Each new year ushers in new laws in the state of Illinois. 2022 brought nearly 300.
A few are highlighted below with a list of all laws that went into effect on or before Jan. 1, 2022 in pdf form at the end of the page.
Restaurants
SB 01846: Requires restaurants to serve water, milk, milk alternative, or juice with a children’s meal as the default
beverage.
Schools
SB 00564: Requires schools to include in history education the contributions made by Muslim, Jewish, Christian,
Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist Americans, and any other collective community of faith that has
shaped America.
SB 00633: Requires school districts to report incidents of violence that occurred on school grounds or during
school-related activities that resulted in an out-of-school suspension, expulsion, or removal to an
alternative setting on their School District Report Card website.
SB 00817: Bans schools from discriminating against student hairstyles associated with racial, ethnic, and cultural
tradition.
SB 01577: Provides that public school students shall be granted up to five days of excused absences for mental or
behavioral health, no medical note required.
HB 00226: Allows Illinois students to choose whether to submit a standardized test (ACT or SAT) score when applying to Illinois public universities.
HB 00376: Requires every elementary and high school to add a unit of instruction on the events and contributions of Asian Americans in Illinois and the U.S.
HB 03097: Provides that police procedures and appropriate interactions with law enforcement during traffic stops be added to the Illinois adult driver education course curriculum and the State Board of Education’s curriculum.
Employment/Business
SB 00672: Provides that a written agreement not to compete is prohibited unless the employee’s earnings exceed
$75,000 per year, and an agreement not to solicit is prohibited unless the employee’s
earnings exceed $45,000 per year.
SB 00119: Provides that the Illinois Department of Public Health, local health departments, and public health
districts may not regulate the sale of lemonade or non-alcoholic drinks or mixed beverages by a
person under the age of 16.
HB 03922: Designates June 19 as a paid state holiday, Juneteenth.
Minimum wage increases to $12 per hour, with the ultimate goal of lifting it to $15 an hour by 2025.
Discrimination
SB 01596: Provides committing a specified criminal act against a person because of their actual or perceived
citizenship or immigration status is a hate crime.
HB 03217: Amends numerous state statutes by deleting the use of “Haitian” or “Negro” and instead including terms such as “Black” or “African-American.”
HB 03914: Requires Illinois Central Management Services to take positive action toward addressing systemic racism in the state’s hiring practices.
Drug Laws
SB 00512: “Preventing Youth Vaping Act” places restrictions on selling, purchasing, and consuming e-cigarettes; bans marketing tactics that use images that specifically appeal to children; prohibits shops from offering discounts and selling e-cigarettes to anyone who is under 21 year old.
HB 02589: Expands the use and reimbursement of dispensing opioid antagonists to prevent overdose deaths and improves treatment services for substance use disorders.
HB 03445: Provides if a person seeks medical assistance for an opioid overdose they will have immunity from
prosecution for possession.
SB 00471: Requires insurers who issue or deliver group accident and health policies to ensure that insured individuals have access to treatment for emotional, mental, nervous, or substance use disorders or conditions.
Health and Insurance
SB 00500: Prevents hospitals, physicians, surgeons, or procurement group from discriminating against individuals solely on the basis of having a mental or physical disability by deeming that person ineligible to receive an anatomical gift or organ transplant.
SB 00968: Requires all health insurance plans, the Public Aid Code, and public health benefits in Illinois to provide coverage for medically-necessary pancreatic cancer screening.
SB 01682: Requires pharmacies to post a notice informing consumers that they may request current pharmacy retail prices at the point of sale.
HB 00033: Prohibits companies from denying individuals life insurance coverage based solely on whether that
individual has participated in a substance use treatment or recovery support program, or has been
prescribed or has obtained an opioid antagonist.
HB 00135: Requires health insurance policies to cover health care or patient care around the dispensation of birth control.
HB 00155:
Provides that recipients under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Special
Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infant, and Children’s Program may use their benefits to
purchase menstrual hygiene products.
HB 00310: Creates the Feminine Hygiene Products for the Homeless Act, which ensures that feminine hygiene products
are available for free at all homeless shelters providing housing assistance to women and/or youth.
Law Enforcement
SB 02122: Provides that statements provided by minors are inadmissible as evidence if obtained using deceptive practices.
HB 00562:
Expands background checks to all gun sales in Illinois starting in 2024.
• Invests in community-based, trauma-informed mental health programs in the communities most impacted by gun violence.
• Properly funds the Illinois State Police’s ability to enforce the surrender of firearms from people who have lost their license for gun ownership.
• Requires ISP to remove guns from people with revoked FOID cards who have not surrendered their weapon.
• Amends how FOID card fees are distributed: $5 will go to the State Police Firearm Services Fund and $5 will go into the State Police Revocation Enforcement Fund (previously, $6 went to the Wildlife and Fish Fund, $1 to the State Police Services Fund, and $3 to the State Police Firearm Services Fund).
• Creates a stolen gun database and requires ISP to continuously monitor state and federal databases for prohibited gun buyers.
• Creates stronger identification factors, like fingerprints, so Illinois State Police can more easily verify the identity of FOID applicants and firearm purchasers, as well as increase the frequency of background checks. Allows responsible gunowners who opt into this process to see their FOID and Concealed Carry applications expedited and automatically renewed going forward.
• Streamlines the FOID card system by allowing ISP to create electronic records, creating a combined FOID and concealed carry license, offering cardholders the ability to apply for renewal six months before the expiration date, and establishing a professional appeals board.
• Formalizes in law preventative actions the Illinois State Police has taken under Director Brendan Kelly’s leadership: giving all Illinois law enforcement agencies access to the FOID status of any individual, ensuring State Police continuously monitor federal and state databases for any new threat to safety, requiring every Illinois law enforcement agency to submit ballistics information to national crime databases within 48 hours, and making available to the public all firearms reported stolen to crack down on illegal gun trafficking.
HB 00734: Provides that the duration of a civil no contact order is permanent if a judgment of conviction for
criminal sexual assault is entered upon the survivor’s request.
HB 03653: Counties and cities with populations greater than 500,000 will require all law enforcement officers to wear body cameras. All officers in the state will be required to wear them by the beginning of 2025.
HB 03027: Allows expectant mothers during the third trimester to use a disabilities motor decal or device for no
more than 90 days with adequate documentation.
General
SB 00139: Allows a person currently married to request a copy of their marriage certificate with the term
“spouse” rather than any gender identifying language, and provides an affidavit for individuals to fill
out in order to request the certificate.
What a valuable to service to publish this. Thank you!