This New Year, Illinois residents will have to get comfortable with a host of new laws that become effective on the first of January. Whether it is a change in tax policies or hunting policies, it seems the Illinois legislature has left no stone unturned. New licensing restrictions will apply for professionals from lobbyists to community managers. 2010 has something in store for everyone.
Of the laws set to debut 2010, many are designed to protect parents and their children, like amendments to “safe haven” laws. Illinois is set to extend the window of time that parents can drop unwanted newborns at a police station without facing prosecution for abandonment. Starting January first, the maximum age for “safe haven” babies will more than triple (from seven days to 30 days). “Safe haven” laws are becoming more lax next year, but other laws are set to tighten in 2010, like traffic laws.
Illinois will be Ringing in the New Year with a ban on text messaging while driving. Starting January 1, it will no longer be legal in Illinois to drive as you text message, email, or browse the web. Illinois will adopt stricter cell-phone limitations for teenagers, prohibiting drivers under 19 from conversing on a cell-phone without a hands free device.
Although this law makes it legal to discriminate against people who text and drive, another law will make it illegal to discriminate against someone because that person is the subject of a restraining order.
Amendments to the Illinois Human Rights Act will make outlaw employment discrimination based on the employee’s status as a restraining order recipient. Any negative job action against an individual, because the individual was the subject of a restraining order, will be illegal.
On the subject of employment, anyone employed as a lobbyist in Illinois should pay attention to the January first changes. New laws tighten the current restrictions on the profession, requiring weekly reporting by lobbyists when the General Assembly is in session and monthly reporting when the Assembly is out of session. The law also raises the annual registration fee for lobbyists from $350 to $1000, and eliminates the $100 threshold for reportable expenditures. Next year reportable expenditures must be released, no matter the cost.
Whether you are a veteran lobbyist or a new mother, you will probably be affected by the changes to Illinois laws this 2010. Make the most of the New Year, and consult an attorney to find out what laws will affect your daily life.
Merry Christmas from the Crosby Law Firm!
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