Committees

The Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes has developed focused committees to advance its mission. Find the committee list below and follow the links to learn about the committees' purpose and members. 

The purposes of the Legal Committee include but are not limited to the following: to identify gaps in law and to make recommendations to the Commission for statutory, regulatory, or programmatic changes necessary to identify and eliminate hate-based crimes and incidents (including extremism) and discrimination. The Committee may also collect, review, propose, and coordinate legislative recommendations for IDHR’s Legislative Director or other state and legislative coordinators. 

Chair: Commissioner Cindy Buys

The purpose of the Community Support and Education Committee is to increase the capacity of individuals, municipalities, and the state to counter and prevent hate by: Building a robust network of communities across the state; supporting that network with assistance, training, and the provision of relevant resources; and presenting programs to the community-at-large, targeted groups, community organizations, law enforcement, and government agencies.

Chair: Marvet Sweis

With the goal of ensuring that Illinois is at the cutting edge of evidence-driven prevention, this committee conducts research about hate, prevention, and public safety approaches. They oversee CDHC’s work toward developing a robust network of prevention resources throughout the state, in service to affected individuals and communities. This committee oversees all CDHC’s work toward establishing data about hate in Illinois, including partnership with academic partners and the development of new procedures for gathering information about incidents.

Chair: Seth Limmer