01-01-2006, 06:41 PM
clock Dec 30, 2005 2:40 pm US/Central
New Year Brings New Laws
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(AP) SPRINGFIELD, Ill. Think of them as New Year's resolutions backed by the threat of jail time.
Hundreds of new Illinois laws take effect Jan. 1. Some nudge people to be more responsible -- barring drivers from watching DVD players while they cruise down the interstate, for instance, or teaching teen athletes about the dangers of steroids.
Others target more serious offenses, from drugs to sexual abuse to modern-day slavery.
And some are more playful than serious. Illinois now has two more official animals (the state reptile and the state amphibian), and parents can teach children about election day by taking their children into the voting booth.
One new law means Illinois joins 42 other states by following individuals' wishes about donating organs, rather than letting family members make the final decision.
Secretary of State Jesse White says that even when someone has signed up to donate, family members refuse to go along 19 percent of the time. Under the new law, relatives will no longer be able to block donations by people who have signed up with the state donor registry.
A regional donor program, the Gift of Hope, predicts the law will save an additional 100 lives each year, but that means about 200 people in Illinois will still die while waiting for transplants.
The other states with this law have not seen any objections from families, said Kim McCullough, a Gift of Hope spokeswoman. In fact, families are more likely to complain about the old system, where they were asked to make a difficult choice while coping with news of a relative's death, she said.
"Hopefully, this will be a change that will help families during that time. They won't have to make that decision," McCullough said.
Gay people will now have protection from job and housing discrimination throughout the state.
Chicago and many other communities already have gay rights measures, but passing a state law was a long, controversial process. Opponents said it would create a flood of lawsuits or lead to a push for legalizing gay marriage, while supporters called it a fundamental issue of fairness.
Human trafficking is already a federal crime. Now it will be a state crime, too.
No one really knows how many people are smuggled into the country and forced into prostitution or used as laborers. Activists say it could be 15,000 or more nationally. Making it a state crime means that local police and prosecutors -- rather than just overburdened federal officials -- will be able to take action if they see evidence.
New laws also target methamphetamine, the cheap and highly addictive drug.
Starting Jan. 15, people will be required to show identification and sign a log in order to buy cold medicines that can be used to make methamphetamine. Also, people convicted of meth-related offenses may be fined an extra $100 to help pay police and fire department costs for cleaning up meth sites.
Several new laws are aimed at helping children.
Schools must teach student athletes about the dangers of steroids. Parents can take their kids into the voting booth and show them how elections work. Children who witness domestic abuse can get counseling, with the cost paid by the abuser. Guns must now be sold with trigger locks so that there is less chance of a child finding a gun and accidentally shooting someone.
Other measures focus on irresponsible drivers.
Drivers with DVD players or televisions visible from the front seat will face fines of $100 for the first offense and $200 for a second.
People who drive drunk with children in the car could face six months in jail, and even tougher sentences if the child is injured. The penalties are also being increased for people who repeatedly drive drunk or drive when their license has been revoked because of a DUI. And drunken drivers who kill someone will now be almost certain to receive prison time.
"I consider (the changes) significant in that they deal with the problem of the habitual offender," said George Heroux, a victim advocate with Mothers Against Drunk Driving. "I hear all the time from parents who have lost a child, and when we look at who the offender is, more often than not this guy or this woman has been involved in DUIs before."
Another new law aims to keep careless drivers from avoiding punishment by repeatedly getting court supervision. Now, drivers will be limited to two court supervisions a year and any other moving violations would go on their permanent record.
One new law started with schoolchildren and fans of creepy-crawly animals.
The Chicago Herpetological Society led the push to designate an official state reptile and amphibian, to go along with official symbols such as the state bird (cardinal) and state fish (bluegill). They proposed an election to choose the winning critters and got classes around the state to back the idea.
Illinois lawmakers eventually went along, an election was held and the winners were chosen: the Eastern Tiger Salamander as state amphibian and the Painted Turtle as official reptile.
New laws at a glance:
GUNS AND DRUGS
--Requires trigger-lock mechanisms to be included with the sale of any gun. SB1832.
--Stun guns and Tasers cannot be purchased unless the buyer has a Firearm Owners ID card. SB1962.
--Requires prison time, instead of probation, for some crimes involving unlawful use of a weapon. HB524.
