Public Act 096-0814
 
HB2547 Enrolled LRB096 04297 AJO 14343 b

    AN ACT concerning civil law.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Illinois Human Rights Act is amended by
changing Sections 5-101 and 5-102.1 and by adding Section
5-102.2 as follows:
 
    (775 ILCS 5/5-101)  (from Ch. 68, par. 5-101)
    Sec. 5-101. Definitions) The following definitions are
applicable strictly in the context of this Article:
    (A) Place of Public Accommodation. "Place of public
accommodation" includes, but is not limited to:
        (1) an inn, hotel, motel, or other place of lodging,
    except for an establishment located within a building that
    contains not more than 5 units for rent or hire and that is
    actually occupied by the proprietor of such establishment
    as the residence of such proprietor;
        (2) a restaurant, bar, or other establishment serving
    food or drink;
        (3) a motion picture house, theater, concert hall,
    stadium, or other place of exhibition or entertainment;
        (4) an auditorium, convention center, lecture hall, or
    other place of public gathering;
        (5) a bakery, grocery store, clothing store, hardware
    store, shopping center, or other sales or rental
    establishment;
        (6) a laundromat, dry-cleaner, bank, barber shop,
    beauty shop, travel service, shoe repair service, funeral
    parlor, gas station, office of an accountant or lawyer,
    pharmacy, insurance office, professional office of a
    health care provider, hospital, or other service
    establishment;
        (7) public conveyances on air, water, or land;
        (8) a terminal, depot, or other station used for
    specified public transportation;
        (9) a museum, library, gallery, or other place of
    public display or collection;
        (10) a park, zoo, amusement park, or other place of
    recreation;
        (11) a non-sectarian nursery, day care center,
    elementary, secondary, undergraduate, or postgraduate
    school, or other place of education in regard to the
    failure to enroll an individual or the denial of access to
    its facilities, goods, or services, except that the
    Department shall not have jurisdiction over charges
    involving curriculum content, course content, or course
    offerings, conduct of the class by the teacher or
    instructor, or any activity within the classroom or
    connected with a class activity such as physical education;
        (12) a senior citizen center, homeless shelter, food
    bank, non-sectarian adoption agency, or other social
    service center establishment; and
        (13) a gymnasium, health spa, bowling alley, golf
    course, or other place of exercise or recreation.
    (B) Operator. "Operator" means any owner, lessee,
proprietor, manager, superintendent, agent, or occupant of a
place of public accommodation or an employee of any such person
or persons.
    (C) Public Official. "Public official" means any officer or
employee of the state or any agency thereof, including state
political subdivisions, municipal corporations, park
districts, forest preserve districts, educational institutions
and schools.
(Source: P.A. 95-668, eff. 10-10-07.)
 
    (775 ILCS 5/5-102.1)
    Sec. 5-102.1. No Civil Rights Violation: Public
Accommodations.
    (a) It is not a civil rights violation for a medical,
dental, or other health care professional or a private
professional service provider such as a lawyer, accountant, or
insurance agent to refer or refuse to treat or provide services
to an individual in a protected class for any
non-discriminatory reason if, in the normal course of his or
her operations or business, the professional would for the same
reason refer or refuse to treat or provide services to an
individual who is not in the protected class of the individual
who seeks or requires the same or similar treatment or
services.
    (b) With respect to a place of public accommodation defined
in paragraph (11) of Section 5-101, the exercise of free
speech, free expression, free exercise of religion or
expression of religiously based views by any individual or
group of individuals that is protected under the First
Amendment to the United States Constitution or under Section 3
of Article I, or Section 4 of Article I, of the Illinois
Constitution, shall not be a civil rights violation.
(Source: P.A. 95-668, eff. 10-10-07.)
 
    (775 ILCS 5/5-102.2 new)
    Sec. 5-102.2. Jurisdiction limited. In regard to places of
public accommodation defined in paragraph (11) of Section
5-101, the jurisdiction of the Department is limited to: (1)
the failure to enroll an individual; (2) the denial of access
to facilities, goods, or services; or (3) severe or pervasive
harassment of an individual when the covered entity fails to
take corrective action to stop the severe or pervasive
harassment.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January
1, 2010.