As the New Year rapidly approaches, the state of Illinois is introducing a number of new laws that will go into effect on January 1st, 2017.
WLDS-WEAI News caught up with Morgan County State’s Attorney Gray Noll, who talked about which new laws might have the biggest impact on his office and the people of Morgan County.
Noll says starting in 2017, Driver’s Education curriculum will include instructions on how to behave during traffic stops.
“Another law that is of note, especially to individuals getting their driver’s license, now in Illinois it’s required that Drivers Ed teachers teach the proper etiquette when a law enforcement officer is pulling the driver over,” says Noll.
Another new law allows closed-circuit video testimony for victims of criminal sexual assault who are minors or persons with disabilities. Noll explains how this new law impacts the prosecution process.
“For me as a Prosecutor, that’s one that I am definitely happy they passed. A lot of times, as a Prosecutor, we’re dealing with people who have to relive the worst day of their life, especially with these criminal sexual assault cases. It’ll be nice that a minor or an individual with a disability has the ability to avoid being in the courtroom, in front of twelve individuals, where his or her testimony can be given live and still be subject to cross examination,” says Noll.
Noll says a new law pertaining to the sale of bath salts has broadened his office’s ability to prosecute these sorts of drug-related crimes.
“It is now illegal in Illinois to sell bath salts, and the law now allows local governments to revoke the business license of any mercantile establishment for violating that law. Bath salts are kind of this addictive opiate that, mainly the youth of Illinois, has been experimenting with as a way to get high. It’s very dangerous, it’s very addictive,” says Noll.
Noll also mentioned that business owners should know that, as of January 1st, they can no longer ask current or potential employees to pull up their social media sites or accounts.