deployment Act By Scott Brunton email: scott.brunton@mhtlaw.com In April 2018, Public Act 100‑585 – the Small Wireless Facilities Deployment Act (the “Act”) – was signed into law. This Act became effective on June 1, 2018, and impacts all municipalities in the State of Illinois with the exception of Chicago. Small wireless facilities…
Janus vs. AFSCME: Unions Lose Fair Share and Agency Fees
What must public employers do after Janus? By Joshua Herman email: joshua.herman@mhtlaw.com Janus v. AFSCME, a 5-4 decision by the Supreme Court of the United States (“SCOTUS”) issued June 27, 2018, reversed 40 years of law allowing governments and unions to withhold “fair share” deductions from non-union public employees without their consent to subsidize union…
Changes to the Juvenile Court Act
Records of Municipal Ordinance Violations to be Kept Confidential & Automatic Expungement of Law Enforcement Records Effective January 1, 2018, two important changes were made to the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 (705 ILCS 405/1-1 et seq.) (the “Act”) concerning records of minors who are investigated, arrested or taken into custody prior to the…
MHT Holds Free Seminar For Elected And Appointed Officials
On May 13, 2017, MHT attorneys enjoyed spending a morning with newly-elected and current government officials and appointees for its Eleventh Biennial Elected and Appointed Officials Municipal Law Seminar. Officials from municipalities across Illinois attended this free seminar held at the Illinois Central College campus in East Peoria, Illinois. Keynote Speaker: Illinois Senator Chuck Weaver…