Lemonade stands operated by minors in Illinois can't be regulated by any officials as of Jan. 1, 2022. | Flickr/Paul Schadler
Lemonade stands operated by minors in Illinois can't be regulated by any officials as of Jan. 1, 2022. | Flickr/Paul Schadler
Illinois rang in the new year with 300 new laws hitting the books, from requiring insurance companies to cover more comprehensive testing, to increasing funding for scholarships for military families, to making parking easier for pregnant women.
When the new year arrives on January 1 it will bring with it nearly 300 new laws in Illinois," Illinois state Representative Deanne Mazzochio (R-Westmont) announced on her website in December. "Everything from addressing confidentiality for victims of human trafficking to lowering fees for trailer license plates.
"We’ve even fully legalized kids’ lemonade stands," Mazzochio wrote.
Among the new laws that went into effect at the beginning of 2022, the minimum wage increased to $12 an hour, part of the plan to increase the wage by $1 per hour until 2025, when it hits $15 per hour, ABC7 News Chicago reported.
Students in Illinois schools will also be able to take up to five absences for mental health days, allowing students to take time off for psychological issues rather than only physical illnesses.
It's now illegal to discriminate against a student's hair style, including natural and ethnic hairstyles, dreadlocks, braids, twists and afros, in schools.
"For decades Black people have had too often their natural and protective hairstyles weaponized against them," Gov J.B. Pritkzer said when signing the Jett Hawkins Act into law last August. The bill was inspired by and named for a four-year-old boy who was harassed in this preschool for wearing his hair in braids.
Rep. Chris Bos, (R-Lake Zurich) posted to his Facebook page that he is "proud to co-sponsor" the expansion of the Address Confidentiality Act, which protects the home location of victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking to now include victims of human trafficking.
Other laws that went into effect Jan. 1 include naming Juneteenth, the holiday that celebrates the end of slavery in the United States, an official state holiday, a law prohibiting convicted animal abusers from owning or living with animals and a law to end early termination fees on utility contracts of the deceased.
One law that went into effect this year that captured national attention was one addressing regulating lemonade stands.
Hayli's Law makes it illegal for any officials to regulate the sale of lemonade or any other nonalcoholic beverages from a stand operated by kids.
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