Museum Passes

Happy New Year District 50!! Our January Museum Card is now live! Our constituents can sign up now with this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D44A5AA22A2FCC52-47057801-rep

This constituent museum card covers entry for up to 4 people for one visit. Special exhibits and events may have an extra cost. Participants may sign up for 2 days in a row, but they must be back-to-back. Please sign up at least 2-3 days before the date you plan on using the card to give staff time to coordinate your visit. 

Please do not sign up for more than 2 days. If your name is in the sign-up sheet more than twice, we will be emailing you and you will be removed from the roster! We are trying to make sure every family gets an opportunity to use the pass. 

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¡Feliz año nuevo 50 distrito! ¡Nuestra Tarjeta de Museos de Eneron ya está disponible! Nuestros constituyentes pueden regístrese para usar la tarjeta aqui:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D44A5AA22A2FCC52-47057801-rep

Esta tarjeta cubre la entrada de hasta 4 personas por visita. Las exposiciones especiales no están incluidas. Los participantes pueden inscribirse por un máximo 2 de 3 días antes de la fecha que planea usar la tarjeta para que el personal tenga tiempo de coordinar la visits.

Por favor, no se registre más de 2 días. Si su nombre está en la hoja de registro más de dos veces, le enviaremos un correo electrónico y será eliminado de la lista! Estamos tratando de asegurarnos de que todas las familias tengan la oportunidad de usar el pase.

New Law's

Over 300 laws are going into effect on January 1st, 2024. Please view a few of them below.

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Más de 300 leyes entrarán en vigor el 1 de enero de 2024. Vea algunas de ellas a continuación.

Impacts on Drivers:

• HB 2389: No vehicle shall be stopped or searched by law enforcement solely because of a violation of driving with any object placed or suspended between the driver and front windshield, rear windshield, side wings, or side windows.
• HB 2431: Videoconferencing while driving will now be prohibited.
• HB 2582: Motorcycle licenses will no longer be offered to residents under the age of 18, with specific exceptions.
• HB 3876: Residents of Illinois who buy vehicles in another state must apply for registration and certificate of title no less than 45 days after the purchase of the vehicle.
• SB 0896: Auxiliary lighting on motorcycles may not emit blue lights. Auxiliary lights may only emit red light if they are actively braking.
• SB 1251: Operators of ambulances or other rescue vehicles must have specified training in the operation of that vehicle. In municipalities with a population of under one million residents, sirens and lamps must be in operation at all times when pedestrians and other drivers are present, and when that vehicle has been called to a bona fide emergency or has been directed to disregard traffic laws in the operation of the vehicle. The ambulance must also slow down at red lights to achieve safe operation.
• SB 1526: The Department of Transportation must develop a mobile app that provides motorists with updated travel conditions.
• SB 1653: The Department of Transportation and local authorities must institute a pilot program to erect and maintain hazard bars, or visual signs and additional signage, for all viaducts and underpasses with a clearance of less than 15 feet. Hazard bars must hang at the same clearance level as the viaduct or underpass, and be located at least 500 feet in front of them.
• SB 2028: Requires best practices on stranded motorists to be included in Illinois Rules of the Road publications.

Public Transit:

• HB 1342: A massive transit bill, the law will explore expanded reduced-fare service, require transit agencies to purchase emission-free buses, and will provide free transit to victims of domestic violence. 
• HB 2068: All employers with 50 or more employees, and that are located within one mile of regularly scheduled transit service, will be required to allow eligible employees to exclude public transit costs from their taxable wages.
• SB 1892: Public transit benefits provided to a person with a disability by the Regional Transportation Authority shall automatically renew unless it is discontinued by that individual. The individual will need to submit proof of Illinois residency.

Construction and Transportation:

• SB 0040: New single-family homes and newly constructed or renovated multi-unit residential buildings that have parking spaces must provide at least one electric vehicle-capable parking space for each residential unit. The law does not require developers or builders to install or run wire or cable for such charging stations but requires them to construct buildings in such a way as to allow for the installation of charging stations.
• SB 1438: The Illinois Dig Once Act will examine ways to reduce the scale and number of repeated excavations related to roads, highways, tollways, and expressways for the installation and maintenance of broadband infrastructure.

New License Plates/Decals

• HB 0042: The IDPH may issue decals for autism awareness license plate decals.
• HB 1581: Special registration plates may be issued to United States submarine veterans.
• HB 1865: Vehicles owned or operated by private or public university and college police departments may purchase permanent registration plates for $8.
• HB 2584: Allows the issuance of Lyme disease research vehicle decals by the Department of Natural Resources. $10 of each issuance and $23 of each renewal will go to the Tick Research, Education, and Evaluation Fund, which will be paid as grants to the Illinois Lyme Association.
• HB 3436: “Thank a Line Worker” license plate decals will be available. $10 of each original issuance and $23 of each renewal shall be deposited into the “Thank a Line Worker Scholarship Fund.”

Consumer Protection

• HB 1153: All counties with 70,000 or more inhabitants must create an office of the county auditor, a reduction from 75,000 residents. The only county this will impact, according to U.S. Census data, is Vermilion County, which had a population of 72,337 as of 2020.
• HB 1236: In competitive bidding situations, county boards shall take into account the bidder’s active participation in an apprenticeship program registered with the U.S. Department of Labor.
• HB 1497: Car-sharing vehicles are exempt from the Automobile Renting Occupation and Use Tax if the tax was paid upon the purchase of the vehicle.
• HB 1541: If gas or electricity is used as the only source of space cooling, then a utility may not terminate service on any day where the forecast includes temperatures of 90 degrees or warmer, or any day preceding a holiday or weekend when the NWS forecast includes temperatures of 90 degrees or above.

