Midwest

Illinois enacts 320 new state laws, including bans on semi-automatic weapons and indoor vaping

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2 years ago

January 2, 2024

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Illinois enacts 320 new state laws, including bans on semi-automatic weapons and indoor vaping

Illinois residents are navigating through 320 new state laws in 2024.
The ban on semi-automatic weapons includes specific restrictions on brands and types, limits on rounds and requires registration of previously purchased guns with the Illinois State Police.
Indoor vaping is also banned, extending the prohibition to electronic smoking devices under the Smoke Free Illinois Act.

With the calendar-page turn to 2024 on Monday comes 320 new state laws that Illinois residents will need to navigate.

Some will have a widespread effect, including a law banning semi-automatic rifles and another requiring paid time off. But others won’t have an immediate or noticeable impact, including a law that lets county governments consider a potential contractor’s participation in an approved apprenticeship program in determining the winning low bid for a project.

One law that took effect in 2019 but is still impacting tens of thousands of workers is an increase in the minimum wage.

AFTER ONE YEAR, ‘AMERICA’S MOST DANGEROUS LAW’ IS DAMAGING POLICING PROFESSION IN ILLINOIS, SAYS LOCAL SHERIFF

It increases to $14 an hour on Jan. 1 for non-tipped workers and will reach $15 in a year.

Assault-style weapons are displayed for sale at Capitol City Arms Supply on Jan. 16, 2013, in Springfield, Ill. On New Year’s Day, Monday, Jan. 1, 2024, Illinois has ushered in 320 new laws, from a ban on semiautomatic weapons to lower-price fishing licenses for those who haven’t had one lately. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)

Here are some of the other major changes to Illinois state law as of New Year’s Day:

BAN ON SEMI-AUTOMATIC WEAPONS
The U.S. Supreme Court has failed to take up the case of Illinois’ ban on the sale, possession or manufacture of automatic weapons like the type used in a mass shooting at a 2023July Fourthparade in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park.

The law bans dozens of specific brands or types of rifles and handguns, including .50-caliber guns, attachments and rapid-firing devices. No rifle will be allowed to accommodate more than 10 rounds, with a 15-round limit for handguns.

Those who previously purchased such guns must register them with the Illinois State Police by Jan. 1.

BOOK-BAN PROHIBITION
Libraries that indiscriminately ban books will not be eligible for state funds. They must adopt the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights stating “materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.”

The library association reported that attempts to censor books reached a 20-year high in 2022, especially those with LGBTQ+ themes and those written by people of color.

PAID TIME OFF
Employers will be required to offer paid vacation for any reason. Workers will accrue one hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked, up to 40 hours total. Employers may offer more than 40 hours and employees may take time off after working for 90 days.

AIR FRESHENERS ALLOWED
Police will no longer be able to pull over a motorist solely because there is an object hanging from their rearview mirror. The law was approved after Daunte Wright was pulled over in Minnesota in 2021 for having a dangling air freshener. He was shot when the officer, reaching for her stun gun, instead grabbed her sidearm.

NO VIDEOCONFERENCING ON THE ROAD
Video meetings, streaming or accessing a social media website while driving will be prohibited. There will be an exception for video on a hands-free or voice-activated device or an application requiring the push of no more than a single button to activate or terminate it.

NO INDOOR VAPING
Vaping or smoking an electronic cigarette or cigar in a public indoor space will be prohibited. The law adds electronic smoking devices to the list of items prohibited in indoor public places under the 2008 Smoke Free Illinois Act, which banned regular tobacco products’ indoor use.

LICENSE-PLATE READER RESTRICTIONS
Interstate agreements between law enforcement agencies must specify that license-plate reader technology not be used on cars driven by women coming into Illinois to have abortions.

SURVEILLANCE DRONES
Following the Highland Park parade shooting, lawmakers approved the use of drones by law enforcement to surveil “routed” or “special events.” The drones may not be equipped with weapons or facial-recognition technology.

SUPREME COURT ALLOWS ILLINOIS SEMIAUTOMATIC WEAPONS BAN TO STAY IN PLACE

DEEPFAKE PORN
Victims of digital forgeries known as deepfake pornography may file civil lawsuits against anyone who shares or threatens to share an image that falsely depicts a person exposing genitalia or other private parts or engaging in a sex act. Identifying the image as materially altered is not a defense to liability.

RESTROOMS MAY BE ALL-GENDER MULTIOCCUPANCY
Businesses have the option of installing restrooms that may be used by any gender simultaneously. Current restrooms may be renovated to accommodate all genders. Urinals may not be included and stalls must have floor-to-ceiling, locking dividers.

VOTER REGISTRATION FOR TEENS
Teenagers may pre-register to vote at age 16 or 17 while obtaining a driver’s license or state identification card at a drivers’ services office run by the secretary of state. When turning 18, the legal voting age, they will already be registered to vote.

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South Dakota

Feeding South Dakota

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18 minutes ago

February 27, 2026

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin DNR opens 2026 elk season applications March 1, with more Central Zone tags

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60 minutes ago

February 27, 2026

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Wisconsin DNR opens 2026 elk season applications March 1, with more Central Zone tags

(WLUK) — Applications for Wisconsin’s 2026 elk season open next week.

