On July 31st, 2019, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed into law House Bill 2462, an amendment to the Equal Pay Act of 2003. Previously passed through the legislature in 2017 and 2018, it was struck down both times by previous Gov. Rauner. The bill introduces provisions which prevent an employer from discriminating against job applicants based on their previous wage [...]
With recreational marijuana on the cusp of legalization, businesses across Illinois could see a vast marketplace suddenly accessible. A recreational marijuana legalization bill was recently introduced in the Illinois legislature. The proposed bill puts small businesses in an especially advantageous position, promoting “craft growers” and banning large-scale operations. Without a corporate presence dominating the field, local cultivators and retailers [...]
UPDATE On May 23rd, the Illinois Supreme Court filed its opinion in LMP Service, Inc. v. City of Chicago, ruling in the City's favor and upholding the constitutionality of the provisions in question: A ban prohibiting food trucks from operating within 200 ft of a brick-and-mortar restaurant (challenged on the grounds that it unfairly favors brick-and-mortar restaurants) A requirement [...]
Happy New Year! With the changing of the calendar come changes in the legal code. As of January 1, 2019, more than 180 new laws became active in Illinois, many of which impact small business owners in some way or another. You can find the entire list of new laws here, but we’ve highlighted several that affect small business [...]
Doing business in any city is often a backwards and bureaucratic imbroglio, and Chicago is no exception. But the gales of change are blowing in the Big Windy! Entrepreneurs in Chicago will soon have a new, first-of-its-kind resource to sell their retail and food products to the public. Beginning on Monday, December 3, 2018, small business owners will be [...]
