According to the Chicago Tribune, there is a myriad of new laws coming into play that will be helpful to the people, particularly those with criminal charges and a suspended driver’s license. The first to note is that there will be not one, but two measures that will make it easier for those with criminal backgrounds to find jobs. The new laws state that employers are not allowed to ask about criminal history until after the applicant has either been chosen for an interview or for the job itself. They also state that anyone with a misdemeanor on his record can apply to seal the record if the incident happened over three years ago.
Another law will allow drivers who incur tickets for speeding or other minor offenses to keep their driver’s licenses until their court date (to pay the fees). Instead, if they agree to pay their ticket fees via mail, drivers can opt-out of going to court and keep their licenses. No longer will we have to carry around our passports as forms of identification when we are pulled over!
Concerning traffic laws, lawmakers are trying to raise the speed limit from 55 mph to 70 mph on tollways. However, it may take up to a year to put these new speed limits into place due to the process of conducting “traffic engineering studies” and receiving approval from officials. On the other hand, we will see new speed limits (55 mph to 60 mph) for trucks on non-urban highways by the end of January 2015.
One more traffic law to note is that police officer will no longer be forced to dole out tickets in order to meet a quota. The police departments will also be banned from using the number of tickets an officer issues as part of his performance review. However, this new law applies to everywhere in Illinois but the city of Chicago.
For more new laws, read the original article on the Tribune’s website