Senate Bill 1480 (SB 1480) was signed into law in Illinois, amending the Illinois Human Rights Act to impose robust new restrictions and obligations on employers’ use of background checks in the state. Employers are no longer permitted from making adverse employment decisions based on an individual’s conviction record except in two circumstances: 1. There must be a substantial relationship between one or more of the previous criminal offenses and the employment sought or held and 2. The granting or continuation of the employment must involve an unreasonable risk to property or to the safety of welfare or specific individuals or the general public.
