Five new laws you need to know. Every year the General Assembly passes hundreds of bills which are signed into law by the Governor. Many of these new laws take effect on January 1 – this year there are 293. Here are five new laws for 2025 that you need to know about.
Keeping emergency responders safe. House Bill 4255, sponsored in the House by Rep. Amy Elik of Alton, would help keep emergency responders and motorists approaching accident sites safe by allowing emergency responder vehicles to display flashing green lights.
Under this legislation, specified vehicles would be allowed to display the oscillating, rotating or flashing green lights, along with amber and white which are already allowed by existing law. The green lights are easier to see during daylight hours. The legislation came about following an accident on an interstate highway in southwestern Illinois in which a tow truck operator was killed.
“Adding green lights to the amber and white currently in use provides better visibility, especially during the day, and will help alert motorists to slow down as they approach parked emergency vehicles on the roadways,” Rep. Elik said. “I worked with local tow truck operators on this bill who are concerned about safety. We recently lost Wade Bivens of Paw Paw Towing due to a roadway accident while he was working a scene on Highway 255. I am thankful to my colleagues for unanimously approving this important safety measure.”
Consumer convenience – less waiting in line. Senate Bill 275, which was sponsored in the House by Rep. Ryan Spain of Peoria, would increase access to transportation and lead to less time waiting in line for Illinoisans who need to renew their driver’s licenses.
Under the new law, driver’s licenses could be renewed for eight years, instead of the current four. This would mean fewer trips to the driver services facility and less time waiting in line.
"Even with ongoing efforts to reduce wait times, most of us dread the prospect of getting stuck waiting at the DMV," Spain said. "For those with safe driving records, providing the option to renew your driver's license for eight years instead of four will cut your trips to the DMV in half, and reducing the number of people visiting the DMV will cut wait times to benefit everyone. This new law is a win-win and aligns Illinois with many other states already offering longer-lasting driver's licenses."
Two new laws will increase access to day care. Senate Bill 3207 will allow day care centers to stay open for 24 hours. It was sponsored in the House by Rep. Randy Frese of Paloma.
Not everyone works traditional 9-5 jobs, and some need childcare at non-traditional hours. This new law will allow a day care center to operate for 24 hours and provide care for a child for as long as 12 consecutive hours if a parent or guardian of the child is employed in a position that requires regularly-scheduled shifts. There must be at least 10 hours between day care visits.
The idea for the bill came from a day care provider in Quincy who noticed that many parents were shift workers who needed childcare outside of the traditional work hours. It provides flexibility for caregivers and helps parents in need of child care.
Also increasing access to day care is House Bill 4059, sponsored by Rep. Jackie Haas of Kankakee.
The new law will ensure there is access to day care programs statewide by requiring the Department of Children and Family Services, or any state agency that assumes day care licensing responsibilities, to host licensing orientation programs for individuals interested in becoming day care providers at least twice annually in each representative district in the state.
"House Bill 4059 is the first step in addressing the shortage of daycare providers here in Illinois," Haas said. "I am proud to have sponsored this bipartisan legislation that ensures the Department of Children and Family Services continues to host at least two licensing orientation programs in each district for individuals interested in becoming daycare providers. This will create a robust pipeline with applicants across the state to fill the current provider gaps in our communities."
Saving lives from fentanyl. The fentanyl crisis has been in the headlines every day, often with tragic consequences. Senate Bill 3350, sponsored by Leader McCombie, allows the Department of Human Services (DHS) to establish or authorize a program for dispensing and distributing fentanyl test strips.
The new law will allow DHS to acquire fentanyl test strips, train individuals in the use of the test strips and distribute them. Hospitals, county health departments and other organizations deemed eligible by DHS shall be enrolled to receive test strips and distribute them upon enrollment in the Drug Overdose Prevention Program.
“We must continue to fight this epidemic, and that work continues at the state level, where I have led the charge in passing legislation to provide preventative measures like the testing strips,” McCombie said.
Access to these life-saving test strips can prevent unwitting fentanyl exposures and overdoses.
