LEGAL: Some new laws for 2013

These are some of the new laws that went into effect on January 1, 2013.
Some may be of interest.

    Underage drinking parent penalties: Permissive moms and dads beware; House Bill 1554 cracks down on parents who permit underage drinking on property they own. The law makes it a crime to allow underage drinking not only at a parent or guardian’s home, but also on property under their control, such as a barn, cabin or boathouse.

    Caylee’s Law: Named for the Florida tot whose death made headlines, Senate Bill 2537 increases penalties for failure to report the disappearance or death of a child ages 13 and younger within 24 hours. The timeline decreases to one hour for children under age 2. The law applies to parents, guardians or caretakers of children younger than 13 who provide false information to law enforcement or other authorities investigating the child’s disappearance or death.

    Facebook/social media privacy: Bosses won’t be able to demand access to workers’ social media accounts; House Bill 3782 prohibits employers from requiring current or prospective employees to provide account information, including passwords.

    Family fugitive concealment: Relatives who aid and abet family scofflaws will be in hot water themselves; Senate Bill 2520 creates a sub-offense of aiding a fugitive to flee the jurisdiction, targeting family members who try to help criminal suspects avoid apprehension. Illinois is one of 14 states that previously exempted family members from prosecution for harboring or aiding fugitives, no matter how serious the fugitive’s crime.

    FOID cards: Senate Bill 1034 makes a number of changes to state Firearms Owner Identification (FOID) program laws; the law has been clarified to ensure that people who have been convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence are not issued FOID cards. The law also restricts the issuance of FOID cards to non-Illinois residents and enhances mental health reporting to courts by the Illinois State Police.

    Terrorism: Convicted terrorists will serve longer sentences under House Bill 5121; the law requires anyone convicted of an attempt to commit terrorism to serve 85 percent of his or her sentence, rather than the customary 50 percent.

    Telephone cramming: House Bill 2111 is aimed at putting a stop to “phone cramming,” where people are solicited for free trials, coupons or prizes, but never told they’re purchasing a service — until they receive a bill in the form of charges on their phone bill.

    Shark fin ban: Thanks to House Bill 4119, Illinois residents will be prohibited from possessing, selling, trading, distributing or trying to sell a shark fin on or after Jan. 1, 2013.

    Open meetings: Under House Bill 4687, public bodies will be required to take “reasonable steps” to ensure that a copy of all meeting notices and agendas are available for public review during the entire 48-hour period before the meeting.

    No wheelies: Lead-footed motorcyclists found guilty of doing wheelies will have to pay up: Senate Bill 3452 will impose a $1,000 fine for driving a motorcycle on one wheel while speeding. The law also dictates that handlebars can be no higher than the driver’s head (current law sets the bar at the driver’s shoulders).

    Police DUI funding: House Bill 5021 will allow Secretary of State Driving Under the Influence Fund money to be used for police officer salaries and other items; previously, the money could only be used for equipment.

    Adoptions: The process of adopting a child could be expedited under certain circumstances; under House Bill 4028, unnecessary delays will be eliminated in cases where a child is currently residing with the adoptive parent(s) and all parties have consented to the adoption. It also updates DCFS forms to recognize civil unions.

    Veteran ID designation: Senate Bill 2837 adds a veteran designation on ID cards issued by the Secretary of State, including driver’s licenses.

    Gold Star parents: “Gold Star” mothers and fathers through adoption will now be allowed admittance to an Illinois veterans home, should vacant beds exist. Gold Star parents are parents of service members killed during active duty.

   School violence: New safeguards will allow local police to share some information with school officials about warning signs that might lead to violent acts by a student.

The law, inspired by a Daily Herald investigation, stems from Elgin teenager Angel Facio's stabbing of teacher Carolyn Gilbert and is meant to prevent similar acts.

At the time of the January 2008 stabbing in an Elgin High School classroom, Facio was the subject of a pending police investigation for a crime outside of school.

Last summer, Gilbert told the Daily Herald she hopes the new law will work.

"It may not have happened to me if there would have been that communication, because he'd had those other problems with the law. If we'd known about that I would have never, ever have been in the room alone with him," she said.

   Cars for parks: License plate stickers now will cost $101, up from $99. The fee is intended to raise money for Illinois state parks, which have suffered from budget cuts in recent years.

It's an issue familiar to some suburban lawmakers. State Rep. JoAnn Osmond, an Antioch Republican, proposed earlier this year that park goers buy annual stickers that would raise money for the parks.

She doesn't support the new fee that lawmakers opted for because it costs everyone, not just people who go to the parks.

Now, Osmond said, lawmakers have to be sure money from the license plate stickers actually goes to pay for the state parks and not toward some other expense. She said the parks in her district, such as Chain O' Lakes State Park, need the help.

"It's so desperate," she said.

    See all salaries: A new law from two suburban lawmakers requires counties, townships and municipalities to send information to the state so their workers' salaries can be published on Accountability.Illinois.gov, a site that already includes state worker salary information.

It's up to the local governments to provide the state the information.

The plan was from state Sen. Susan Garrett of Lake Forest and state Rep. Jack Franks of Marengo, both Democrats.

"We want full disclosure so people understand where their taxes are being spent," Garrett said.

    Optional jury per diem: Garrett also sponsored a proposal that allows someone on jury duty to waive the per diem given by the court, typically $5 to $15.

Jury members conscious of local budget constraints will have an opportunity to save the court some money if they don't need the per diem.

    Strip club tax: Any Illinois strip club will have to pay increased fees to the state, either $3 per customer or a flat fee for the year.

The money will go to try to prevent sexual assaults, and the increased costs could be passed on to customers.

And here a few to make you wonder, Why?:

SB 2949 – Non-religious universities must now allow students to reschedule an exam or class if there is a religious reason, unless there is “unnecessary hardship” created.
HB 4691 – Ambulances are no longer required to pay tolls.
HB 5101 – Drivers of commercial vehicles may no longer text or use a handheld phone while driving.
SB 3336 – Inline skaters may now travel in traffic, as long as they meet certain conditions.
SB 3579 – Child sex offenders are prohibited from participating in holiday events, like handing out candy on Halloween or dressing as Santa, “unless under specific circumstances.”
HB 4440 – Creates a formal process for senior “free ride” cards for public transportation to be revoked or voided upon the person’s death.
SB 3237 – The City of Chicago must provide all licensed plumbers with hard plastic photo ID cards.
HB 5314 --  Landlords can now email itemized bills to tenants for damages to the rental property.
HB 5056 – It’s now a crime to use a dead persons handicapped parking sign or license plate.
HB 3888 – Law enforcement officials can now order boat owners to remove plant or animal life from their boats, to prevent the spread of invasive species.