(SPRINGFIELD) Nearly 300 new Illinois laws will take effect at midnight tonight, on January 1st, 2026. A few of the new laws include police training on sexual assault, a requirement that statewide libraries maintain a supply of opioid overdose medication, a crackdown on predatory vehicle towing, taking steps to require safer protection gear for firefighters, new procedures to make it easier for authorities to remove squatters who are illegally staying at someone else’s residence, continuing the phase-out effort of small, single-use plastic bottles in statewide hotel rooms, protecting drinking water by banning the process of capturing and storing carbon by injecting it underground, and allowing municipalities or fire districts to charge assisted living facilities or nursing homes for calls to fire departments requesting help lifting a resident when it is not an emergency, and a mandate that employers must compensate mothers who take breaks at work to pump breast milk for up to a year after their child is born. All take effect tomorrow.
(SPRINGFIELD) Authorities are calling on all Illinois residents to remain vigilant for fraudulent text messages claiming they owe money for traffic violations or tolls. Recent scam texts are claiming that the recipient’s vehicle registration or driving privileges are at risk of suspension and that prompt immediate action must be taken through a provided link. However, authorities say these messages are phishing attempts designed to instill fear as a means of stealing money and/or personal information. Learn more on the Secretary of State’s website, at ilsos.gov.
(SPRINGFIELD) The State of Illinois has named Illinois Air National Guard Director of Staff Colonel Steven B. Rice of Morrison as the next Assistant Adjutant General, Air of the Illinois National Guard. With the selection, Rice will be promoted to Brigadier General and will serve as one of two Governor-appointed deputies to Major General Rodney Boyd, the Adjutant General of Illinois and Commander of the Illinois National Guard. Rice replaces Major General Dan McDonough, who is retiring after nearly 38 years of military service.