Newly signed laws include creation of tourism districts, criminal
justice reforms
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[February 15, 2023]
By NIKA SCHOONOVER
Capitol News Illinois
nschoonover@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday signed 15 bills into law,
tackling policy areas from tourism to prison reform and making it easier
for people previously convicted of felonies to legally change their
name.
The laws passed the General Assembly in their recently concluded lame
duck legislative session in January, and Pritzker’s signature came less
than a week before his budget address, scheduled for Wednesday at the
Capitol.
Tourism districts
House Bill 268, effective immediately, creates a framework for local
governments to increase funding for local tourism projects in
collaboration with hotels by creating local tourism districts.
Hotels can qualify for these tourism districts if they can shoulder half
of the proposed costs. If petitioning hotels are approved, they can
charge up to a 5 percent rate per-room per-night that will go toward a
fund overseen by a state-certified local tourism bureau.
State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, a lead sponsor on the bill, said
the law will help create additional resources for tourism promotion,
while giving more control to business owners in the state.
“Tourism Improvement Districts put business owners back in the driver’s
seat to direct marketing spending and spur growth,” Feigenholtz said in
a statement. “The additional revenues generated by these special
districts will be one more tool businesses can use to draw visitors to
all corners of the state.”
In order to qualify, hotel owners must file a petition outlining a
district plan including the boundaries of the proposed district, the
length of the proposed term and a brief description of the proposed
services and improvements they are requesting. They must also show they
can pay more than half of the costs that will be taken on by the
district.
The post-pandemic measure is an attempt at spurring economic growth as
local communities continue to bounce back from the effects of COVID-19.
“The tourism and hospitality sector is the second-largest employer in
Illinois,” Feigenholtz said. “Tourism Improvement Districts will enable
regions of our state to use this additional tool in an effort to recover
from the pandemic and bring visitors back to Illinois.”
Felon name changes
House Bill 2542 loosens restrictions for individuals with past felony
convictions to change their name.
The new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2024, allows individuals
convicted of identity theft or those registered under the Sex Offender
Registration Act, the Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth
Registration Act or the Arsonist Registration Act to change their name
“due to marriage, religious beliefs, status as a victim of trafficking
or gender-related identity as defined by the Illinois Human Rights Act.”
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Gov. JB Pritzker is pictured in a file
photo. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jerry Nowicki)
The law also lifts a requirement that individuals must wait 10 years
after sentencing to change their name.
Advocates of the law say it removes barriers for transgender and gender
expansive individuals who want to change their name.
“The bill moves Illinois closer to a fair, modern system regarding the
ability of transgender and gender expansive individuals, as well as
survivors of human trafficking and domestic violence to change their
names,” Khadine Bennett, advocacy and intergovernmental affairs director
at the ACLU of Illinois said in a statement. “Survivors of human
trafficking and transgender people too often are at risk simply because
they do not have identity documents that align with their authentic
selves. This is corrected under the new law.”
Judges make the final decision on the outcome of a name change petition.
Additionally, if a petitioner’s sentence has not been completed,
terminated, discharged or pardoned, they are not allowed to request a
name change.
Life sentence for those under 21
House Bill 1064, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2024, changes parole
requirements for individuals convicted before they are 21 years old.
Under the new law, if those individuals are sentenced to a term of life
in prison, they are eligible for a parole review after serving 40 or
more years of their sentence.
Cars and vans as school buses
House Bill 1688, which goes into effect July 1, allows cars, vans and
other first division vehicles to operate as school buses with a permit
from the secretary of state. First division vehicles are classified as
those designed to carry no more than 10 people total, according to the
Illinois State Board of Education.
Additionally, by Jan. 1, 2024, the secretary of state and Illinois State
Board of Education would be required to create a course for individuals
operating these vehicles as school buses.
The course will be offered in conjunction with ISBE and the state’s
regional superintendents of schools.
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service covering state government. It is distributed to more than 400
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is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R.
McCormick Foundation.
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