•January 5, 2022•

Employers and employees should be aware of new laws that took effect January 1st, as well as those already in effect due to action by the General Assembly and signature of Governor JB Pritzker.
“The mission at the Illinois Department of Labor is the same from year to year: protecting the rights, wages and welfare of workers. The tools we have to accomplish that mission sometimes change with legislative changes. There are several new laws that have either taken effect or will in the coming days that impact employees and employers across the state,” said Illinois Department of Labor Director Michael Kleinik.
The Victims’ Economic Security and Safety Act (VESSA) was amended to create the Violent Crime Victims’ Leave Act, which allows employees who are victims of violence or who have family or household members who are victims of violence to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per any 12-month period to seek medical help, legal assistance, counseling, safety planning, and other assistance. The amendment also prohibits employers from discriminating against employees who are victims of violence or who have family or household members who are victims of violence.
Beginning January 1, 2022, IDOL is responsible for maintaining a database that allows the public to search certified payrolls submitted by construction contractors on public works projects subject to the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act. This is the result of Public Act 102-0332, which is intended to ensure contractors are complying with the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act. Contractors are required to file those certified payrolls by the 15th of each month. By the 16th day of each month following the month work was performed, IDOL will make relevant information available to the public. More information about the database can be found here.
There are new health insurance coverage disclosures employers must make to better inform employees in accordance with the Consumer Coverage Disclosure Act. While state health insurance coverage requirements are limited to state-regulated plans, the new law brings transparency by requiring all employers doing business in Illinois to disclose to their employees what group health plans do and do not cover, if they provide group health insurance. Employers offering group health insurance plans in Illinois must provide employees with a comparison of coverage by the employer’s group health plan and the essential health benefits covered by ACA Marketplace health plans sold in Illinois. All in all, there are 42 medical services and treatments that employers must identify as covered or not. IDOL has provided employers guidance and necessary documents to comply with the disclosure requirements on its web site: Consumer Coverage Disclosure Act.
Trampoline courts will be subject to inspection and permitting under the Amusement Ride and Attraction Safety Act (ARAS) in 2022. IDOL does not allow amusement rides or attractions to operate unless they have been inspected and permitted. Rides and/or attractions are insured and meet predetermined safety standards before operating in Illinois. IDOL crafted legislation to make sure these facilities and employees meet industry standards. At the time of inspection, owners are required to provide documentation for all employees involved with the operation of trampoline equipment that a criminal history records check and sex offender registry check have been conducted, provide documentation they received proper training and have a substance abuse policy in place, which includes random drug testing. To read more about new rules for trampoline courts, click here.

•December 29, 2021•

State Representative Brad Halbrook invites residents in Moultrie County to meet him or his staff after the New Year at the Sullivan American Legion to discuss state issues and other concerns. Rep. Halbrook’s traveling office hours bring his office to communities throughout the district to better assist those who want to discuss issues face to face. He will hold traveling office hours on Monday, January 10, 2022 from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm at the Sullivan American Legion, 8 E. Strain St., Sullivan. “Conducting traveling office hours throughout the district is key to being able to meet one on one with more of the folks that I represent to update them on what’s happening in Springfield, and to hear their concerns, or to help with a problem they’re having,” Rep. Halbrook said. “This past year Democrats in the General Assembly passed measures that are directly impacting our families’ health care and parental rights. We head back to Springfield on January 4th, so we have a lot to talk about in the coming weeks.”
Representative Halbrook will be announcing more listening tour dates and locations in the coming weeks. He stressed that local residents are always welcome to call or stop by his Shelbyville office located at 203 N. Cedar (217-774-1306).

•December 22, 2021•

As required by Section 200/9-15 of the Property Tax Code, Moultrie County Chief County Assessment Officer, Cindy Kidwell, advises that she will be holding her Annual Meeting with the Moultrie County township and multi-township assessors on Wednesday, December 29, 2021 at 8:30 a.m. in the Moultrie County Board Room, 2nd Floor, Moultrie County Courthouse, 10 South Main Street, Sullivan, Illinois. The purpose of this meeting is to consult with and instruct the assessors in the uniformity of their functions. The meeting is open to the public.

•December 22, 2021•

A Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation was announced by the Governor on December 12 for the powerful storms and tornadoes that buffeted the southerly and central portions of Illinois. If there has been damage done to your property in Moultrie County please contact the Assessment Office to have your property reassessed. 217-728-4951. Lori Barringer, Chief County Assessment Officer.

•December 8, 2021•

The North American Aerospace Defense Command is celebrating the 66th Anniversary of tracking Santa’s yuletide journey around the globe! The NORAD Tracks Santa website, www.noradsanta.org, launching December 1, features Santa’s North Pole Village, which includes a holiday countdown, games, movie theater, holiday music, webstore, and more. The website is available in eight languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Chinese.
The official NORAD Tracks Santa app is also in the Apple App and Google Play stores, so parents and children can count down the days until Santa’s launch on their smart phones and tablets. Tracking opportunities are also offered through social media on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram, as well as on partner platforms Bing, Amazon Alexa and OnStar.
Starting at 4 a.m. EST on December 24, website visitors can see updates as Santa makes preparations for his flight. Then, at 6 a.m. EST, trackers worldwide can call to inquire as to Santa’s whereabouts by dialing the toll-free number 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) where they will either speak with a live phone operator or hear a recorded update. Due to COVID concerns, the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center will have fewer phone operators, so callers who do not reach a volunteer will hear a regularly updated recording as to Santa’s current location. Anytime on December 24, Amazon Alexa users can ask for Santa’s location through the NORAD Tracks Santa skill for Amazon Alexa, and OnStar subscribers can press the OnStar button in their vehicles to locate Santa. Santa Trackers can also use the Bing search engine to learn of Santa’s location.
Tracking Santa has been a tradition since 1955 when a local newspaper advertisement informed children they could call Santa directly – only the contact number was misprinted. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone rang through to the crew commander on duty, U.S. Air Force Colonel Harry Shoup, at the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center, the predecessor to NORAD. Col. Shoup was quick to realize a mistake had been made, and assured the child he was Santa. Shoup then assigned a duty officer to continue answering calls. Thus, a holiday tradition was born, which NORAD has carried on since it was created in 1958. Each year since, NORAD has reported Santa’s location on December 24 to millions of children and families around the world.
NORAD Tracks Santa is truly a global experience, delighting generations of families everywhere. This is due, in large part, to the efforts and services of numerous program contributors.