Top 21 Most Important New Laws Taking Effect In Illinois 2024

20+ Most Important New Laws Taking Effect In Illinois 2024

Illinois residents will have to learn 320 new state laws as the calendar page turns to 2024.

Certain laws, such as the one requiring paid time off and the one outlawing semi-automatic guns, will have a broad impact. Others, such as a rule allowing county governments to take into account a prospective contractor's enrollment in an authorized apprenticeship program when choosing the project's winning low bidder, won't, however, have an instant or apparent effect.

Top 21 Most Important New Laws Taking Effect In Illinois 2024

1. Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act, 820 ILCS 192

With the implementation of the Illinois Paid Leave for All Workers Act, employees in Illinois will now be eligible to take paid time off for any reason.

Companies must provide paid time off for all employees, regardless of the reason. For every 40 hours worked, an employee will earn one hour of paid leave, up to a maximum of 40 hours. Employees may take time off after 90 days of work, and employers are permitted to give more than 40 hours a week.

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2. Prohibition of semi-automated weapons

The Illinois restriction on the sale, ownership, or manufacturing of automatic firearms similar to those used in the mass massacre at a July Fourth parade in Highland Park, a Chicago suburb, in 2023 has not been taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Many specified brands and models of pistols and rifles, including ones chambered in.50 caliber, as well as accessories and fast-firing devices, are prohibited by the law. No pistol may carry more than 15 rounds, and no rifle may hold more than 10 rounds.

By January 1st, those who have already acquired such firearms are required to register them with the Illinois State Police.

3. Bill 2789: Prohibiting book bans

Libraries that arbitrarily exclude books will not be able to receive state funding. The Library Bill of Rights, which states that "materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation," must be adopted by them. It was written by the American Library Association.

According to the library organization, attempts to restrict books—particularly those published by people of color and those with LGBTQ+ themes—reached a 20-year high in 2022.

4. PA 101-0001: Raising the minimum wage

Illinois's minimum wage is about to increase once more.

The minimum wage in Illinois will rise to $14 per hour for non-tipped workers, $8.40 per hour for tipped workers, and $12 per hour for young people under the age of eighteen who work fewer than 650 hours annually.

5. HB 1541: Your gas and electric bills are charged if the heat is on

House account 1541 forbids utility providers from disconnecting residential customers in Illinois from gas or electric service on days when the temperature surpasses ninety degrees or while a heat watch, advisory, or warning is in effect because the customer has not paid their account.

This summer, a multi-day heat dome caused temperatures to soar into the triple digits, setting records in Chicago. Seniors, kids, sick individuals, and other vulnerable groups can die from heat exhaustion, and low-income Illinoisans are more likely to have their gas or electricity turned off for failing to pay during catastrophic heat waves. During hazardous weather, this new regulation guarantees that every resident has access to air conditioning, electric fans, and other in-home cooling services.

6. Teenager voters' registration

When getting a driver's license or state identity card at a drivers' services office managed by the secretary of state, teenagers who are 16 or 17 years old may pre-register to vote. They will already be registered to vote when they reach the legal voting age of eighteen.

7. Vaping in public areas

It is now forbidden to use e-cigarettes or vape indoors or in any public area. This implies that you are not allowed to vape within 15 feet of an entry, just like with cigarettes.

8. HB 2245: Tightening the screws on auto theft and carjacking

Illinois automakers are required under House Bill 2245 to set up a vehicle theft hotline in order to assist in locating stolen automobiles through the use of their current global positioning (GPS) systems.

Carjackings and automobile thefts have increased recently; data from May indicates that car thefts in Chicago increased by 20% in 2022 over 2021.

A north suburban family filed a lawsuit against Volkswagen recently after their toddler was taken in the car when it was stolen outside their house. Despite being ran over, 24-week pregnant Taylor Shepherd managed to contact 911 and inform them that she had a tracking device in her vehicle. But because the tracker's free trial time had expired, Volkswagen allegedly declined to provide law authorities with GPS position data from the vehicle.

9. HB 2123: Digital Forgeries

This May, lawmakers passed a new safeguard against "deepfake porn." Those who are inaccurately portrayed in sexually explicit photos or videos will have the legal right to sue the person who created the content starting in 2024.

