Combating Auto Retail Scams Rule

The Federal Trade Commission announced a new rule Tuesday that is intended to stop auto dealers from using hidden fees and bait and switch price tactics on buyers.The agency says those fees and tactics cost Americans $3.4 billion per year and add 72 million hours to their time spent shopping for a vehicle.The FTC is calling the new regulation the Combating Auto Retail Scams Rule.The agency says the rule bans misrepresentations about price, cost, and other key information. It also requires dealers to provide the actual price any consumer has to pay for the vehicle, requires them to disclose that additional items like extended warranties aren’t mandatory, and requires them to state upfront the full monthly payment consumers are accepting. #lawyer, #attorneys, #lawyersnearme, #lawyerschaumburg, 

Seat Belts

Illinois law requires all drivers and passengers (front and back seat) age 8 and older to wear safety belts even if the vehicle is equipped with air bags. Passengers under age 8 must be secured in an appropriate child restraint system as covered by the Child Passenger Protection Act. #attorneys, #attorneysnearme, #schaumburgattorney,#schaumburglawyer,

Child Extended Bereavement Leave Act

Beginning in 2024, under the Child Extended Bereavement Leave Act (CEBL), employers with 50 or more full-time employees in Illinois must provide employees who experience the loss of a child by suicide or homicide with unpaid, job-protected leave. #divorcelawyers, #lawyer,#divorcelawyersnearme,#divorcelawyerschaumburg,

New Eligibility For Police Officers

A new Illinois law, effective January 2024 allows non-citizens to apply to be police officers.  This move addresses labor shortages.  Critics were concerned that police jobs could go to people who have entered the country illegally.  This law applies to people already allowed to work in the country and for DACA recipients. #schaumburgcriminallawyer, #schaumburgcriminalattorney, #lawyer, #attorney, 

Formal Driver's License Reinstatement Hearing

A formal driver’s license reinstatement hearing must be scheduled in advance at one of the Secretary of State offices throughout Illinois. The hearing is conducted similarly to a court trial. Make sure to arrive on time, dress appropriately, and speak with respect and professionalism.

At the hearing, you will be expected to demonstrate that you have met all of the Secretary of State requirements for license reinstatement. The requirements vary from case to case depending on the driver’s criminal record, alcohol dependency risk classification, and reasons for revocation. You may be required to complete a DUI risk education class, complete alcohol or drug treatment, participate in an early intervention program, and/or participate in a continuing care program. The hearing officer will want to see proof that you have completed all of the requirements.

You will also be asked a series of questions designed to determine whether you will re-offend. The hearing officer may ask you about the steps you have taken to avoid intoxicated driving in the future, how you have changed your relationship with drugs or alcohol, or what you have learned from losing your driver's license. ##attorney, #lawyer, #driverslicense, #schaumburgfamilylawyer, #schaumburgdivorcelawyer,

Paternity

In Illinois, the latest possible time that the statute of limitations for paternity can end is when the child turns 20, so you cannot establish paternity after that time. But the sooner paternity is established, the sooner a parent/child relationship can start. #lawyer, #divorcelawyer, #paternity, #attorney, #familylawyer,

Child Support

The new child support laws in Illinois in 2022 require that the parents purchase or maintain health insurance for the child or children when dealing with a child support matter. This mandate is in effect whenever the parents deal with child support, such as a part of a divorce or a child custody case. #childsupport, #divorcelawyer, #familylawyer, #childsupportattorney, 

Rear View Mirror Objects

It is unlawful to hang items from your rearview mirror in Illinois if they “materially obstruct” your view while driving. Currently, law enforcement officers can pull you over for the sole reason of a violation or suspected violation of this provision. However, that will be changing soon.

On Jan. 1, 2024, Illinois police officers will no longer be allowed to lawfully stop or

search vehicles solely because they have something hanging from their rearview mirror, though

it will still be considered a violation if the item materially obstructs the motorist’s view.

 #schaumburglawyer, #schaumburgcriminallawyer, #lawyer, #attorney, #trafficlawyer, 

Contested Divorce

In Illinois, a divorce is contested when parties can't agree on one or more issues in the divorce. The disagreement could be about anything from marital debts to property and pets. In a contested divorce, parties first attend mediation, then take their case in front of a judge if necessary. Each party usually has an attorney, or they represent themselves. Contested divorces take anywhere from six months to a year or even longer. They are usually the longest type of divorce. #divorcelawyer, #divorceattorney, #divorcelawyerschaumburg, #divorceattorneyschaumburg,

Non Citizen Police Officers

A new law in Illinois, effective January 1, 2024 allows non-citizens to apply to be police officers.  It would be for people already allowed to work in the country and for DACA recipients.  It was designed to address the labor shortage. #schaumburgcriminallawyer, schaumburgcriminalattorney, #schaumburglawyer, #schaumburgattorney,

