HB 1873: Be very careful with school buses: This measure doubles the fines for illegally exceeding a school bus from $150 to $300 for the first offence and from $500 to $1,000 for subsequent offences. New year, new laws. As of January 1, 2020, more than 250 new laws will go into effect in Illinois. Here`s a look at 50 of the most exciting new metrics that could affect you almost every day. Each state criminalizes driving under the influence of a controlled substance. Some jurisdictions also impose additional laws per se. In their strictest form, these laws prohibit drivers from operating a motor vehicle if they have a detectable level of an illegal drug or drug metabolite (i.e., Compounds that are made from chemical changes in a drug in the body, but are not necessarily psychoactive themselves) are present in their bodily fluids above a certain threshold imposed by the government. Learn more about cannabinoids and their effects on psychomotor performance. Additional information on cannabinoids and the proposed limits per se is available online. SB 75: Lawmakers made several changes to labor and civil rights laws this year to combat sexual harassment in the workplace and provide resources to victims, some of which have already gone into effect and others will come into effect later.
The new year has arrived and with it comes a series of hundreds of new laws for Illinois, with nearly 300 new measures beginning. HB 1438: Probably the most discussed and well-known of the laws coming into force in the new year is the legalization of recreational cannabis. Illinois will be the 11th state to legalize marijuana, with adults over the age of 21 now legally allowed to participate. SB 161: This new law creates an occupational health and safety unit within the Illinois Attorney General`s Office dedicated to enforcing labor laws and protecting workers by ensuring they are properly paid, have safe jobs, etc. The new department will focus on ”fighting companies that underpay their employees, force their employees to work in dangerous conditions, and gain an unfair economic advantage by evading their tax and labor responsibilities.” As part of drug legalization, law enforcement agencies will automatically overturn arrests that did not result in a conviction for amounts of up to 30 grams, and the governor will grant pardons allowing convictions of up to 30 grams to be overturned. The state has also launched a social justice program that aims to make it easier for those who have been disproportionately affected by Illinois drug laws in the past to enter a lucrative business. HB 2189: Companies that offer commercial genetic testing directly to consumers (such as ancestry.com or 23andMe) are now prohibited from sharing genetic testing or other personally identifiable information about an individual with health or life insurance companies without the individual`s written consent. SB 86: Drivers are not allowed to use an electronic device to broadcast or watch videos on the road under this new law, with offences punishable by a fine of $75 for a first offence, $100 for a second offence, $125 for a third offence and $150 for a fourth or subsequent offence. The state has decriminalized marijuana to some extent. As a general rule, decriminalization does not mean a prison sentence or a criminal record for the first possession of a small amount for personal consumption.
The behavior is treated as a minor traffic violation. * A registered medical cannabis patient can grow up to 5 plants 5 inches or larger. SB 00154: Allows tenants of apartments funded by the Illinois Housing Development Authority to keep at least two cats or a dog weighing less than 50 pounds, regardless of breed or size. Housing providers are also not responsible for injuries caused by a pet on their properties. The Illinois Department of Children`s Family Services has come under scrutiny this year for several reasons, including the death of 5-year-old A.J. Freund in April. Authorities say the Crystal Lake boy was brutally beaten to death by his parents, who had been in contact with the besieged agency on several occasions – accused of neglecting important warning signs of abuse. The State shall permit conditional release or an alternative or diversionary conviction for persons who are the subject of their first prosecution.
Usually, conditional release allows a person to opt for probation rather than a trial. Once probation is successfully completed, the person`s criminal record does not reflect the charge. SB 1624: Under this new law, companies that collect personal information about Illinois residents must report any data breaches affecting more than 500 Illinois residents to the state attorney general, as well as the actions or plans taken in connection with the incident. The Attorney General can then disclose information about the violation to help consumers protect themselves even after relatively minor incidents. HB 00226: Public universities must now allow students to choose whether or not to submit ACT and SAT results when applying for admission. HB 03955: Provides that auto-renewal offers or online continuous service offers must include a toll-free number, email address, or mailing address if the seller charges the consumer directly, or provide another cost-effective way to cancel the service. HB 2691: Under this new measure, transgender students who are not eligible for federal financial aid (including those who were disqualified because they did not enroll in the project) and students who are not U.S. citizens (therefore unable to qualify for federal financial aid) are both eligible for state financial assistance through the Monetary Rewards Program.
SB 01596: Committing a crime against a person based on their actual or perceived citizenship or immigration status is now considered a hate crime in the state of Illinois. Anyone who delivers less than 2.5 grams of cannabis on school grounds is guilty of a Class A offence punishable by a fine of up to $2,500 for each offence and imprisonment for less than 1 year. HB 00605: Prohibits state institutions from purchasing Illinois and U.S. flags that are not manufactured in the United States. SB 00139: Allows a person who is currently married to request a copy of their marriage certificate with the term ”spouse” instead of a gendered language. HB 3113: Health insurance companies will soon also have to cover an annual office visit for a full body skin exam for suspected skin cancer lesions without charging the patient a deductible, co-insurance, or co-payment. HB 00135: Requires health insurance to cover health care or patient care around birth control delivery. HB 2541: The Civic Education of Returning Citizens Act requires the Department of Corrections and the Department of Juvenile Justice to implement an impartial civic education program in all correctional facilities to teach civic education – including suffrage, government, routine affairs, etc. – to released individuals over the next 12 months. . SB 1496: The maximum penalty for hitting a worker in a construction zone increases from $10,000 to $25,000 in the new year, and those who do not consider traffic control equipment in a road construction or maintenance zone face fines ranging from $100 to $1,000. HB 03445: A person who seeks medical help for an opioid overdose is immune to possession prosecution.
Possession of marijuana paraphernalia in cases where marijuana weighed 10 grams or less is a civil offence that can be punished with a fine ranging from $100 to $200. HB 3498: This measure removes the statute of limitations for female genital mutilation for victims under the age of 18, so that the crime can be prosecuted at any time. It also makes female genital mutilation performed by a parent or guardian a class X crime. SB 01892: An amendment to the Correctional Services Code comes into force that makes possession of child pornography, if the child is in a household or family member of the accused, a non-parole offence that requires a prison sentence when convicted. HB 00376: Requires each elementary and high school to add a lesson about the events and contributions of Asian Americans in Illinois and the United States SB 00817: Prohibits schools from discriminating against students` hairstyles associated with racial, ethnic, and cultural traditions. HB 831: This new law stipulates that whenever DCFS receives a complaint of alleged child abuse while the child has been treated in a hospital, including a psychiatric hospital, the department must inform the directors of the Department of Public Health and the Ministry of Health and Family Services. The measure was passed and signed after a 2018 ProPublica report found that a Chicago psychiatric hospital treating children in state custody was under investigation for more than a dozen allegations of abuse, assault and neglect. .