MADIGAN TRIAL
Prosecutors rest their case, former Madigan aide/ally says AT&T Illinois contract to Rep. Eddie Acevedo was “kind of a joke.” After nine weeks of testimony, this week the prosecution team rested their case against former Speaker Michael J. Madigan and his close confidante, lobbyist Mike McClain. They are accused of engaging in a pattern of “quid pro quo” dealmaking that constituted racketeering, wire fraud, and other federal offenses. Evidence in the ongoing trial of these alleged deals, presented to the jury, includes wiretap tapes, gathered by federal search warrant. The tapes feature the voices of the two defendants, Madigan and McClain, making the deals and pushing for political outcomes.
With the prosecution team resting its case, the trial turns to the Madigan and McClain defense teams to summon their witnesses. Both defendants have hired experienced counsel who are expected to try to point out alleged ambiguities in cases presented by the federal prosecution. The jury will have to weigh these defense assertions against the weight of prosecution testimony setting forth the extent of the dealmaking. One of the closing items in the prosecution testimony was the assertion by a former insider that AT&T Illinois funneled cash to a key Madigan ally, and then tried to cover up this cash transfer through a pseudo-contractual agreement that the insider described as a “joke.”
The “joke” characterization came from former Madigan top aide Thomas Cullen, who had worked closely with Madigan and McClain. Cullen had himself been a registered contract lobbyist for AT&T Illinois after moving on from Madigan’s staff. In this capacity, Cullen developed high familiarity with the duties of an active AT&T Illinois contract lobbyist. In a typical agreement to perform contractual work, a real service is performed by the contractor in return for compensation. In sharp contrast, Cullen testified as a former AT&T Illinois insider, when the company paid money to former Rep. Eddie Acevedo, no real services were expected or received. Cullen’s testimony was an additional data point of evidence in favor of the prosecution team’s assertion that the relations between AT&T Illinois and the Madigan organization included payments of money by AT&T Illinois in return for friendly legislation.
Cullen also admitted on the stand that that he had been a ‘bag man’ and money-transfer agent to another former Madigan aide, political staffer Kevin Quinn. In 2018, ‘Me Too’ allegations of sexual harassment were made against Quinn, who was then fired from his position on the Madigan team. However, after this dismissal the Madigan team made $1,000-per-month under-the-table payments to Quinn for little to no work.
The prosecution team alleges that these were hush money payments made to Quinn to compensate him for keeping his mouth shut. The overall secrecy of the Madigan inner circle eventually led federal prosecutors to work with a federal judge to obtain a warrant and place wiretaps to gather evidence. The wiretapping had begun by August 2018. A wiretap tape of a phone conversation between Cullen and Mike McClain was part of the evidence presented in the Madigan trial.
The prosecution team rested their case on Wednesday, December 18. Trial action will be delayed by the approaching Christmas-New Years’ Day recess. After the defense team has presented its case, both sides will present closing arguments to the jury.
ENERGY
Power crisis could be getting closer as Illinois coal-fired plants shut down. For more than a century, coal has been the backbone of Illinois electricity production. Much of the coal used for electric power can be mined from Illinois Basin coal seams. Many Illinois generator boilers and turbines are fitted to burn coal to generate electricity. Individual Illinois coal generating plants, such as Prairie State Energy, can handle peak loads of more than 1.7 megawatts, creating generating capacity that is equivalent to a two-reactor nuclear power unit.
However, “green energy” environmental groups have taken steps, both in Springfield and in other states, to shut down coal mines and coal-fired power plants. Many Illinois coal-fired generating plants have closed down in recent months and more closures are expected. Environmental advocates have placed pressure on two key electrical-generating interstate command and control centers, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) and PJM Interconnection, to price electricity in such a way as to encourage non-carbon-based electricity. When carbon-based, especially coal-based, electricity is generated in Illinois and offered for interstate sale, the price that customers in other states are allowed to offer for this electricity is so low that an Illinois plant allegedly cannot make money and must shut down. This eliminates jobs in Illinois and threatens our future Illinois electrical supplies.
As coal plants shut down, the urgency to fill that void has led to an over-reliance on battery solutions, which cannot provide the consistent power necessary to maintain grid stability.
Last month, House Minority Leader Tony McCombie filed a legislative bill package to address those concerns and the larger idea that higher energy demands are outpacing deadlines set by current law.
