New Laws in Illinois 120 of them

Subject: New Laws in Illinois 120 of them Sun Jan 04, 2009 3:32 am

SPRINGFIELD —

As
2009 makes its debut, so do nearly 120 new state laws. They deal with a
kaleidoscope of topics, such as crime, health and license plates.

One of the highest-profile new laws focuses on political ethics. House
Bill 824, as it was tagged during the legislative process, aims to curb
the practice of “pay to play” by putting limits on political donations
from government contractors.

It prohibits anyone with state contracts worth $50,000 or more from
making political donations to the state officeholders who award the
contracts.

That bill endured a long and topsy-turvy journey through the General
Assembly, but lawmakers eventually sent it to Gov. Rod Blagojevich. He
used his amendatory veto power to recommend expansion of the bill’s
provisions. However, lawmakers overrode his veto, enabling the measure
to become law in the form that they intended.

Numerous other bills that the General Assembly passed during the past
year or so already have become law. They contained language specifying
that their effective date would be whenever they were signed into law.

One such piece of legislation, Senate Bill 1290, took effect in
November. It will let Peoria County seek voter approval for a special
sales tax to help pay for a long-planned Peoria riverfront museum.

Though inspired by the Peoria community’s effort to build the museum,
the new law applies in a broader sense to all Illinois counties. It
lets them ask voters in a referendum if they want to support a sales
tax hike “for public facility purposes.”

The full text of the new laws is available online at ilga.gov. One way to search is to type the bill number into the uppermost blank box on the left-hand side of the page.

Here’s a look at other new laws, sorted by subject:

Crime
Senate Bill 2159. Anyone who is 18 or older and who harms or disfigures
a child younger than 13 would be committing aggravated battery of a
child, a Class 3 felony. Also applies when the victim is a person who
is severely mentally disabled.

Senate Bill 2365. Any prison inmate who throws such bodily secretions
as blood, urine or feces at a prison employee would be committing
aggravated battery, a Class 2 felony. This also would apply if any
sexually dangerous or sexually violent person in the custody of the
Department of Human Services throws those fluids or materials at a DHS
employee.

Senate Bill 2426. Expands the definition of “cyberstalking” to include
various acts, such as the creation of an Internet site that lasts at
least 24 hours and harasses or threatens someone.

Senate Bill 2719. This law, spurred by the murder of an Arlington
Heights woman, lets judges order electronic surveillance as a condition
of bail for someone charged with violating an order of protection.

House Bill 2757. Adds to the definition of “unlawful use of weapons” by
banning the sale, purchase or possession of a “knuckle weapon,” such as
brass knuckles.

House Bill 4206. Forbids carrying a billy club or similar weapon in a government building.

Driving
Senate Bill 300. First-time DUI offenders in Illinois must equip their
vehicles with an “ignition interlock device” if they want to drive
legally to work or anywhere else while their licenses are suspended.
The device requires a driver to blow into a tube so his or her breath
can be tested for liquor. If liquor is detected, the vehicle won’t
start.

Senate Bill 2182. School bus drivers must open the service door and driver’s window before crossing a railroad track.

House Bill 4754. Any motorist who obstructs a railroad grade crossing
would face tougher penalties, including a minimum one-month suspension
from driving.

Health
Senate Bill 2399. Employers and licensing agencies cannot require
genetic testing or genetic information from an individual as a
condition of employment.

House Bill 1279. Outdoor physical fitness facilities must have at least
one automated external defibrillator (a device that can restore a
regular heartbeat) and a trained user on site during physical fitness
activities. Facilities must be in compliance by July 1.

House Bill 1432. Requires insurance coverage of eating disorder treatments, such as for anorexia nervosa.

House Bill 4602. Requires insurance coverage for a shingles vaccine when a physician orders it for anyone 60 or older.

House Bill 5596. Designates each February as Women’s Heart Disease Awareness Month.

License plates
House Bill 4648. Metamora resident Jim Underwood, a World War II Army
veteran, was renewing his driver’s license last year when he noticed
the state’s roster of military license plates didn’t include one for
the Distinguished Service Cross. A DSC recipient, Underwood contacted
Rep. David Leitch, R-Peoria, and asked him to introduce a measure
creating the new specialty plate. It’s now law.

House Bill 5607. Authorizes the secretary of state to issue Illinois Police Association license plates.

Voting and elections
Senate Bill 2190. Any individual or committee that spends or raises
$3,000 to promote or oppose a ballot question must disclose finances.

Senate Bill 2314. Anyone who has been released from a hospital, nursing
home or rehabilitation center in the 14 days before an election, and
who expects to be homebound on Election Day, may have another person
bring them an absentee ballot.

House Bill 1685. Through this measure, Illinois has indicated it’s
willing to bypass the Electoral College in presidential elections,
relying instead on the results of the popular vote. But many other
states also would have to do the same before the change could be
implemented.

House Bill 2671. Prohibits registered sex offenders from serving as election judges.

Miscellaneous
Senate Bill 730. Some newly installed, automatically operated lawn
sprinkler systems — but not those on golf courses or agricultural lands
— must be capable of shutting themselves off during periods of
sufficient moisture or rainfall.

Senate Bill 2053. Lets circuit clerks charge a fee to recover costs associated with sealing or expunging court records.

Senate Bill 2161. Couples won’t see their marriages invalidated if they
unwittingly have the ceremonies solemnized in an Illinois county that
isn’t the same county from which the marriage license was issued.

Senate Bill 2434. Owners of some mobile home parks must sign an
agreement with local fire protection districts to ensure adequate fire
protection. This was inspired partly by a 2007 fire at the Kingspark
Estates mobile home park near Peoria.

House Bill 4178. Internet gaming service providers that automatically
re-enroll customers (unless the customer cancels) must give subscribers
a secure way to cancel their service while online.

House Bill 4216. Creates the Illinois Science and Technology Commission
within the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to
attract, keep and promote scientific projects in Illinois.

House Bill 5655. Optometrists have the authority to determine whether
an individual has a visual disability for the purpose of obtaining a
state-issued Disabled Person Identification Card or disability license
plates or decals.

House Bill 5760. Employers must grant unpaid leave to employees who are
civil air patrol members on a mission. Does not apply to employers with
fewer than 15 workers.

Subject: Re: New Laws in Illinois 120 of them Fri Jan 09, 2009 9:19 pm

This seems to be the answer to everything. MAKE MORE LAWS pale