The DNR says the application period begins Sunday, Mar 1 and will close on Sunday, May 31.

Selected applicants will be notified in early June.

For the third year in a row, there will be increased opportunity to pursue elk within the Central Elk Management Zone (formerly Black River Elk Range), as additional bull elk and antlerless harvest authorizations will be available through the state licensing system. The 2026 elk quota for the Central Elk Management Zone is six bull elk and six antlerless elk, up from a quota of four bull and five antlerless in 2025.

The Northern Elk Management Zone (formerly Clam Lake Elk Range) quota will be eight bull elk, subject to a 50% declaration by Ojibwe tribes.

During the open application period, applicants will have the choice to submit one bull elk license application and/or one antlerless elk license application, separately. Applicants can apply to any unit grouping with an associated quota for that authorization type (bull or antlerless). The order of drawing will be bull licenses first, followed by antlerless licenses. As a reminder, only one resident elk hunting license can be issued or transferred to a person in their lifetime, regardless of authorization type.

In 2026, there will be one continuous hunting season, opening Saturday, Oct. 17, and continuing through Sunday, Dec. 13, eliminating the split-season structure that was in effect from 2018-2025. This offers elk hunters more opportunities and flexibility to pursue elk in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin residents can submit elk license applications online through the Go Wild license portal or in person at a license sales agent. The application fee is $10 for each of the bull elk and antlerless elk drawings and is limited to one application per person, per authorization type. The DNR recommends that all applicants check and update their contact information to ensure contact with successful applicants.

For each application fee, $7 goes directly to elk management, monitoring and research. These funds also enhance elk habitat, which benefits elk and many other wildlife. If selected in the drawing, an elk hunting license costs $49.

Before obtaining an elk hunting license, all selected hunters must participate in a Wisconsin elk hunter education course. The class covers Wisconsin elk history, hunting regulations, biology, behavior and scouting/hunting techniques.

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Midwest

Kansas law invalidates transgender driver’s licenses and birth certificates

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5 hours ago

February 27, 2026

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Kansas law invalidates transgender driver’s licenses and birth certificates

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Kansas has officially invalidated driver’s licenses and birth certificates for transgender residents who changed their sex designation on government documents under a law that took effect Thursday.

Roughly 1,700 individuals in Kansas will be required to obtain a new standard driver’s license at a cost of $26, according to the House Substitute for Senate Bill 244.

The state’s vehicle division informed residents that no grace period will be offered for those who need to update their IDs, according to The Kansas City Star.

“Please note that the Legislature did not include a grace period for updating credentials. That means that once the law is officially enacted, your current credentials will be invalid immediately, and you may be subject to additional penalties if you are operating a vehicle without a valid credential,” the Kansas Department of Revenue’s vehicle division said.

Trans rights activists take part in a protest April 20, 2024. (Carl Court/Getty Images)

The law also establishes clear rules for shared private spaces in government buildings, restricting their use to a single sex. This applies to facilities such as restrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms and shower rooms where individuals may be partially or fully undressed.

The bill further reinforced a strict definition of sex and gender as an “individual’s biological sex, either male or female, at birth.”

Consequently, individuals or entities who violate the space restrictions may face significant civil penalties or potential criminal charges.

KANSAS JUDGE SAYS TRANSGENDER RIGHTS NOT VIOLATED BY STATE’S REFUSAL TO CHANGE SEX ON DRIVER’S LICENSES

A drone aerial view of downtown Wichita (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Individuals are also given the right to take legal action if someone of the opposite biological sex violates their privacy in these spaces.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, whose veto of the bill was ultimately overridden by the Republican-led Kansas Legislature Feb. 18, had previously called it a “poorly drafted bill with significant, far-reaching consequences.”

“It is nothing short of ridiculous that the Legislature is forcing the entire state, every city and town, every school district, every public university to spend taxpayer money on a manufactured problem,” she said. “Kansans elected them to focus on education, job creation, housing and grocery costs.”

SUPREME COURT CONSERVATIVES SIGNAL SUPPORT FOR STATE TRANSGENDER SPORTS BANS DURING ORAL ARGUMENTS

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly previously tried to veto a bill that ultimately went into effect Feb. 26, 2026, restricting identification preferences for transgender state residents. (Rich Sugg/Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Under the bill, entering a multiple-occupancy space designated for the opposite sex constitutes a violation. After a first warning, a second offense could result in a $1,000 civil penalty and a third or subsequent violation is treated as a class B misdemeanor.

Anyone who believes their privacy has been violated in such a setting may bring a civil lawsuit against the violator and seek $1,000 in liquidated damages, according to the bill.

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Government entities, such as state agencies or local districts, that fail to align with the new regulations are subject to steep fines. Entities face a $25,000 civil penalty for a first violation and $125,000 for each subsequent violation.

The law provides specific exceptions for entering spaces designated for the opposite sex, including custodial or maintenance work, medical or emergency aid, law enforcement duties, assisting someone who needs help or children under 9 accompanied by a caregiver.

Bonny Chu is a Digital Production Assistant at Fox News Digital.

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