Midwest
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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About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
The Pistons have made recent moves to add more shooting, but still don’t have anyone quite as lethal as former Detroit guard Luke Kennard. On Saturday night, Kennard had a brilliant start to his postseason with 27 uber-efficient points for the Lakers in a win against the Rockets. His level of 3-point accuracy is something the Pistons have desperately been seeking all season long to bolster their offense.
Luke Kennard’s shooting makes him a dangerous playoff performer
Kennard was originally drafted to Detroit with the 17th pick of the 2017 Draft. The Pistons have plenty of draft regrets from that general era of team history, but picking Kennard has never been one of them. Despite any other weaknesses he may have, his strength as a shooter has always been enough to offset them.
In terms of pure 3-point percentage, Kennard is one of the best shooters in NBA history. He averages 44% behind the arc for his career, and shot a blistering 48% this season – the best mark in the league. Given his incredible track record, it’s not exactly a shocker to see him shoot 5-of-5 from three en route to 27 points in Game 1.
Not only is Kennard obviously an excellent standstill shooter, but he’s also a master of getting himself open with his movement. On Saturday night, he was able to play off LeBron James perfectly for a few easy looks. After that, he caught enough of a rhythm to create 3-point looks for himself, even in transition.
A player like Kennard is easily capable of turning an entire playoff game when he gets hot. In a close series, that one game where Kennard hits several threes can be all the difference his team needs to advance. If the Lakers do manage to win this series, even without Luka Doncic or Austin Reaves, Kennard’s shooting will be a major reason why.
The Pistons could use someone like Kennard
Kennard would be a perfect marginal addition for the Pistons that only makes them better without taking anything away from the team. To be fair, the Pistons do have two shooters who have been hot recently in Duncan Robinson and Kevin Huerter. But having more than one respected shooter on the court at a time is often necessary to maintain a solid offense in today’s NBA.
Given the Pistons’ current lack of shooting, any additional shooters are welcome. And Kennard is understandably one of the most feared shooters in the league, capable of bending defenses just by the threat of him taking a three. Rolling him out on the Pistons would surely open up more lanes for Detroit’s stars to attack the paint and score easier points.
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