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New Year, New Missouri & Illinois Laws

December 29, 2024

Hanks free driving, Minimum Wage, Paid Leave, and Expunging Criminal Records are all new laws that will take effect on January 1, 2025.

Starting on New Year’s Day, drivers caught violating Missouri’s hands-free phone law could face fines as opposed to only warnings.

The state’s “Siddens Bening Hands Free Law” itself took effect in August 2023 to prohibit drivers from distractions like holding a phone to text, call, or perform other tasks while behind the wheel.

Minimum Wage and Paid Leave

Starting on New Year’s Day, the state’s minimum wage is set to increase to $13.75 per hour for workers of “all private and non-exempt businesses,” according to the Missouri Department of Labor.

Missouri voters approved Proposition A in the November General Election to set the stage for minimum wage increases over the next two years.

When Proposition A takes effect, it will also require businesses with 15 or more employees to provide one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.