Leader McCombie’s bills extend deadlines that mandate all coal and natural gas-fired power plants close by 2045, and under the Climate & Equitable Jobs Act, that restrictions facing gas-fired facilities begin in 2030:
JOBS
Illinois’ unemployment rate unchanged, payrolls down in November. The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced Thursday that nonfarm payrolls were down -3,400 while the unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.3 percent in November, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and released by IDES. The October monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from -2,400 to +8,400, while the revised unemployment rate was 5.3 percent, unchanged from the preliminary October unemployment rate. The November payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflect activity for the week including the 12th.
In November, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month job losses included: Construction (-2,700), Professional and Business Services (-2,400), Manufacturing (-1,400) and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-1,400). The industry sectors with the largest monthly payroll job increases included: Leisure and Hospitality (+2,000), Other Services (+1,100), and Private Education and Health Services (+1,000).
The state’s unemployment rate was +1.1 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for November. The national unemployment rate was 4.2 percent in November, up +0.1 percentage point from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was up +0.6 percentage point from a year ago when it was 4.7 percent.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Illinois State Police renew, intensify push for enforcement of Scott’s Law. “Scott’s Law,” also known as the Move Over Law, is the Illinois law that requires motorists to ‘slow down,’ and, on highways with four or more lanes, to ‘move over,’ when an emergency response vehicle is stationed on a shoulder or roadside section of the highway with its lights flashing. The State Police public outreach on Scott’s Law comes during the final days of calendar year 2025. So far this year, State and local police have logged 25 separate motor vehicle crashes related to violations of Scott’s Law. In these crashes, 12 state troopers have been injured.
First responders report that the major Chicago-area expressways are especially dangerous for stopped police/fire vehicles, partly because they are especially congested during most motoring hours. As part of their pushback, the Illinois State Police has announced an alliance with a platform, HAAS Alert, that works with onboard navigational assistances in many Stellantis, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz motor vehicles. The HAAS Alert alliance is expected to provide eligible drivers with advance notification of a Scott’s Law situation involving one or more vehicles of the State Police if they are driving towards the police vehicles and their navigational system is turned on.
Motorists who violate “Scott’s Law” are subject to significant fines and costs for violations, which are imposed in addition to other penalties that may be imposed on a motorist for the incident that led to the violation charges. The history and reasoning behind “Scott’s Law” are set forth on the State Police webpage dedicated to the memory of first responder Lt. Scott Gillen. While on duty with the Chicago Fire Department, Scott Gillen was struck and killed by an intoxicated motorist on the Dan Ryan Expressway in December 2000. 2025 will mark the 25th anniversary of Lt. Gillen’s death, and first responders throughout the state are expected to intensify their enforcement of this law throughout the year.
Not everyone works traditional 9-5 jobs, and some need childcare at non-traditional hours. This new law will allow a day care center to operate for 24 hours and provide care for a child for as long as 12 consecutive hours if a parent or guardian of the child is employed in a position that requires regularly-scheduled shifts. There must be at least 10 hours between day care visits.
The idea for the bill came from a day care provider in Quincy who noticed that many parents were shift workers who needed childcare outside of the traditional work hours. It provides flexibility for caregivers and helps parents in need of child care.
Also increasing access to day care is House Bill 4059, sponsored by Rep. Jackie Haas of Kankakee.
The new law will ensure there is access to day care programs statewide by requiring the Department of Children and Family Services, or any state agency that assumes day care licensing responsibilities, to host licensing orientation programs for individuals interested in becoming day care providers at least twice annually in each representative district in the state.
"House Bill 4059 is the first step in addressing the shortage of daycare providers here in Illinois," Haas said. "I am proud to have sponsored this bipartisan legislation that ensures the Department of Children and Family Services continues to host at least two licensing orientation programs in each district for individuals interested in becoming daycare providers. This will create a robust pipeline with applicants across the state to fill the current provider gaps in our communities."
Saving lives from fentanyl. The fentanyl crisis has been in the headlines every day, often with tragic consequences. Senate Bill 3350, sponsored by Leader McCombie, allows the Department of Human Services (DHS) to establish or authorize a program for dispensing and distributing fentanyl test strips.
