New Laws in Illinois Taking Effect July 1

01 Jul

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Today is the first day of July and the day that 10 new Illinois laws will be going into effect. Here is a brief recap of the new laws in Illinois.

Minimum Wage Increase

In Chicago, the minimum wage is increasing from $13 to $14/hr for employers with over 21 employees. The minimum wage for small Chicago businesses is increasing to $13.50/hr. In Cook County, the minimum wage is now $13/hr, and across the rest of Illinois, it is now $10/hr.

Greater Penalties for Texting and Driving

This law amends the Illinois Vehicle Code to establish a 12-month driver’s license suspension and a minimum fine of $1,000 for drivers who injure others and cause permanent disability, great bodily harm, or disfigurement while texting and driving.

Greater Penalties for Drivers Who Injure Others While Failing to Yield to the Right-of-Way

This new Illinois law established stronger penalties, including a 12-month driver’s license suspension for motorists who injure others while violating the right-of-way at pedestrian crosswalks and in school zones.

LGBTQ History Required to be Taught in Schools

Starting in the 2020-2021 school year, all Illinois public schools must teach LGBTQ history. This law also ensures that schools only purchase textbooks that are “non-discriminatory” and “include the roles and contributions of all people protected under the Illinois Human Rights Act.”

Discrimination Protection for All Employees

This law amended the definition of “employer” in the Illinois Human Rights Act to ensure that the size of an employer can no longer determine if employees are protected from discrimination based upon race, sex, age, sexual orientation, religion, or other protected categories. Previously, the Illinois Human Rights Act only defined an employer as someone with 15 or more employees. Under the revised definition, an employer in Illinois is anyone who employs one or more persons in Illinois for 20 or more weeks in the calendar year.

Workplace and Sexual Harassment Prevention Annual Training

It is a civil rights violation for an employer to harass an employee based upon race, religion, age, sex, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or citizenship status. This law also holds employers responsible for any harassment by employees, consultants, and contractors if the employer is aware of the harassment and “fails to take reasonable corrective measures.” Companies are also required to annually report any judgments, rulings, or settlements against them that pertain to discrimination or harassment. Additionally, this new law aims to protect and prevent sexual harassment in the workplace by implementing annual sexual harassment prevention training. All bars and restaurants must provide a written sexual harassment policy to all new employees during the first week of their employment. Hotels and casinos must provide employees who work in areas alone safety notification devices that can call for help if needed. They must also amend their anti-sexual harassment policies to allow employees to take paid time off in order to file a police report or criminal complaint.

Gas Tax Increase

In 2019, Illinois gas tax increased 38 cents to fund road improvement. Starting today, gas tax will increase by 0.7 cents per gallon in order to tax the rate of inflation.

Civics Added to School Curriculum

This new law requires Illinois public schools to teach at least one semester of civics and cover topics such as government institutions, democratic process simulations and include discussions about current events and societal issues. The law also states that civics will need to be taught anytime in between sixth and eighth grade.

New COVID-19 Response

The Restore Illinois Collaborative Commission, a 14 person commission with members from both the House and Senate, was established under this new law. The Restore Illinois Collaborative Commission aims to revive various sectors of the Illinois economy that have taken a hit due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. This law also allows for government meetings to be virtually conducted by audio or video conferencing if the Illinois Department of Public Health or governor has declared a public health disaster or if in-person meetings are deemed to be impractical.

Failure to Pay Fines Can No Longer Lead to License Suspension

In order to stop preventing those who cannot afford to pay for tickets from driving to work, this new Illinois law prohibits the Secretary of State from suspending a person’s driver’s license or vehicle registration as punishment for not paying any fines or penalties on time.