2015 saw the implementation of the state's protections for victims of "revenge porn," which were amended by this statute.

The emergence of more widely accessible artificial intelligence techniques has led to an increase in the sophistication of deepfakes, which are fraudulently depicted images and movies. Deepfake pornography disproportionately features women.

The primary sponsor of the bill, Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, is one of the sponsors who has expressed interest in adding more regulations to the usage of AI.

10. PRESCRIPTION DRUGS' PRICE GOUGHING

This new law in Illinois is a significant step toward universal access to healthcare. Essential generic or off-patent pharmaceuticals are no longer subject to price gouging by manufacturers and wholesale distributors.

11. RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY FOR PAIN SUCCESSORS

Before the passage of this law, trauma survivors who required reconstructive surgery due to medical necessity had to worry about whether their insurance would pay for it. However, patients whose physical appearance was harmed by trauma now have to have the surgery covered by HMOs, Medicaid, individual and group coverage.

12. Shutoffs by utilities

House Bill 1541 forbids utilities from cutting off gas or electricity while there is a heat advisory in place or when the temperature reaches 90 degrees without payment.

13. HB 2431: Avoid using a video conference while operating a vehicle

Maintain your focus on the road! House Bill 2431 strengthens the already severe penalties for texting and driving by outlawing the use of electronic devices for social media access or video conferences while a motorist is operating a motor vehicle.

14. HB 2389: When windshields are obscured, no halt

House Bill 2389 clarifies the current law to ensure that no vehicle can be stopped and searched solely because of any objects placed or suspended between the driver and the front windshield that may obstruct the driver's view. It has long been illegal in Illinois to hang an object from a rearview mirror that obstructs a driver's view. This covers fuzzy dice, air fresheners, and navigation devices.

15. AC refreshers permitted

It will no longer be acceptable for police to stop a driver just because something is dangling from their rearview mirror. Following Daunte Wright's 2021 traffic stop in Minnesota for carrying a dangling air freshener, the law was passed. The officer shot him after grabbing her sidearm instead of her stun gun.

16. SB 1883: Don't bother your own bears and primates

Senate Bill 1883 forbids bear and nonhuman ape caretakers from permitting public interaction with their animals. Lawbreakers would be charged with a Class B misdemeanor. The term "general public" does not include professional film crews, veterinarians, or staff members of the animal care facility.

READ MORE: 50 of the Dumbest Laws for Every State in America

17. HB 1540: Vape-free equates to smoke-free

House Bill 1540 enlarges the state's anti-smoke legislation. The use of electronic cigarettes, or vapes, is forbidden in public areas and within 15 feet of building entrances as per this new rule.

18. HB 2500: No costs for veterans' animal companions

House Bill 2500 mandates that adoption fees for any pet for Illinois military veterans be waived by animal shelters and animal control organizations.

19. SB 380: Guarding against fraudulent reproduction

Senate Bill 380 establishes a civil cause of action for fertility fraud against medical professionals and physicians who purposefully or knowingly utilize their own sperm for assisted reproductive treatments such in vitro fertilization (IVF) without obtaining the patient's informed written consent.

Fertility fraud cases have been in the news for many years, but victims frequently don't know what to do when their trust and physical rights are violated. Even while this kind of deception may feel like sexual assault, it does not fit the legal or criminal criteria of violence or sexual assault.

20. SUMMARY DRONES

Legislators authorized the use of drones by police enforcement to monitor "routed" or "special events" in the wake of the Highland Park parade shooting. It's possible that the drones lack facial recognition software and weapons.

21. PORN DEEPFAKE

Deepfake pornography victims have the right to pursue civil actions against anyone who posts or threatens to post a picture that purports to show someone performing a sex act or revealing their genitalia. Recognizing that the image has been extensively altered does not absolve one from culpability.

Summary

In summary, these are some of the most significant legislation that will go into effect in Illinois in the upcoming year. Illinois residents have additional rights going into the new year, from paid time off for an expected 1.5 million more workers to police drones that could help increase community safety.

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