October 14, 2019

Health and Employment grantees advocate for the amendment of two state laws 

Two Fry Foundation grantees in Health and Employment, Women Employed and the Shriver Center for Poverty Law , were at the forefront of advocating efforts for the No Salary History amendment for over 3 years. On July 31st, Governor Pritzker signed the No Salary History amendment to the Illinois Equal Pay Act into law to advance pay equity in Illinois. The No Salary History law will strengthen the Illinois Equal Pay Act by prohibiting employers from asking job applicants about past rates during the hiring process, in order to avoid perpetuating past inequalities. Read a memo written by Women Employed on the topic. 

Several Fry Foundation grantees, including the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights, Safer Foundation, and the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, advocated for The Health Care Worker Background Check Act. This was also signed into law on July 31st. It provides an expedited process for applicants with arrest or conviction records to seek a waiver to work in the health care field.