With today being New Year’s Day, several new laws take effect in the state of Illinois. The most noteworthy new measure is the final increase in the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour. Tipped workers will see their pay jump to $9 per hour, while youth workers working less than 650 hours per year will earn $13 per hour. The increase is part of a schedule established by legislation signed by Governor J.B. Prtizker in 2019, which aimed for a $15 minimum wage by 2025.
This past August, the governor signed 265 bills into law,with 177 of those laws set to take effect today. The bills include: insurance policies being required to cover medically necessary colonoscopies and limit costs for epinephrine injectors to $60 for a twin-pack. Another law requires school districts to provide all students with at least 20 minutes a week of relaxation activities in addition to recess. Another new law prohibits corporal punishment in nonpublic elementary and secondary schools throughout the state, and all public schools will be required to have an automated external defibrillator present during the school day and during all school-sponsored extracurricular activities.
Also starting today, Illinois employers are required to provide pay stubs to their employees with each pay period. The pay stubs must include hours worked, pay rates, overtime pay and any deductions from wages. Also today, the REAL ID becomes mandatory, a driver’s license that permits you to board domestic flights in the U.S.
A complete list of new laws can be found in the Local News section of our website at wfiwradio.com