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SPECIAL SECTION Legal Roundup
November 2021
legislative LEGISLATIVE ISSUES
GUEST COLUMNIST
DL MORRISS Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP
New Illinois Laws
Shooting for stars: How to build relationships
The following are some Illinois laws passed related to business, taxes and law and order.
BUSINESS Already Effective SB 687. Requires CMS to report on veteran-owned certifications and conduct outreach to veteran-owned small businesses, among other veteran-focused requirements.
Some ask how to replicate a career such as mine (thus far), and it occurs to me that hard work alone has not been the key. Recently, I returned home from work to find a gift from my grandmother sitting on my home office chair. It was a plaque containing a quote by an unknown author stating: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” When it comes to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in the workforce, I sometimes wonder if the legal and other industries more often hit the stars than the moon. Indeed, while diversity efforts in the legal industry have long sought to create parity amongst partner ranks of women and attorneys of color, national statistics still show only an average 25.1 percent of women partners and 10.2 percent of attorneys of color partners. The numbers dim further at the equity partner level. Law firms and corporate legal departments devote hundreds of thousands of dollars to advance diversity efforts. Countless galas and diversity awards are conducted every year for being “the best” in diversity. Yet, if our results are so far removed from the diversity goals we say we are committed to, have we settled for the stars? I came to the law with the idea that hard work alone begets opportunity. My high score in a law school torts class resulted in my law professor’s recommendation for a 1L legal job that later supported a 2L diversity scholarship and summer internship with my current firm. Navigating the law firm landscape as an associate was fraught with the curse of many minorities before me whose departures seemed to haunt the hallways. Ascending to partnership was a combination of my work ethic and also the many attorneys who invested in my development. Being skilled as an attorney then led to opportunities with internal committees and external civic organizations. Some ask how to replicate a career such as mine (thus far), and it occurs to me that hard work alone has not been the key. It is relationships that foster the three key components that make the
difference in retaining and advancing diverse talent, described as follows: 1.
Honest
Conversations.
These are never truly comfortable, but the ability to walk into a senior attorneys’ office and discuss the microaggressions I incurred in the office, in court and with opposing counsel built a level of trust that felt like the firm was “in my corner,” which boosted my confidence. 2.
Constructive
Feedback.
Countless drafts of my briefs were returned with redlining, yet this was not used to stigmatize me, but to teach me how to improve. It is a gift to appreciate the lesson of endless learning. 3.
Community.
Having
relationships with coworkers beyond simply transactional activities created friendships. It was the firm basketball team (a very height-challenged but hard-working
group),
unofficial
whiskey clubs, lunch invites, and even last-minute sporting events, that allowed both my coworkers and me to see more of what we had in common, than what was different between us. The year 2021 is ending and variants of the COVID pandemic rage on. In recent times, we have questioned
the
THEVOICE • rockfordchamber.com
wisdom
of
our
communal gatherings, been tied to televised images of unrest over racial injustice, and unsettled with the level of political polarization in our nation like never before. In every sense it would be easy to settle for the stars and accept our awards for best efforts. However, walking the moon is where household names are made and where we can make the greatest gains in diversity, equity and inclusion, if we only keep striving. DL Morriss is commercial litigator and diversity, equity and inclusion partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP. The views expressed are those of Morriss’ and do not necessarily represent those of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.
HB 713. Prohibits the sale of a device to a radon contractor for use in licensed activities without prior approval of the device from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. SB 116. Allows boards of directors to have shareholder meetings remotely. SB 214. Creates the Landscape Architecture Registration Act which will provide a standard definition and licensing process for landscape architects. SB 653. Updates and clarifies how financial institutions may become approved state depositories and enter into agreements with the treasurer’s office. SB 669. Expands the attorney general’s authority to provide for additional oversight of the student loan servicer industry in Illinois. HB 1855. Creates the Illinois Innovation Voucher Program to foster research and development in key industry clusters, leading to developing new products and services that Illinois businesses can market. SB 2312. Makes a violation of the federal Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act of 2018 a violation of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practice Act. SB 1905. Creates the Consumer Coverage Disclosure Act to ensure consumers are aware of their available coverage. SB 2531. Allows partners and S corporation shareholders to avoid the $10,000 cap on SALT deduction under federal law. SB 294. Requires clear and conspicuous labeling “Do Not Flush” on nonwoven disposable wipes. Effective July 1, 2022. HB 1711. Bans the use of “puppy mills” by registered pet stores. Effective 180 days after becoming law (Aug. 27, 2021).
Effective Jan. 1, 2022 HB 588. Requires that certain businesses and establishments post the notice required by the Human Trafficking Resource
Notice Act in all restrooms open to the public. SB 548. Allows registered employers in the Private Detective industry to provide online-based training courses to applicants and makes administrative technical fixes. SB 1780. Requires a mobile park owner to provide water to each household for three days, instead of five, if a water supply is disrupted. Does not apply if the disruption of water service originates from factors that are outside the control of the mobile home park. SB 636. Allows condominium associations to update their bylaws to ensure the association board includes a simple majority of unit owners that occupy the unit as their primary residence and ensure proper upkeeping of the properties. SB 640. Amends the Illinois Procurement Code to prohibit contracts of more than $1 million from vendors involved with a nonmarket economy. HB 665. Creates Entrepreneurship Assistance Centers, subject to appropriation to issue grants for non-profits, and community organizations, and provide career training to dislocated workers. SB 1690. Creates the Illinois Small Business Fund and requires that DCEO use the fund to manage proceeds that came from investments that DCEO has taken from its Venture Capital Investment Program. HB 2435. Ensures a manufacturer cannot require a vehicle dealer to offer a secondary product or prohibit a vehicle dealer from offering a secondary product. HB 2529. Requires automotive parts recyclers and scrap processors to submit a Junk Vehicle Notification to the Secretary of State. HB 2620. Expands privileges to Craft Brewers, Winery and Spirits, including the creation of new licenses, the establishment of annual gallonage, the legalization of mead and the creation of a new delinquency list. Effective immediately, except for provisions concerning a written list of delinquent retail licensees that shall be developed, administered and maintained by the Illinois Liquor Control Commission. Continued on page 14
