Parents and guardians considering allowing their teens to host parties will be responsible for more than just the alcohol consumed in the house when the new year rolls in.
Beginning Jan. 1, parents and guardians can be fined up to $2,000 if they allow those under 21 to drink in vehicles, trailers, campers or boats under their ownership or control. And if a death occurs as a result, parents or guardians can be charged with a felony.
The legislation expands the current state law, which penalizes adults who allow underage people to drink alcohol in their homes. It was sponsored in the Senate by Julie Morrison, a Deerfield Democrat, who remembers a fatal accident in 2006 involving teenagers who were her children’s age.
Daniel Bell of Bannockburn and Ross Trace of Riverwoods, both 18, were killed after leaving a house party in Deerfield when their car slammed into a tree. Bell, the driver, had a blood-alcohol level of .132, above the .08 driving limit.
“It was one of the most horrific things that ever happened in our sleepy little town,” Morrison said.
The new law, Morrison says, “tightens up some of the loopholes” in the earlier legislation that bans adults from allowing children to drink in their homes.
Republican state Sen. Pam Althoff, who worked on the original legislation, said it became clear in recent years that law enforcement agencies “were dealing with not only the situation of teenage vehicular homicides but also many accidents that were occurring on lakes and rivers.”
The legislation, HB4745, is one of more than 200 new laws that will go into effect Jan. 1. Here are others that could have an immediate or significant impact on Illinois residents:
PREGNANCY RIGHTS
Employers must provide “reasonable accommodations” for working pregnant women unless it would impose an “undue hardship” on the business. That includes limits on manual labor, more frequent bathroom breaks and space to breastfeed. The law also says a pregnant woman can’t be forced to take a leave of absence when another accommodation is available and that an employer can’t refuse to hire a qualified applicant because of a required accommodation.
The bill is HB8.
SPEEDING
Expands legislation passed in 2013 increasing the speed limit to 70 mph on interstates to include urban areas. The earlier law kept the limit lower in Chicago and its vicinity. The bill allows the state Tollway Authority to establish higher limits in urban areas.
The bill is SB2015.
MEDICAL POT PILOT PROGRAM
Expands the medical marijuana pilot program to include children and teenagers who suffer from seizures. Rules are still under review, but young patients likely will be required to get written certification from two doctors. Parents of children with intractable epilepsy pushed for the law following publicity about a Colorado product called Charlotte’s Web, which is low in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels that produce a high.
The bill is SB2636.
RURAL AMBULANCES
Ambulances in rural areas can be upgraded to the highest emergency medical technician license of any person staffing that ambulance. Sponsors say the change allows more kinds of life-saving procedures to be performed in an ambulance.
The bill is HB4523.
REPTILE TRANSFER
Bans the sale, transfer and possession of certain reptiles and amphibians taken from the wild, and creates a permit process for owning other reptiles and amphibians.
The bill is SB902.
BEER DESCRIPTION
Expands the definition of beer to include beverages brewed or fermented from malt products, specifically hard ciders.
The bill is SB3103.
BULLETPROOF VESTS
Requires law enforcement agencies to provide bulletproof vests to officers.
The bill is HB5688.
“BAN THE BOX”
Illinois becomes the fifth state to prevent private employers from checking an applicant’s criminal history until the final round of job interviews. Currently, only state agencies are banned from asking about criminal history on initial job applications.
The bill is HB5701.
GUBERNATORIAL APPOINTMENTS
A new annual report requires the governor to submit background and demographic data on all of his appointments to the General Assembly.
The bill is SB229.