SPRINGFIELD –  As the new year starts, a number of new laws will take effect. Over 300 new laws will officially be on the books Jan. 1 – from one that makes Illinois the first state in the nation to prohibit the banning of books, to another that waives pet adoption fees for our nation’s heroes.

Senate Democrats applaud $13 million investment in job training and economic development

CHICAGO – Members of the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus celebrated the recent announcement of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s additional $13 million investment in the Job Training and Economic Development Program for workforce training and wrap-around services.

“After the great success of the first round of the JTED program, I’m thrilled to encourage eligible entities to apply to serve as community partners to help uplift working families,” said State Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora). “The community partnerships created through JTED are essential to boosting an equitable workforce recovery in every corner of Illinois.”

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Professional license process to be expedited under Glowiak Hilton law

SPRINGFIELD – Professionals seeking licensure through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation will soon see improvements to the process thanks to a newly signed law championed by State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton.

“We have plenty of folks in Illinois who are ready to work but are left waiting due to the burdensome licensure process,” said Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs). “We have taken a positive step to modernize, streamline and expedite the licensure process.”

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New Toro legislation to protect caregivers from discrimination

SPRINGFIELD – To ensure employees are not treated differently in the workplace or passed over in the hiring process due to their caregiver role, State Senator Natalie Toro is working to amend the Human Rights Act to protect people with family responsibilities from discrimination.

“Just because a person has external obligations to support their family does not mean they aren’t capable of successfully doing these jobs,” said Toro (D-Chicago). “Assuming differently without any demonstrated proof that their performance has changed is discrimination and should be banned by state laws.”

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SPRINGFIELD – Building on her previous legislation, a new law from State Senator Laura Fine strengthens consumer protections for the purchase of hearing aids.

“Hearing aids are important tools to help those with hearing loss communicate in ways they are most comfortable with,” said Fine (D-Glenview). “This legislation will ensure consumers have the protection of a 30-day return period so if a hearing aid is not supporting their communication needs, they will be able to return them for an alternative.”

Earlier this year, Senator Fine passed Senate Bill 1721 which required all hearing instruments and hearing aids to be dispensed or sold in accordance with the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission's regulations. This law also established the evaluation standards for a person seeking a hearing aid, and it permits the waiver of a prescription for a hearing aid if the individual is over 18.

SPRINGFIELD —To ensure employees are not treated differently in the workplace or passed over in the hiring process due to their caregiver role, State Senator Natalie Toro is working to amend the Human Rights Act to protect people with family responsibilities from discrimination.  

“Just because a person has external obligations to support their family does not mean they aren’t capable of successfully doing these jobs,” said Toro (D-Chicago). “Assuming differently without any demonstrated proof that their performance has changed is discrimination and should be banned by state  laws.”

SPRINGFIELD — A new law sponsored by State Senator Cristina Castro addresses a number of procurement issues and aims to increase diversity and efficiency throughout the state’s commerce process.

“Ensuring our state agencies, universities, vendors, suppliers and minority contractors can contract and complete projects more efficiently, transparently and sustainably is at the core of this law,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “Streamlining the process and expanding supplier diversity measures opens the door to new opportunities for veteran- and minority-owned contractors — not just the big firms — who have worked for years to secure contracts to work on important projects in our state.”

The law makes a number of changes to streamline the procurement process. It subjects corporations that hold state contracts to additional transparency requirements and enhances transparency in the Business Enterprise Council by requiring the annual small business report to be made public.

CHICAGO – State Senator Bill Cunningham and State Representative Mary Gill announced a well-deserved pension victory for Chicago police officers born after 1966 as Senate Bill 1956 was signed into law on Friday.

“Chicago police officers will now receive the same level of retirement benefits that most other public employees do,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the Southwest Suburbs. “This change is only fair, as we’re all still dealing with higher cost of living.”

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois is now leading the way toward a cleaner, greener future thanks to a new law championed by State Senator Rachel Ventura that will require state-owned vehicles to be zero emission.

“To tackle the ongoing climate crisis, Illinois needs to be a frontrunner in clean energy investments,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “One such way to help is by investing in zero emission vehicles to deliver big gains for both our environment and our economy.”

Senate Bill 1769 will require passenger vehicles purchased or leased by the state to either be a manufactured zero-emission vehicle or converted into a zero-emission vehicle by 2030. Exceptions will be made for law enforcement and IDOT vehicles.

SPRINGFIELD – Professionals seeking licensure through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation will soon see improvements to the process thanks to a newly signed law championed by State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton.

“We have plenty of folks in Illinois who are ready to work but are left waiting due to the burdensome licensure process,” said Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs). “We have taken a positive step to modernize, streamline and expedite the licensure process.”

IDFPR administers licenses for over 100 different professions including nurses, barbers, roofers, social workers, dentists and others. In Illinois, over one million people need a professional license or registration to work.

House Bill 2394 addresses the backlog of licenses and registrations by creating an expedited and competitive bid procurement process for software to modernize the way IDFPR processes licensing.

The measure also requires the department to extend the expiration date or renewal period for any profession licensed by them if the agency secretary finds that there is a significant operational need to do so or it is necessary to avoid undue hardship on a profession's licensees.

“This new law will move us one step closer to streamlining the state’s licensure process to help connect residents with good jobs and alleviate workforce shortages across our communities,” said Glowiak Hilton. “Providing IDFPR with this support will move us further down the path toward an effective and efficient licensure process for all Illinoisans.”

House Bill 2394 was signed by the governor Friday and takes immediate effect.