Attorney General Kwame Raoul is kicking off the new year with a suite of new laws aiming to beef up public welfare and clamp down on sneaky avoidance of responsibilities. "My office has focused on developing measures to enhance public safety throughout the state," Raoul highlighted in a recent statement, with legislation set to protect Illinoisans from heat- and health-related adversities.
House Bill 1541 is putting a freeze on cutting residents' gas or electric utility service during intense heatwaves. In legion with sponsors Sen. Mattie Hunter and Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, Raoul's legislation amends the Public Utilities Act to extend protections during temperatures of 90°F or above. It addresses the gap left by previous rules that only focused on the mercury hitting 95°F, a figure that, on the surface, seemed hot enough but failed to consider the choking grip of the heat index on the state's most vulnerable - those without the means to shrug off high electric bills or the luxury of a functioning air conditioner.
Keeping a watchful eye on health care mergers and acquisitions, House Bill 2222 has got Illinois' back when it comes to healthcare. The bill, sponsored by State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz and Sen. Ann Gillespie, institutes a premerger notification program, requiring a minimum of 30 days' notice to the Attorney General before such transactions wrap up. Raoul has made it clear that this law will ensure transactions that might hurt the public or escalate healthcare prices won’t fly under the radar as they sometimes do at the federal level.
House Bill 3301 allows non-custodial parents to duck out of payments by moonlighting as independent contractors. Now, thanks to Raoul's efforts alongside Sen. Mike Halpin and Rep. Terra Costa Howard, these workers will be visible to the watchful eyes of the Illinois Department of Employment Security’s New Hire Directory, which will now keep tabs on these new additions to the workforce for the purpose of child support enforcement. Raoul's legislative move responds to a burgeoning contingent of independent contractors, seeking to ensure that children receive the support they’re due, no matter their parent’s employment status.
These new measures will take effect in 2024, poised to provide an extra layer of security to Illinoisans facing the scorching heat, navigating the labyrinthine healthcare system, or relying on child support.