Zooming and Driving

Effective January 2024, a new Illinois law makes zooming and driving illegal.  It provides that a person may not operate a motor vehicle on a roadway while using an electronic communication device, including using an electronic communication device to participate in any video conferencing application or to access any social media site. Excludes the exemptions that permit a driver to use an electronic communication device in hands-free or voice-operated mode or by pressing a single button to activate or terminate a voice communication when a person is using the electronic communication device to watch or stream video, participate in any video conferencing application, or access any social media site. #schaumburglawyer, #schaumburgattorney, #criminallawyer, #criminalattorney, 

FOID Card

To be eligible for a FOID card in Illinois, a person must be 21 years of age or have a parent or guardian sponsor who is eligible for a FOID card. An applicant must not be prohibited from possessing firearms in accordance with state or federal law. This requires the applicant is/has: not been convicted of a felony. #attorneys, #criminallawyer, #attorneysnearme, #lawyersnearme, #lawyer,

Criminal Convictions

In Illinois, criminal convictions will stay on your record forever. Some convictions and arrests that did not lead to conviction are eligible to be sealed or expunged, which will remove the conviction from a person's public criminal history. #criminalconviction, #attorneys, #lawyer,

Evictions

A tenant has a maximum of 14 days to move out unless they are being evicted for engaging in illegal activity. Only the sheriff or the proper authorities are allowed to remove the tenant by force. Even if the landlord wins the case, they are not allowed to engage in illegal methods of eviction. #eviction, #attorney, #lawyers, 

New Law in 2024

A new Illinois law, effective in the start of the 2024-25 school year requires public schools to teach the history of native Illinois tribes and about the genocide and forced resettlement of native people. It also allows students to wear native dress to graduations. What this addresses: Inclusivity in school curriculum and ceremonies. #lawyer, #attorney, #lawyernearme,

Ban On Zooming And Driving

 A new law effective January 2024, amends the Illinois Vehicle Code.  It provides that a person may not operate a motor vehicle on a roadway while using an electronic communication device, including using an electronic communication device to participate in any video conferencing application or to access any social media site. Excludes the exemptions that permit a driver to use an electronic communication device in hands-free or voice-operated mode or by pressing a single button to activate or terminate a voice communication when a person is using the electronic communication device to watch or stream video, participate in any video conferencing application, or access any social media site. #attorney, #attorneys, #trafficlawyer, #lawyers,

Ban On Automatic Weapons

The Illinois Supreme Court has upheld the state’s ban on the sale or possession of the type of semiautomatic weapons  used in hundred of mass killings nationally. In a 4 to 3 decision Friday, the high court found that the Protect Our Communities Act does not violate the federal Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection of the law nor the state constitution’s bar on special legislation. But it carves out exceptions. Those who possessed semiautomatic guns before it became effective on Jan. 10 are allowed to keep them but must register them with the state police by Jan. 1, 2024. And seven categories of “trained professionals,” such as police officers, active-duty military, corrections officials and qualified security guards, may carry them. #semiautomaticweapons, #criminallawyerschaumburg, #schaumburgcriminallawyer, #schaumburgcriminalattorney, #criminalattorneyschaumburg, #criminallawyernearme,

Mob Action

A participant in a mob action who inflicts injury to the person or property of another through violence can be charged with a Class 4 felony. A participant in a mob action who does not withdraw when ordered to do so by a peace officer commits a Class A misdemeanor which is punishable by up to one year in prison. #schaumburgcriminallawyer, #schaumburgcriminalattorney, #criminallawyernearme, 

Gun Probation

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has expanded a program that gives probation to first-time non-violent gun offenders.The program was originally only for younger than 21 whose only crime was illegal possession of a gun. A measure signed by Pritzker got rid of the age limit and will continue the program indefinitely.Offenders do not have to submit drug tests, show that they are seeking employment or enroll in school, but the courts could impose those requirements. The gun charge is dropped once a person completes probation. #schaumburgcriminallawyer, #schaumburgcriminalattorney, #criminallawyernearme, #criminalattorneynearme, #marderandseidler,

E-Cigarette Use

 Using electronic cigarettes in public places is prohibited in Illinois under a recently signed law.

The measure amends the Smoke-Free Illinois Act of 2008 that banned smoking in most public places. E-cigarettes are now added to the list of prohibited products.

“Illinoisans deserve to enjoy public spaces without being exposed unwillingly to secondhand vapor and other electronic cigarette by products,” said Gov. JB Pritzker, who signed the bill into law on July 28. “Now, e-cigarettes and vapes will qualify under existing anti-smoking laws, reducing air pollution and making a more accessible, healthy Illinois.”

Individuals and businesses found to be in violation of the law will be subject to fines.#banninge-cigaretteuseimpublicplaces, #schaumburglawyer, #schaumburgcriminallawyer, #criminallawyernearme,