Illinois became the fourth state to restrict employers' access to and use of credit histories in hiring decisions this month with the enactment of H.B. 4658, the Employee Credit Privacy Act. The law prohibits employers from firing, not hiring or otherwise discriminating based on an individual's credit history, reports Kelley Drye & Warren LLP's Alysa Zeltzer Hutnik and Megan Olsen. It also prohibits employers from inquiring about or obtaining an applicant or employee's credit report, with some exceptions. The law will take effect on January 1, 2011. Oregon, Hawaii and Washington have enacted similar laws. (Registration may be required to access this article.)
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