A listing of all new laws scheduled to go into effect on January 1, continues.

The Senate side of the Illinois State Capitol on a late May afternoon.

Not all measures approved by the General Assembly go into effect on the first of the year. Bills which contain a specific effective date within the language of the measure and bills that carry an “immediate” effective date can go into effect at other times of the year.

The State Senate meets on the third floor of the north side of the Illinois State Capitol.

However, January 1 is the default date for a new law to become effective if there is no specific language specifying when it will become effective.

Under the Illinois Constitution, the legislature must set a “uniform effective date” for laws passed prior to June 1 of a calendar year. That uniform effective date, which is January 1, applies if the legislation does not otherwise specify when the law becomes effective.

A listing of all new laws scheduled to go into effect on January 1, follows.

Not all measures approved by the General Assembly go into effect on the first of the year. Bills which contain a specific effective date within the language of the measure and bills that carry an “immediate” effective date can go into effect at other times of the year.

However, January 1 is the default date for a new law to become effective if there is no specific language specifying when it will become effective.

Under the Illinois Constitution, the legislature must set a “uniform effective date” for laws passed prior to June 1 of a calendar year. That uniform effective date, which is January 1, applies if the legislation does not otherwise specify when the law becomes effective.

Ethics and Transparency

Community Associations (HB 1773/PA 98-0232): This was requested by the Illinois Lake Community Association to clarify that a Common Interest Community Association cannot enter into a contract with a current board member or with a corporation for which a board member or member’s family controls 25% of the corporation’s interests.

Lobbyist Disclosure (HB 2943/PA 98-0459): Requires that lobbyists that have another lobbyist as a client must disclose the name and address of the ultimate beneficiary of their lobbying efforts. Also provides that expenditure reports must include the ultimate beneficiary of the expenditures made if one lobbyist has another lobbyist as a client. In recent years it has become increasingly common for lobbyists working on major issues to contract with other lobbyists to assist them. This can create a confusing and difficult to decipher chain, where a lobbyist “A” lists that he or she is lobbying on behalf of lobbyist “B,” who in turn is registered as lobbying on behalf of lobbyist “C.” Without following that chain, it can be difficult to determine what clients of lobbyist “C” are actually also the clients of lobbyist “A.”

Ethics and State Grants (SB 2380/PA 98-0588): Grant recipients cannot use any funds for prohibited political activity. This grew out of a Cable News Network investigation into the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative, which found, among other things, that grant funds handed out prior to the 2010 election were used to pay teens to walk in a parade, clearly a political activity, with Governor Quinn shortly before the 2010 election.

Gaming

Electric Charity Raffle Games (HB 1140/PA 98-0111):  This legislation attempts to clarify that electronic charity raffle games are not considered a video game under the Video Gaming Act. In some towns, players pay bartenders to add credit onto the game machines and then cash out the winnings—designated charities receive a percentage of the money. Currently these machines are legal under the Illinois Raffles Act.

Expansion of Charitable Games (HB 996/PA -0377): Expands the Charitable Game Act to:

• Increase the number of games which an operator can manage from four to 12;
• Expands the maximum number of events that may be held in any one location to one per month (currently eight per year);
• Increases the maximum bet from $10 to $20 on a house banked game;
• Increases the size of potential cash winnings by a single participant from $250 to $400;
• Clarifies that an unlimited amount of noncash prizes may be awarded to a single winner;
• Allows a municipality to provide 48 (rather than 16) charitable games nights a year on its premises;
• Increases the tax paid to 5% of net proceeds of the charitable games (currently 3% of the gross proceeds);
• Gives the Gaming Board the discretion to contract with more than one independent outside testing laboratory to do the examination of gaming machines and associated equipment.

Defibrillators at Race Tracks (HB 2506/PA 98-0423):  Requires that horse race tracks have at least two automated external defibrillators (AEDs) that are in operation and accessible when backstretch workers are present at their racing facilities.  One AED must be placed in the paddock of their racing facility and one AED must be placed on the backstretch of the racing facilities.