--Methamphetamine makers and users can be fined an extra $100, with the money going to help police deal with the cost of fighting meth. HB3504.
--Cold medicines that can be used to make meth must be kept behind the counter and sold only to people who show ID and sign a log. SB273.
CHILDREN AND PARENTS
-- "Yo-yo waterball" toys are banned. SB1960.
--School districts must teach athletes about the dangers of steroid abuse. SB64.
--People who commit domestic battery in the presence of a child must pay the child's counseling bills. HB3449.
--Parents may take their children into the voting booth. HB1125.
--Nursing mothers may be excused from jury duty. SB517.
--Parents who marry or live with a sex offender must tell their children's other parent. HB712.
--The legal age for getting a tattoo becomes 18, rather than 21. HB29.
DRIVING
--Drivers may not have a television or DVD player in the front seat. HB960.
--Increases the penalties for multiple convictions for driving with a license that has been revoked because of DUIs. HB888.
--After five previous convictions, drunken driving becomes a Class X felony, punishable by 6-30 years.
--Bars the use of devices that jam police lasers and radars used to detect speeders. SB1221.
--Makes drunken driving a more serious crime if a child under 16 is in the car. HB657.
GOVERNMENT PROTECTION
--Companies must notify consumers if their personal information may have been viewed by potential identity thieves. HB1633.
--Job and housing discrimination based on sexual orientation is illegal. Public Act 93-1078.
--Drugstores must disclose the price of medicine to people who call to do comparison shopping. HB2451.
--The state's 300,000 day laborers get new protection from being cheated by their employers. HB3471.
MISCELLANEOUS
--Sex offenders must register more quickly, and anyone convicted of breaking the registration law must then register every 90 days instead of annually. SB1234.
--Makes the Eastern Tiger Salamander the official state amphibian, and the Painted Turtle the official state reptile. HB847.
--State and local governments must recognize the consular identification cards issued by foreign governments and often used by Mexican immigrants. SB1623.
--People in jail awaiting trial may not be barred from voting. HB114.
--Modern-day slavery and human trafficking becomes a state crime. HB1469.
--Creates an organ-donor registry so that person's decision to donate cannot be reversed by grieving relatives. HB1077.
(© 2005 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
New Year Brings New Laws
Save It
Email this Article Email It
Print this Article Print It
(AP) SPRINGFIELD, Ill. Think of them as New Year's resolutions backed by the threat of jail time.
Hundreds of new Illinois laws take effect Jan. 1. Some nudge people to be more responsible -- barring drivers from watching DVD players while they cruise down the interstate, for instance, or teaching teen athletes about the dangers of steroids.
Others target more serious offenses, from drugs to sexual abuse to modern-day slavery.
And some are more playful than serious. Illinois now has two more official animals (the state reptile and the state amphibian), and parents can teach children about election day by taking their children into the voting booth.
One new law means Illinois joins 42 other states by following individuals' wishes about donating organs, rather than letting family members make the final decision.
Secretary of State Jesse White says that even when someone has signed up to donate, family members refuse to go along 19 percent of the time. Under the new law, relatives will no longer be able to block donations by people who have signed up with the state donor registry.
A regional donor program, the Gift of Hope, predicts the law will save an additional 100 lives each year, but that means about 200 people in Illinois will still die while waiting for transplants.
The other states with this law have not seen any objections from families, said Kim McCullough, a Gift of Hope spokeswoman. In fact, families are more likely to complain about the old system, where they were asked to make a difficult choice while coping with news of a relative's death, she said.
"Hopefully, this will be a change that will help families during that time. They won't have to make that decision," McCullough said.
Gay people will now have protection from job and housing discrimination throughout the state.
Chicago and many other communities already have gay rights measures, but passing a state law was a long, controversial process. Opponents said it would create a flood of lawsuits or lead to a push for legalizing gay marriage, while supporters called it a fundamental issue of fairness.
Human trafficking is already a federal crime. Now it will be a state crime, too.
No one really knows how many people are smuggled into the country and forced into prostitution or used as laborers. Activists say it could be 15,000 or more nationally. Making it a state crime means that local police and prosecutors -- rather than just overburdened federal officials -- will be able to take action if they see evidence.
New laws also target methamphetamine, the cheap and highly addictive drug.
