2013: New year means new laws
Updated: January 1, 2013
SPRINGFIELD -- With a new year comes a list of new laws in the state of Illinois.
More than 150 new laws go into effect across the Land of Lincoln today. Some of them will hit your wallets, others will keep you safe and there are a few that are downright strange. Here are some of the bigger ones to watch out for in 2013.
You can't quite call it a sin tax, but how about a skin tax? Lawmakers rubber stamped a bill this year that tacks on an extra $3 each time you visit a strip club. That money goes to help rape victims.
The taxes don't stop there though. Starting this year, it'll cost you $2 more when you renew your license plate. The fee hike goes to fund the state's Department of Natural Resources.
And then there's Caylee's Law. It's in place to protect some of the state's most vulnerable citizens. The law gives harsher penalties if you don't report a child under two missing within an hour. Kids under 13 have to be reported within a day. The law stems from the 2008 Casey Anthony case in Florida. Two year old Caylee Anthony went missing for more than a month before police were notified.
Social media was bigger than ever in 2012. That's why lawmakers in Illinois are protecting your online personality too. Now, your boss can't ask you for your passwords. It's illegal.
Driving laws are also changing this year. Now, if you see orange, put your phone away. You can't use your cell phone in any construction zones statewide. Before, it was only if the speed limit changed. Commercial drivers can't use cell phones at all.
Get ready to share the roads. Rollerbladers can now skate in the flow of traffic as long as the speed limit is 45 or less.
There are a few strange laws on the books now too. Get ready for a $1,000 ticket if you're caught doing a wheelie on a motorcycle. It's also illegal to sell shark fins in Illinois. The fin is a popular ingredient in asian cuisine. Also, sex offenders can no longer dress up as Santa Claus or pass out Halloween candy.
Illinois isn't the only place with a few strange laws starting today. A town in Kansas says you can't have more than four cats living in the same house. Plastic bottles are now a thing of the past in Concord, Massachusetts. They're banned completely there. In Kentucky, it's not against the law to release wild pigs. And in California robotic cars are now street legal. They don't need a driver at all, but there has to be a human in passenger the passenger seat.
More than 150 new laws go into effect across the Land of Lincoln today. Some of them will hit your wallets, others will keep you safe and there are a few that are downright strange. Here are some of the bigger ones to watch out for in 2013.
You can't quite call it a sin tax, but how about a skin tax? Lawmakers rubber stamped a bill this year that tacks on an extra $3 each time you visit a strip club. That money goes to help rape victims.
The taxes don't stop there though. Starting this year, it'll cost you $2 more when you renew your license plate. The fee hike goes to fund the state's Department of Natural Resources.
And then there's Caylee's Law. It's in place to protect some of the state's most vulnerable citizens. The law gives harsher penalties if you don't report a child under two missing within an hour. Kids under 13 have to be reported within a day. The law stems from the 2008 Casey Anthony case in Florida. Two year old Caylee Anthony went missing for more than a month before police were notified.
Social media was bigger than ever in 2012. That's why lawmakers in Illinois are protecting your online personality too. Now, your boss can't ask you for your passwords. It's illegal.
Driving laws are also changing this year. Now, if you see orange, put your phone away. You can't use your cell phone in any construction zones statewide. Before, it was only if the speed limit changed. Commercial drivers can't use cell phones at all.
Get ready to share the roads. Rollerbladers can now skate in the flow of traffic as long as the speed limit is 45 or less.
There are a few strange laws on the books now too. Get ready for a $1,000 ticket if you're caught doing a wheelie on a motorcycle. It's also illegal to sell shark fins in Illinois. The fin is a popular ingredient in asian cuisine. Also, sex offenders can no longer dress up as Santa Claus or pass out Halloween candy.
Illinois isn't the only place with a few strange laws starting today. A town in Kansas says you can't have more than four cats living in the same house. Plastic bottles are now a thing of the past in Concord, Massachusetts. They're banned completely there. In Kentucky, it's not against the law to release wild pigs. And in California robotic cars are now street legal. They don't need a driver at all, but there has to be a human in passenger the passenger seat.
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