SPRINGFIELD As people throughout Illinois prepare to ring in the New Year, the Senate Republican Caucus is continuing to highlight new laws that will take effect on Jan. 1.

The new laws kicking off 2020 cover everything from protecting children under DCFS care to safeguarding individuals privacy and personal information.

New DCFS requirements seek to better protect children

The Department of Children and Family Services spent much of 2019 under scrutiny because of its mishandling of the abuse of a 5-year-old child, who was later beaten to death by his parents.

This tragic event, along with other mishandled issues inside the department, led the General Assembly to take a more in-depth look into the agency and pass several new requirements to better protect the children under DCFS care.

Beginning Jan. 1, DCFS will have to meet the following requirements:

House Bill 831/PA 101-0043: DCFS must notify the Department of Public Health and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services of all reports involving children alleged to have been abused or neglected while hospitalized.

House Bill 3587/PA 101-0155: DCFS must establish and maintain a toll-free number to respond to requests from the public about its post-placement and post-adoption support services.

Senate Bill 1743/PA 101-0166: DCFS must develop and conduct a standardized survey to gather feedback from children who are aging out or have transitioned out of the foster care system, and place a locked suggestion box in each group home and shelter.

House Bill 1551/PA 101-0237: DCFS must comply with several new guidelines when a child in its custody is returned to their parents or guardian.

Senate Bill 1239/ PA 101-0583: DCFS must report alleged abuse or neglect of a child by a person who is not the childs parent, a member of the childs immediate family, a person responsible for the childs welfare, an individual residing in the same home of the child or a paramour of the childs parent to the appropriate local enforcement agency.

Baby changing stations required in all public buildings

Finding a location to change your little ones diaper will be a lot easier for parents starting in 2020. House Bill 3711 requires all public buildings with restrooms open to the public to have at least one baby diaper changing station accessible to both men and women. Additionally, signs must be posted near the entrance indicating the location of the diaper changing station.

New laws protect pets

Laws protecting pets are among those that will take effect Jan. 1.

House Bill 3390 requires pet boarding facilities that do not have 24/7 staffing to be equipped with a fire sprinkler system or a fire alarm monitoring system that triggers notification to local emergency responders. This new law is in response to a fire at a West Chicago kennel that killed several animals.

Also, at the start of the New Year, cat owners will be required to have their cats vaccinated for rabies. All cats four months or older, excluding feral cats, must receive a rabies vaccination and have a subsequent vaccination within a year of the first one occurring.

New laws ensure privacy, protect personal information

Protecting individuals personal information is the intent behind several new laws taking effect Jan. 1.

House Bill 2189 prohibits direct-to-consumer commercial genetic testing companies from sharing any genetic test information or other personally identifiable information about a consumer with any health or life insurance company without written consent from the consumer.

Under Senate Bill 1624, data breaches impacting more than 500 Illinois residents as a result of a single breach must be reported in the most expedient time possible to the Attorney General.

House Bill 2408 prohibits a person from posting private compromising images of another person online. It also provides for a process for a person to obtain a take-down order to have the images removed.

The full list of January 1 new laws

Theres more to know before 2020 kicks off! To view a full list of laws taking effect January 1, visit https://bit.ly/2EfHMVQ.

Warmest wishes to you and yours for a very Merry Christmas.

If you have any additional thoughts or ideas, please visit my website at http://www.senatorstewart.com and use the form to send me an e-mail.

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From the Capitol: Heres part 2 of the new laws for Illinois - Freeport Journal-Standard

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