Repeal Of Law Criminalizing HIV Exposure

A decades old Illinois law that opened HIV positive people to felony charges for failing to inform partners before unprotected sex was repealed Tuesday and access to insurance coverage for infertility coverage  for infertility treatment for LGBTQ  couples and would be single parents was expanded. #HIVpositivedisclosure, #LGBTQ,

Illinois No-Fault Divorce

Illinois is one of many “no-fault” divorce states, meaning that the only reason a judge will accept for the divorce is “irreconcilable differences”. This also means that a spouse cannot pursue more damages because of how the marriage ended. No fault also has its advantages. If both parties agree that the marriage has broken down and the divorce is uncontested, there is technically no waiting period to proceed with a divorce. #nofaultdivorce,

Import And Selling Exotic Species

A new Illinois law makes it illegal to import into Illinois, with the intent of selling, any body parts or products made from a long list of endangered and exotic species.
Illinois, like many states, has long banned the importation of ivory and rhinoceros horns. Under House Bill 395, the list of animals whose parts or products are banned from being imported is expanded to include cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, great apes, hippopotami, jaguars, leopards, lions, monk seals, narwhals, pangolins, rays or sharks, rhinos, sea turtles, tigers, walruses, whales or any other species listed in the Convention on International Trade or listed as threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. #importanimalparts, #endangeredanimals,

Lying To Minors

Gov. J.B. Pritkzer signed a bill Thursday making Illinois the first state to bar law enforcement officers from lying to minors during interrogations, a practice critics say increases the likelihood of a minor making a false confession. If a law enforcement officer knowingly "deceives" a minor during an interrogation – "the knowing communication of false facts about evidence or unauthorized statements regarding leniency" – any statements from the minor would be inadmissible as evidence in court, according to the bill, which takes effect January 1, 2022. #lyingtominors,

Pretrial Interest

A new Law in Illinois authorizes victims in personal injury and wrongful death cases to collect interest from defendants from the time a lawsuit is filed. It is meant to incentivize settlement of these cases. It was supported by the trial lawyers and opposed by business groups. #pretrialinterest,

Police Reform

There was no more controversial bill that passed this year than House Bill 3653, also known as the SAFE-T Act, which passed during the lame duck session this January. The provisions ending cash bail and requiring all police to wear body cameras will not take effect until 2023 and 2025, respectively. But starting Thursday, police will be required to render aid to the injured, intervene when a fellow officer is using excessive force and and be limited in use of force. It also offers stricter guidelines for the decertification of officers and would allow people to file anonymous complaints of police misconduct. #policereform,