ST. LOUIS – As a new year rolls in, so do new laws. Missouri will impose penalties for violations of a distracted driving law, people will be able to apply for expungements as a result of criminal justice reform, and the state’s minimum wage will be raised. Illinois continued to increase the minimum wage and enacted new employer laws.
Missouri Criminal Reform
Individuals may apply for multiple expungements if the crimes were committed as part of the same course of criminal activity. The crimes must have been prosecuted under the jurisdiction of a Missouri court.
Certain crimes are not eligible for expungement, including class A felony offenses, dangerous felonies, offenses requiring sex offender registration, any felony offense of assault, any felony offense of domestic assault, any felony offense of kidnapping, and any felony offense involving death.
Other crimes ineligible for expungement include intoxication-related traffic or boating offenses, certain county/state/municipal ordinances governing motor vehicle operation, unlawful use of weapons, and others.
Petitions must include the petitioner’s full name, gender, race, driver’s license number (if applicable), current address, each crime for which the petitioner is seeking expungement, the date the petitioner was charged, the counties and municipalities in which they were charged, the case number, and the name of the court for each crime. Additional rules apply.
Missouri minimum wage increase
After voters approved Proposition A on November 5, 2024, Missouri’s minimum wage will be raised to $13.75 per hour. It will rise to $15 per hour at the start of 2026.
Missouri Siddens Bening Hands Free Law
The hands-free law requires drivers to put down their phones while operating motor vehicles. Drivers are not permitted to use an electronic communication device, write, send, or read any text-based communication.
Manually typing letters, numbers, or symbols into an app/website/search engine is strictly prohibited. Hand-free and voice-operated features are permitted.
Watching videos or movies on an electronic device will be illegal.
Drivers cannot record, post, send, or broadcast video.
For more information, see our hands-free law article.
Illinois minimum wage increase
The Illinois minimum wage, which was initially enacted on January 1, 2024, will be raised again on January 1, 2025. The minimum wage will rise to $15 per hour, $9 tipped, and youth under 18 who work fewer than 650 hours per calendar year may be paid $13 per hour.
Employers may apply for licenses to pay learners and certain workers with physical and mental disabilities less than the standard rate. Employers must pay overtime after 40 hours or work per week at time and a half the regular rate.
Illinois Job description transparency
If an employer has 15 or more employees, they must include pay scale and benefit information in their job postings.
Illinois pay-period pay stubs
Each pay period, employers must provide their employees with pay stubs containing information on hours worked, pay rates, overtime pay, and wage deductions. They will be required to keep a copy of an employee’s pay stub for three years after payment, even if the employee has left the company. An employee or former employee may request copies of their pay stubs.
