Videoconferencing while driving and vaping in public spaces become illegal on Jan. 1

New laws passed by the Illinois General Assembly earlier this year will take effect on Jan. 1.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed more than 580 bills into law including one ending a 1980s-era nuclear moratorium and the $50.4 billion state budget.

Here are 10 others that will take effect on the first day of the new year.

Expanded paid leave

Nearly all Illinois workers will receive a minimum of 40 hours of paid leave per year starting Jan. 1.

With the governor's signature, Illinois became the third state in the nation to set a paid leave standard. The Paid Leave for All Workers Act allows workers to take time off from work for any reason such as sickness, childcare, mental health, vacation, and medical appointments.

More: Gov. Pritzker signs bill requiring paid leave for about all workers in Illinois

Workers can begin using the hours on March 31 or 90 days after starting a job.

No vaping in indoor public spaces

In the new year, Illinoisans can no longer use electronic cigarettes inside public spaces and 15 feet outside entrances.

House Bill 1540 added electronic smoking devices such as vapes to the 2008 Smoke-Free Illinois Act, which banned smoking in most public spaces in the state. The amendment means that where combustible cigarettes are banned, now too will be e-cigarettes.

A large push for the legislation was addressing the high numbers of young people becoming addicted to electronic cigarettes that contain nicotine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 10% of U.S. middle and high school students reported current use of tobacco use this year — drawn mostly through the use of e-cigarettes.

Videoconferencing in the car? No longer

Fielding a Zoom or Microsoft Teams call while operating a vehicle is a violation of state law as of Jan. 1.

Prior state law allowed videoconferencing if a hands-free device was used or if the call could be both initiated and ended with one press of a button. Hands-free voice-only calls are still legal.

State Rep. Rep. Michael J. Kelly, D-Chicago led House Bill 2431 which passed unanimously in the House and Senate.

Banning book bans

If public and school libraries in Illinois wish to receive state funding, they must agree to not ban any books.

A major push of Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, the state librarian, Pritzker signed House Bill 2789 in June. There were more than 65 attempts to ban books in the state last year.

More: Pritzker signs anti-book ban legislation

“The argument for banning books always begins with the claim that it's about protecting the children, and yes, of course, we all want to protect our children so they're reading age-appropriate material,” Pritzker said during the bill signing. “But banning books from libraries isn't about that at all. Book bans are about censorship, marginalizing people, marginalizing ideas and facts. Regimes ban books, not democracies.”

Libraries must follow the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights or create a policy prohibiting the practice of banning books or resources to receive funding.

Turner's 4-H, FFA bill

Future Farmers of America and 4-H students will be allowed to count days spent outside of the classroom in work-related events towards school attendance through a new law.

Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, led House Bill 3814 which passed both chambers unanimously.

"Illinois is home to some of the most fertile farmland in the world and without our farmers we wouldn't have food on the table or any of the thousands of byproducts derived from that farm," Turner said, chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, during a bill signing ceremony in August. "And we need our youth to continue to invest in Illinois agriculture opportunities."

Turner was the primary sponsor of 11 bills passed this year, including one opening the door for a new state flag.

Price-gouging medication

Manufacturers or wholesale drug distributors will no longer be able to spike prices for essential off-patent and generic medication through the Illinois Generic Drug Pricing Fairness Act.

House Bill 3957, passing with bipartisan support, requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to notify the Attorney General of any price gouging under Medicaid. The AG could subpoena any violators.

More than 4,200 drug products had drug increases between 2022 and 2023 — an average increase of $590 per drug — according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Naloxone in the classroom

In response to increasing overdoses throughout the state, all K-12 schools in Illinois will be required to supply opioid antagonists in case of an overdose through House Bill 2431.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, opioid overdoses in Illinois increased 33% from 2019 to 2020, with nearly 3,000 opioid overdose fatalities.

The 2024-2025 school year will also mandate every state-required high school health course to provide instruction on the dangers of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that public health experts say is driving this increase.

Disconnecting utilities

Major heat waves could grant some residents protection from having their utilities disconnected.

House Bill 1541 prohibits utility companies from shutting off gas or electric services if a tenant cannot make payment on days exceeding 90 degrees or during heat advisories.

According to the CDC, more than 700 people in the U.S. die from extreme heat each year.

Voter preregistration

Teens obtaining their driver’s license or identification card can now preregister to vote at a Secretary of State Department of Motor Vehicles office. Senate Bill 2123, another initiative led by Giannoulias, allows for automatic voter preregistration for 16- and 17-year-olds so they can vote when they turn 18. Those not wishing to preregister can opt out.

In Illinois, voters who are 17 can vote in the March primary if they turn 18 before the November general election.

Minimum wage increase

The minimum wage will again increase for Illinois workers.

The new minimum wage will go to $14 per hour on Jan. 1, up $1 from 2023. Tipped workers will now make $8.40 and workers 18 and younger will receive $12.

The increase in Illinois follows the trend in most other states — federal minimum wage staying at $7.25 per hour — and is part of a gradual increase culminating at $15 next year. The minimum wage was $8.25 when Pritzker signed legislation in 2019 allowing for the increases.

Contact Patrick M. Keck: 312-549-9340, pkeck@gannett.com, twitter.com/@pkeckreporter.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Here are 10 new laws taking effect in Illinois on Jan. 1