Cook County board amends Human Rights Ordinance to add linguistic characteristics to national origin protections

The Cook County Board of Commissioners on March 12 approved an amendment to the Cook County Human Rights Ordinance to explicitly include linguistic characteristics as part of the definition of national origin.

The change, recommended by the Human Relations Committee and moved on the floor by Commissioner Shawn Morrison (second not specified), was adopted after public commenters described language barriers faced by immigrant communities. Supporters said the amendment would give low–English-proficient residents a clearer path to file discrimination complaints under the county ordinance.

The amendment matters because county leaders said it would make enforcement of discrimination protections more accessible to residents who speak limited English or non-English languages. Grace Pye, executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago, told the board the amendment is “essential to ensure equal treatment and opportunities for all residents of Cook County” and cited Census figures about limited-English proficiency among Asian American residents. Sarah Tang of the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community described a case in which a single mother nearly lost affordable housing documents for lack of English language assistance and said the ordinance would create “systematic ways to advocate” for such residents. Tony Dei of the Haitian Community Organization urged inclusion of Haitian Creole in county language access, and Daniel Keesas, a Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation member, asked that tribal entities be considered in minority-owned business certification standards while linking that concern to the county’s land acknowledgement.

Commissioner Kevin Morrison moved to concur with the Human Relations Committee recommendation to approve item 25 13 58, described on the record as an ordinance amendment revising the county’s Human Rights definition of national origin to include linguistic characteristics; the motion carried with the ayes prevailing. The ordinance text and implementing procedures were not read into the record during the general vote; board members on the floor directed the item through the committee recommendation.

Supporters said the change would allow more consistent handling of discrimination claims that stem from language access issues in housing, health care, employment and public services; the board did not adopt additional implementing rules during the meeting. Commissioners who spoke in favor emphasized Cook County’s diverse immigrant population and the potential for the amendment to address barriers to services and legal recourse.

The vote concludes the committee-level review; the board did not specify a separate effective date on the record. If the county follows prior practice, the ordinance language and any rule insertions will be published in the County Journal and in the office that enforces the Human Rights Ordinance.

Community groups that testified encouraged the board to couple the ordinance change with stronger language-access practices across county agencies; no formal direction to draft implementing language was recorded in the public discussion.

Item: proposed ordinance amendment, Human Rights Ordinance (agenda item 25 13 58) — approved.