New laws on Jan. 1

–Capitol News Illinois

Minimum wage workers in Illinois will see a boost in their hourly pay to $12 per hour starting Jan. 1, while tenants in affordable housing units will be allowed to keep pets.

Those are just some of the more than 300 new laws that take effect in the new year.

The minimum wage increase is actually the result of a 2019 law that phases in a state minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025. This year, it will increase by one dollar to $12 an hour. Workers under 18 years old and who work fewer than 650 hours in a year will earn a minimum wage of $9.25 per hour beginning Jan. 1. The y...