DeKALB – As the new year begins, new laws have taken effect in Illinois.
The Northern Star has compiled a list of five laws that may be relevant to students.
The full list of laws that are effective as of 1/1/2025 can be found on the Illinois General Assembly website.
DIGITAL DRIVER’S LICENSES
The Illinois Identification Card Act now allows Illinois to issue mobile identification cards. The mobile identification cards will not be mandatory and will be a companion to physical cards.
In a press release on Tuesday, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced that the secretary of state’s office expects ID’s to be accessible through Apple Wallet by the end of the year.
The office plans to bring mobile driver’s licenses and ID’s to additional digital wallets such as Google Wallet in the future, according to the press release.
Illinois residents who are interested in signing up for updates about mobile ID cards can visit the Illinois secretary of state website.
“I think it’s convenient because it helps save you an extra step from having to physically get that out of your wallet,” senior meteorology major Stephen Boulet said. “The only situation I can see it being a problem is if the battery on your phone died or if you experienced another technical problem.”
States and territories that already have the option of using ID’s in Apple Wallet include Arizona, Colorado, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, New Mexico, Ohio and Puerto Rico.
PAY TRANSPARENCY
As of this year, employers with 15 or more employees need to include pay and benefit information in job postings. This law was made as an amendment to the Equal Pay Act of 2003.
According to the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) website, anyone can file a complaint if they become aware of a job posting that lacks required salary and benefit information.
Victor Armenta, a freshman business administration major at NIU, said he runs a small business and doesn’t see an issue with the new law.
“I think for the workers that’s good,” Armenta said. “I run a small business and I don’t think that’s a problem.”
Complaints need to be submitted to IDOL within one year of the alleged violation and can include a link, picture or screenshot.
STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY MEDIA ACT
This act requires that 120 days prior to a sale of a local news outlet, written notice must be given to affected employees and representatives, the department and county government that the local news organization is located, and any in-state nonprofit organization in the business of buying local news organizations.
The act also amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act to include a journalism student scholarship program. The scholarship will be administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) and requires applicants sign an agreement pledging that within two years after the student ends the program that they were awarded the scholarship for, the recipient will begin working in journalism within Illinois for at least two years at a local news organization, and provide evidence they are fulfilling the obligation if requested by ISAC. To be eligible, students should be residents of Illinois and a citizen or eligible noncitizen, have a highschool degree, be enrolled at least half time at a college or university and expect to earn a degree that will lead to a career in journalism or a similar field.
GYM MEMBERSHIP CANCELLATION
An amendment to the physical fitness services act requires that gyms in Illinois let members cancel their memberships online if their membership was entered online or by email address if there was an email address in the contract.
Previously the law only required that gyms allow members to cancel memberships by certified mail.
“I’m not a gym person, but I’ve heard horror stories about how it’s incredibly difficult to cancel gym memberships. That’s a huge W,” junior mechanical engineering major Phillip Kim said.
Every gym membership that automatically renews also must comply with the Automatic Contract Renewal Act which provides terms businesses must follow when they offer automatic contract renewal, such as requiring consumer acknowledgement of automatic renewal.
MINIMUM WAGE
As of Jan. 1, minimum wage in Illinois and in Cook County is $15 an hour for workers 18 years old and older and tipped employees will increase to $9 an hour.
This is part of the Minimum Wage Law which required minimum wage to be $15 an hour by the start of this year, from $9.25 an hour at the start of 2020.
