NEW YEAR COMES WITH NEW LAWS!

Yes, over 250 new laws were added/changed in Illinois for 2020.

Here is a highlight of some of the changes that could impact you:

ALMOST ALL OF US ARE IMPACTED – Vehicle License Plates Renewal fees – Increased from $101 to $151 on a passenger vehicle for 2020 

Thinking of buying a car in 2020? – Sales Tax on a trade-in – Beginning Jan. 1, 2020, a maximum of $10,000 in trade-in value will be exempt from the sales tax.  

Do you get paid tips or gratuities? – HB 3405: The Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act stipulates that gratuities and tips to employees are property of the employees and cannot be retained by the employer. 

Rabies vaccination for cats? – SB 131: Starting in the new year, pet owners are required to have a veterinarian vaccinate their cats older than four months against rabies (with a certificate issued showing the vaccination was completed). Feral cats must also receive a rabies vaccination, but only if they are brought to the vet to be spayed or neutered. 

Construction Zone Penalties are stiff – SB 1496: The maximum penalty for hitting a worker in a construction zone increases from $10,000 to $25,000 in the new year, and those who disobey traffic-control devices in a highway construction or maintenance zone will face fines between $100 and $1,000. 

Don’t pass a school bus – HB 1873: Be extra careful around school buses: this measure doubles the fines for illegally passing a school bus from $150 to $300 for the first violation and from $500 to $1,000 for any subsequent violations. 

Move over for emergency vehicles and disable cars – SB 1862: After three Illinois State Troopers were killed in crashes while on duty this year, the state’s Scott’s Law is getting an update. Scott’s Law requires drivers to change lanes, slow down and proceed with caution in approaching emergency vehicles or disabled cars on the side of the highway. Anyone who fails to do so will be fined at least $250 for the first violation (rather than the previous $100 minimum penalty) and at least $750 for the second, reaching as high as $10,000. 

Don’t watch videos while driving (seems obvious) – SB 86: Drivers are not allowed to use an electronic device to stream or watch videos while on the road under this new law, with violations punishable by a fine of $75 for a first offense, $100 for a second, $125 for a third and $150 for a fourth or subsequent offense. 

HEALTH INSURANCE CHANGES: 

HB 3113: Health insurance policies will soon also have to cover one annual office visit for a whole body skin examination for lesions suspicious for skin cancer, without charging the patient a deductible, coinsurance or co-payment. 

SB 162: This new law requires insurers to cover diagnostic mammograms, without imposing a co-pay or cost-sharing requirement, when deemed medically necessary. 

HB 889: Under this new measure, insurers are required to cover long-term antibiotic therapy (including doctor visits and testing) for people with tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease, among others. 

HB 3487: Hospitals with emergency rooms will now be required to post in each ER information about how to sign up for health insurance coverage in the Illinois health insurance marketplace. 

HB 3435: Does your child need an EpiPen? Then you know that they can be expensive. But in the new year, insurers will be required to cover medically necessary epinephrine injectors for children under the age of 18. 

 

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