From Paychecks To Pot Sales, Illinois Rings 2020 With New Rules
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The start of 2020 has some making more money and others digging deeper into their pockets.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot takes a look at some of the new laws that went into effect at the stroke of midnight.
Workers making minimum wage in Illinois are getting a lot closer to their "Fight for $15" an hour. On Wednesday, minimum wage in the state will go from $8.25 to $9.25 an hour. On July 1st, it will go up again, to $10 an hour.
The amount will increase by a $1 an hour on the first of each year, through 2025. In Chicago, minimum wage goes up to $14 an hour on July 1st and reaches $15 an hour on July 1, 2021.
If you use Uber and Lyft, get ready to start paying a lot more for your ride.
A new congestion tax aimed at reducing downtown traffic will more than quadruple the tax on solo rides to and from downtown Chicago, from 72 cents to $3.00. The fee increase will take place between 6:00 in the morning and 10:00 at night, when the traffic is the worst downtown.
The ride-share tax is expected to create $40 million in revenue for the city. Speaking of ride-share, Uber, Lyft, cab drivers and everyone else who drives in Illinois won't be able to watch videos while driving.
A new law bans drivers from watching streaming videos while they're behind the wheel.
Blue Cab employee Jeanette Wright was fired and charged with aggravated assault and using an electronic device while driving. A CBS 2 report showed her watching a Netflix movie while driving.
Passenger Tara Heine shot video while in the backseat of Wright's cab.
"I told her at this point 'I'm going to have to ask you not to hold the phone while you're driving me. I don't feel safe,'" said Heine.
And just three weeks ago, a CBS 2 producer captured video of an Uber driver watching a video on her phone while driving.
In 2020, Cook County will get more surveillance cameras on expressways. For the first time, those cameras would be equipped to record footage, not just live stream video.
The move follows the death of postal worker Tamara Clayton. She was shot and killed on I-57 in January and her killer still hasn't been caught.
State police said there are continuing discussions with IDOT to increase the number of cameras along the expressways in Cook County. ISP said extra patrols and specialty teams are in place to stop violent acts from taking place on area expressways.