• HB 1628: No landlord shall require a tenant to pay any amount by means of electronic funds transfer, including those that automatically debit funds on a recurring basis.
• HB 2094: All marketing materials from mortgage companies not connected to a homeowner’s mortgage company must comply with specified requirements, so as not to mislead consumers.
• HB 2123: The “Digital Forgeries Act” holds that individuals have rights to legal recourse if they are the target of “deep fakes,” or digitally-altered sexual images.
• HB 2214: The Department of Human Services will be required to monitor the frequency with which SNAP benefits are stolen via card skimming, card cloning, or other similar fraudulent methods, and submit a report on those thefts to the State’s Attorney.
• HB 2217: Tenants must be provided a “Radon Guide for Tenants” pamphlet before agreeing to a lease. The tenant then has 90 days to conduct radon tests of the dwelling unit, and to have the permission of the property owner before taking radon mitigation steps. Leases can also be terminated in specific instances.
• HB 2245: Cook County (or any county that exceeds three million residents) will be required to establish a vehicle theft hotline to facilitate the location of stolen vehicles.
• HB 2269: All estate-planning documents must be able to be prepared electronically. Previously, only wills were included.
• HB 2325: The bill provides that each full-service location at which residential mortgage licensee conducts any part of their business must be recorded with the state. Licensees may allow mortgage loan originators to work remotely if specified conditions are met.
• HB 2500: Animal control facilities may not charge an adoption fee for dogs or cats if the person presents a valid ID or Illinois Person with a disability card with the word “veteran” printed on its face.
• HB 2562: Owners or properties dedicated to residents age 55 and older must provide a common area whose temperature is maintained between 67 and 73 degrees. Properties without building-wide cooling and heating systems must provide a common gathering space where a cooling system operates when the heat index exceeds 80 degrees.
• HB 3087: The Director of Agriculture may declare a temporary halt on the sale, movement, or exhibition of certain types of animals to prevent the spread of disease in the state. Such declarations can be made in increments of 30 days.
• HB 3097: The Amusement Ride and Attraction Safety Board may establish a schedule of fees for inspection and permit fees, and also make changes in provisions of insurance, penalties, and other safety concerns about amusement rides.
• HB 3236: Contracts, transactions, and agreements that extend credit to a consumer to purchase a dog or cat will no longer be permitted. 
• Hb 3363: DCFS will be required to establish and maintain a database on the safety of consumer products or substances regulated by the department that is publicly available, searchable, and accessible through the Internet. It also expands the definition of “children’s product” to products designed to be used by children age 12 and younger.
• HB 3707: The Commerce Commission shall publish all consumer complaints against any towing company on its website.
• HB 3808: Streaming services are not required to pay ‘franchise fees’ to local governments for utility lines owned, operated, and paid for by cable companies. The change was instituted to prevent consumers from being charged franchise fees for streaming services.
• SB 0800: If a repossession agency believes a vehicle that serves as collateral collects or stores personal information, they must clear, erase, delete, or otherwise eliminate the personal information collected by the vehicle.
• SB 0328: Any person or company that sells products or services that include automatic renewal must disclose the renewal terms clearly and conspicuously before the agreement is signed. They also may not charge credit or debit cards or payment mechanisms without first obtaining the consumer’s consent to the renewal offer terms. They must also make it clear how to cancel the automatic renewal before an agreement can be signed.
• SB 0850: The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity may designate an area as a food desert even if it doesn’t meet the qualifications outlined in the original Grocery Initiative Act. To do so, the government must use data that includes poverty metrics and access to existing grocery stores, among others.
• SB 1440: It is unlawful to knowingly mail or send a postcard or letter if the correspondence does not disclose or disclaim any and all affiliations. Those disclosures must be made in unambiguous language and must be printed in at least 14-point bold-face font in a black-outlined box.
• SB 1463 – Fees and fines can no longer be assessed in Illinois to individuals under the age of 18, except for traffic tickets, boating or fishing violations, or municipal ordinance violations.
• SB 1705: A series of tax exemptions will be given to active duty members of the U.S. armed forces, provided they purchase the property using a form of payment where the federal government is the payor.
• SB 1741: Property owners with five or more residential units must furnish an itemized statement of damage allegedly caused to leased units within 30 days of a tenant’s departure if a security deposit is being withheld in part or in full.
• SB 1817: It is a civil rights violation to refuse to engage in real estate transactions because of immigration status. Specific wording for the law allows for inquiries into immigration status if required by federal law.
• SB 1896 – New and used licensed motor vehicle dealers will be allowed to conduct sales activities via the internet, and will be permitted to deliver vehicles to residences or other suitable locations.

For the full list of the new law please click here.

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Para obtener la lista completa de las nuevas leyes, haga clic

School Library Grants

Our office received wonderful news from the Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias that our school districts Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) Official Site, East Aurora School District 131, and West Aurora School District 129 will receive state grants for their school libraries. A total of $20,521.78 will be distributed to our district!

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Nuestra oficina recibió maravillosas noticias del Secretario de Estado de Illinois, Alexi Giannoulias, de que nuestros distritos escolares Sitio oficial de la Academia de Ciencias y Matemáticas de Illinois (IMSA), el Distrito Escolar 131 de East Aurora y el Distrito Escolar 129 de West Aurora recibirán subvenciones estatales para sus bibliotecas escolares. ¡Se distribuirá un total de $20,521.78 a nuestro distrito!