The new law will allow DHS to acquire fentanyl test strips, train individuals in the use of the test strips and distribute them. Hospitals, county health departments and other organizations deemed eligible by DHS shall be enrolled to receive test strips and distribute them upon enrollment in the Drug Overdose Prevention Program.
“We must continue to fight this epidemic, and that work continues at the state level, where I have led the charge in passing legislation to provide preventative measures like the testing strips,” McCombie said.
Access to these life-saving test strips can prevent unwitting fentanyl exposures and overdoses.
MADIGAN TRIAL
Prosecutors rest their case, former Madigan aide/ally says AT&T Illinois contract to Rep. Eddie Acevedo was “kind of a joke.” After nine weeks of testimony, this week the prosecution team rested their case against former Speaker Michael J. Madigan and his close confidante, lobbyist Mike McClain. They are accused of engaging in a pattern of “quid pro quo” dealmaking that constituted racketeering, wire fraud, and other federal offenses. Evidence in the ongoing trial of these alleged deals, presented to the jury, includes wiretap tapes, gathered by federal search warrant. The tapes feature the voices of the two defendants, Madigan and McClain, making the deals and pushing for political outcomes.
With the prosecution team resting its case, the trial turns to the Madigan and McClain defense teams to summon their witnesses. Both defendants have hired experienced counsel who are expected to try to point out alleged ambiguities in cases presented by the federal prosecution. The jury will have to weigh these defense assertions against the weight of prosecution testimony setting forth the extent of the dealmaking. One of the closing items in the prosecution testimony was the assertion by a former insider that AT&T Illinois funneled cash to a key Madigan ally, and then tried to cover up this cash transfer through a pseudo-contractual agreement that the insider described as a “joke.”
The “joke” characterization came from former Madigan top aide Thomas Cullen, who had worked closely with Madigan and McClain. Cullen had himself been a registered contract lobbyist for AT&T Illinois after moving on from Madigan’s staff. In this capacity, Cullen developed high familiarity with the duties of an active AT&T Illinois contract lobbyist. In a typical agreement to perform contractual work, a real service is performed by the contractor in return for compensation. In sharp contrast, Cullen testified as a former AT&T Illinois insider, when the company paid money to former Rep. Eddie Acevedo, no real services were expected or received. Cullen’s testimony was an additional data point of evidence in favor of the prosecution team’s assertion that the relations between AT&T Illinois and the Madigan organization included payments of money by AT&T Illinois in return for friendly legislation.
Cullen also admitted on the stand that that he had been a ‘bag man’ and money-transfer agent to another former Madigan aide, political staffer Kevin Quinn. In 2018, ‘Me Too’ allegations of sexual harassment were made against Quinn, who was then fired from his position on the Madigan team. However, after this dismissal the Madigan team made $1,000-per-month under-the-table payments to Quinn for little to no work.
The prosecution team alleges that these were hush money payments made to Quinn to compensate him for keeping his mouth shut. The overall secrecy of the Madigan inner circle eventually led federal prosecutors to work with a federal judge to obtain a warrant and place wiretaps to gather evidence. The wiretapping had begun by August 2018. A wiretap tape of a phone conversation between Cullen and Mike McClain was part of the evidence presented in the Madigan trial.
The prosecution team rested their case on Wednesday, December 18. Trial action will be delayed by the approaching Christmas-New Years’ Day recess. After the defense team has presented its case, both sides will present closing arguments to the jury.
ENERGY
Power crisis could be getting closer as Illinois coal-fired plants shut down. For more than a century, coal has been the backbone of Illinois electricity production. Much of the coal used for electric power can be mined from Illinois Basin coal seams. Many Illinois generator boilers and turbines are fitted to burn coal to generate electricity. Individual Illinois coal generating plants, such as Prairie State Energy, can handle peak loads of more than 1.7 megawatts, creating generating capacity that is equivalent to a two-reactor nuclear power unit.
