Hates Crimes May Cover Gender, Sexual Orientation
Headline Legal News
The Associated Press is reporting that on Thursday the Senate approved an expansion of federal hate crime laws. The legislation will allow the 1968 hate crimes law to cover those attacked because of their gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, "This bill simply recognizes that there is a difference between assaulting someone to steal his money, or doing so because he is gay,or disabled, or Latino or Muslim."
The legislation also ends the "federally protected acts," meaning that now it doesn't matter where the crime takes place. The 1968 bill only covered crimes in federal government-related environments, including schools and court rooms.
This piece of legislation is an amendment to the new defense spending bill that is expected to be finished sometime next week. President Barack Obama has promised to veto the bill if it includes more money for an F-22 fighter program he is trying to end.
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What Is Meant by ‘No-Fault’ Workers’ Compensation in Illinois?
If you were injured in a work-related accident and have been researching workers’ compensation, you may have seen it described as a “no-fault” system. One of the most important things to understand about the workers’ compensation system in Illinois is that it is based on a “no-fault” system. What does this mean, exactly?
Most employers in Illinois are required by law to have workers’ compensation insurance. And the workers' compensation in Illinois is a “no-fault” system, which means that any worker who has been hurt on the job is entitled to workers' compensation benefits. If you have been hurt on the job, you are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits no matter whose fault the accident was.
A no-fault insurance system, such as workers’ comp, works by paying claims regardless of who is to blame for an accident. This provides an important layer of protection for injured workers, sparing them from having to through additional litigation and the through the additional burden of proving who was at fault before receiving benefits.
In Illinois, even though you don’t have to prove that your injury was your employer’s fault, you do have to prove that your injury happened at work or as a result of work. If you would like help to file your workers' compensation claim, Krol, Bongiorno, & Given’s experienced workers' comp lawyers are here to help. With over 60 years of combined legal experience, the KBG law firm is a leader in the field of workers’ compensation law and we have earned the reputation as aggressive advocates for injured workers before the IWCC.