Gas Tax, Minimum Wage, Cash Bail and More: Here's What Could Change for You Starting Jan. 1

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UPDATE: Just hours before cash bail was set to be eliminated across parts of Illinois, the state's Supreme Court stopped it from taking effect. Read more here.

From tax changes to a new state minimum wage to new driving laws to cash bail changes, 2023 is going to look a bit different for Illinois residents.

A number of new laws will take effect starting Jan. 1, but the year will also see the return of once-suspended tax hikes and other financial changes.

Here's a roundup of some of the many changes to expect in 2023 and when:

Illinois Minimum Wage

The minimum wage in Illinois will be going up in the new year.

Starting Jan. 1, 2023, minimum wage in the state will rise from $12 an hour to $13 an hour.

For workers who regularly earn tips, the rate will increase to $7.80, however, the state says "these workers must still earn the minimum wage after receiving tips, or the employer is required to make up the difference."

Workers under 18 who work fewer than 650 hours a year will also earn a minimum wage of $10.50 per hour beginning Jan. 1.

The minimum wage increase is part of an annual rise set to continue through 2025.

Tax Hikes

As part of the state’s fiscal year 2023 budget, an inflation-tied increase to Illinois’ gas tax was delayed by six months, and the 1% sales tax on grocery items was suspended for a year.

Both of those increases will take effect at different points in the year. The gas tax will increase by 3.2 cents per gallon due to an 8.2% year-over-year increase in the Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index, bringing the total tax per gallon to 42.4 cents beginning on Jan. 1.

A second increase is expected to go into effect on July 1, according to officials. The state’s gas tax is now indexed for inflation thanks to a 2019 infrastructure bill.

Meanwhile, the state’s 1% sales tax on grocery items will also go back into effect on July 1, impacting food, beverages and more.

Cash Bail

In some Illinois counties, cash bail will be eliminated beginning Jan. 1.

The move is part of the controversial SAFE-T Act, which was amended and signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker earlier this month. But a legal challenge put it to a halt in 65 state counties after a judge deemed it "unconstitutional."

The dozens of counties were part of a class-action lawsuit brought by several prosecutors and sheriffs around the state in opposition of the legislation pushed by Democrats who control the Illinois General Assembly.

The state plans to appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court.

For a full list of counties, click here.

New Driving Rules

From new penalties for certain violations to guidelines for those who are carjacked or have their vehicle stolen, changes are coming for drivers across the state in 2023.

As carjackings continue to rise across Illinois, lawmakers approved a bill in the spring that makes it so "a person shall not be liable for violations, fees, fines, or penalties during the period in which the motor vehicle was reported to the appropriate law enforcement agency as stolen or hijacked."

Another new law will add community service as a penalty for failing to stop for a school bus that is "receiving or discharging pupils and has displayed visual signals," or for speeding in excess of 20 miles per hour or more in a school zone or while traveling on a roadway on public school property or where children pass to go to and from school.

Plus, changes are coming for drivers education.

Full list here.

Smoke Detector Requirements

Beginning Jan. 1, the state's Smoke Detector Act will be changed to state that any smoke detectors must have a "self-contained, non-removable, long term battery."

The change was approved in 2017, but did not take effect until Jan. 1, 2023.

According to the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance, which worked with the General Assembly to pass the change, it applies to "residents that are still using alarms with removable batteries or alarms that are not hardwired."

There are a couple of exceptions, however.

Details here.

New Education Laws

At least 19 of Illinois' nearly 200 new laws set to go into effect in 2023 will directly impact schools, students, staffers and education as a whole throughout the state.

The laws range from adding certain lessons or curricula to adding programs for certain grades to creating a confidential hotline for students and staff to strengthening penalties inside a school driving zone.

A list can be found here.

The CROWN Act

The Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair Act, also known as the CROWN Act, is an amendment to the Illinois Human Rights Act and aims to further combat discrimination in the state. According to the General Assembly, the bill "provides that 'race,' as used in the Employment Article, includes traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists."

Unexpected New Laws

Among the new laws slated to take effect are some less traditional items, like a new state snake and sweet corn appreciation day.

While the state’s official reptile is the painted turtle, snakes are getting their turn in the spotlight, as the eastern milksnake will now become Illinois’ official snake.

And with most of the sweet corn production in the United States occurring in the upper Midwest, Aug. 1 has been designated “Sweet Corn Appreciation Day” in Illinois, to celebrate the food’s importance to agriculture, and to recognize family farmers.

There's also going to be a new state rock.

Read more here.

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