However, “green energy” environmental groups have taken steps, both in Springfield and in other states, to shut down coal mines and coal-fired power plants. Many Illinois coal-fired generating plants have closed down in recent months and more closures are expected. Environmental advocates have placed pressure on two key electrical-generating interstate command and control centers, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) and PJM Interconnection, to price electricity in such a way as to encourage non-carbon-based electricity. When carbon-based, especially coal-based, electricity is generated in Illinois and offered for interstate sale, the price that customers in other states are allowed to offer for this electricity is so low that an Illinois plant allegedly cannot make money and must shut down. This eliminates jobs in Illinois and threatens our future Illinois electrical supplies.
As coal plants shut down, the urgency to fill that void has led to an over-reliance on battery solutions, which cannot provide the consistent power necessary to maintain grid stability.
Last month, House Minority Leader Tony McCombie filed a legislative bill package to address those concerns and the larger idea that higher energy demands are outpacing deadlines set by current law.
Leader McCombie’s bills extend deadlines that mandate all coal and natural gas-fired power plants close by 2045, and under the Climate & Equitable Jobs Act, that restrictions facing gas-fired facilities begin in 2030:
- HB 5897: Extends deadlines by 5 years for reduced or zero carbon dioxide equivalent for electric generating units and large greenhouse gas-emitting units.
- HB 5898: Extends deadlines by 10 years for reduced or zero carbon dioxide equivalent for electric generating units and large greenhouse gas-emitting units.
- HB 5899: Extends deadlines by 5 years for reduced or zero carbon dioxide equivalent for electric generating units and large greenhouse gas-emitting units that use coal as a fuel.
JOBS
Illinois’ unemployment rate unchanged, payrolls down in November. The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) announced Thursday that nonfarm payrolls were down -3,400 while the unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.3 percent in November, based on preliminary data provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and released by IDES. The October monthly change in payrolls was revised from the preliminary report, from -2,400 to +8,400, while the revised unemployment rate was 5.3 percent, unchanged from the preliminary October unemployment rate. The November payroll jobs estimate and unemployment rate reflect activity for the week including the 12th.
In November, the industry sectors with the largest over-the-month job losses included: Construction (-2,700), Professional and Business Services (-2,400), Manufacturing (-1,400) and Trade, Transportation, and Utilities (-1,400). The industry sectors with the largest monthly payroll job increases included: Leisure and Hospitality (+2,000), Other Services (+1,100), and Private Education and Health Services (+1,000).
The state’s unemployment rate was +1.1 percentage points higher than the national unemployment rate reported for November. The national unemployment rate was 4.2 percent in November, up +0.1 percentage point from the previous month. The Illinois unemployment rate was up +0.6 percentage point from a year ago when it was 4.7 percent.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Illinois State Police renew, intensify push for enforcement of Scott’s Law. “Scott’s Law,” also known as the Move Over Law, is the Illinois law that requires motorists to ‘slow down,’ and, on highways with four or more lanes, to ‘move over,’ when an emergency response vehicle is stationed on a shoulder or roadside section of the highway with its lights flashing. The State Police public outreach on Scott’s Law comes during the final days of calendar year 2025. So far this year, State and local police have logged 25 separate motor vehicle crashes related to violations of Scott’s Law. In these crashes, 12 state troopers have been injured.
First responders report that the major Chicago-area expressways are especially dangerous for stopped police/fire vehicles, partly because they are especially congested during most motoring hours. As part of their pushback, the Illinois State Police has announced an alliance with a platform, HAAS Alert, that works with onboard navigational assistances in many Stellantis, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz motor vehicles. The HAAS Alert alliance is expected to provide eligible drivers with advance notification of a Scott’s Law situation involving one or more vehicles of the State Police if they are driving towards the police vehicles and their navigational system is turned on.
Motorists who violate “Scott’s Law” are subject to significant fines and costs for violations, which are imposed in addition to other penalties that may be imposed on a motorist for the incident that led to the violation charges. The history and reasoning behind “Scott’s Law” are set forth on the State Police webpage dedicated to the memory of first responder Lt. Scott Gillen. While on duty with the Chicago Fire Department, Scott Gillen was struck and killed by an intoxicated motorist on the Dan Ryan Expressway in December 2000. 2025 will mark the 25th anniversary of Lt. Gillen’s death, and first responders throughout the state are expected to intensify their enforcement of this law throughout the year.