Starting Jan. 15, people will be required to show identification and sign a log in order to buy cold medicines that can be used to make methamphetamine. Also, people convicted of meth-related offenses may be fined an extra $100 to help pay police and fire department costs for cleaning up meth sites.
Several new laws are aimed at helping children.
Schools must teach student athletes about the dangers of steroids. Parents can take their kids into the voting booth and show them how elections work. Children who witness domestic abuse can get counseling, with the cost paid by the abuser. Guns must now be sold with trigger locks so that there is less chance of a child finding a gun and accidentally shooting someone.
Other measures focus on irresponsible drivers.
Drivers with DVD players or televisions visible from the front seat will face fines of $100 for the first offense and $200 for a second.
People who drive drunk with children in the car could face six months in jail, and even tougher sentences if the child is injured. The penalties are also being increased for people who repeatedly drive drunk or drive when their license has been revoked because of a DUI. And drunken drivers who kill someone will now be almost certain to receive prison time.
"I consider (the changes) significant in that they deal with the problem of the habitual offender," said George Heroux, a victim advocate with Mothers Against Drunk Driving. "I hear all the time from parents who have lost a child, and when we look at who the offender is, more often than not this guy or this woman has been involved in DUIs before."
Another new law aims to keep careless drivers from avoiding punishment by repeatedly getting court supervision. Now, drivers will be limited to two court supervisions a year and any other moving violations would go on their permanent record.
One new law started with schoolchildren and fans of creepy-crawly animals.
The Chicago Herpetological Society led the push to designate an official state reptile and amphibian, to go along with official symbols such as the state bird (cardinal) and state fish (bluegill). They proposed an election to choose the winning critters and got classes around the state to back the idea.
Illinois lawmakers eventually went along, an election was held and the winners were chosen: the Eastern Tiger Salamander as state amphibian and the Painted Turtle as official reptile.
New laws at a glance:
GUNS AND DRUGS
--Requires trigger-lock mechanisms to be included with the sale of any gun. SB1832.
--Stun guns and Tasers cannot be purchased unless the buyer has a Firearm Owners ID card. SB1962.
--Requires prison time, instead of probation, for some crimes involving unlawful use of a weapon. HB524.
--Methamphetamine makers and users can be fined an extra $100, with the money going to help police deal with the cost of fighting meth. HB3504.
--Cold medicines that can be used to make meth must be kept behind the counter and sold only to people who show ID and sign a log. SB273.
CHILDREN AND PARENTS
-- "Yo-yo waterball" toys are banned. SB1960.
--School districts must teach athletes about the dangers of steroid abuse. SB64.
--People who commit domestic battery in the presence of a child must pay the child's counseling bills. HB3449.
--Parents may take their children into the voting booth. HB1125.
--Nursing mothers may be excused from jury duty. SB517.
--Parents who marry or live with a sex offender must tell their children's other parent. HB712.
--The legal age for getting a tattoo becomes 18, rather than 21. HB29.
DRIVING
--Drivers may not have a television or DVD player in the front seat. HB960.
--Increases the penalties for multiple convictions for driving with a license that has been revoked because of DUIs. HB888.
--After five previous convictions, drunken driving becomes a Class X felony, punishable by 6-30 years.
--Bars the use of devices that jam police lasers and radars used to detect speeders. SB1221.
--Makes drunken driving a more serious crime if a child under 16 is in the car. HB657.
GOVERNMENT PROTECTION
--Companies must notify consumers if their personal information may have been viewed by potential identity thieves. HB1633.
--Job and housing discrimination based on sexual orientation is illegal. Public Act 93-1078.
--Drugstores must disclose the price of medicine to people who call to do comparison shopping. HB2451.
--The state's 300,000 day laborers get new protection from being cheated by their employers. HB3471.
MISCELLANEOUS
--Sex offenders must register more quickly, and anyone convicted of breaking the registration law must then register every 90 days instead of annually. SB1234.
--Makes the Eastern Tiger Salamander the official state amphibian, and the Painted Turtle the official state reptile. HB847.
--State and local governments must recognize the consular identification cards issued by foreign governments and often used by Mexican immigrants. SB1623.
--People in jail awaiting trial may not be barred from voting. HB114.
--Modern-day slavery and human trafficking becomes a state crime. HB1469.
--Creates an organ-donor registry so that person's decision to donate cannot be reversed by grieving relatives. HB1077.
(© 2005 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
