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 child care 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.
“Parents shouldn’t have to give up a good job because they can’t find childcare during their second or third shift working hours,” Frese said. “With this new law, local childcare providers that have wanted to offer 24-hour care to help working parents are now able to make that happen.”
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.