By GARY FORBY

Illinois State Senate

Jan. 1 marked the onset of many new laws taking effect here in Illinois.

While I have remained committed to getting the people of Southern Illinois back to work and promoting job growth and development, I have also sponsored some other new measures that have gone into effect recently.

Two of the bills that I sponsored are designed to promote responsibility for drivers and guarantee fairness for the hard-working people in Southern Illinois. Both of these measures will enhance the lives of the people in our community and will further ensure that our friends and neighbors continue to act responsibly.

The “Michael Dean Law” (House Bill 370) was inspired by the story of a man in our district. Michael Dean, a teacher from Johnston City, was killed in an accident caused by an uninsured driver.

Before this law, there was very little penalty for driving without insurance and causing an accident that results in injury or death. The only real consequence was a small fine with an inadequate enforcement mechanism; it was simply a slap on the wrist, and more needed to be done to hold uninsured drivers responsible.

The new law increases the penalty for uninsured drivers who cause an accident by classifying the offense as a Class A misdemeanor that would result in a one-year prison sentence and/or a fine of $2,500. In addition, the offender would not be eligible for court supervision.

Another law I sponsored encourages fairness for Southern Illinois workers. This new legislation, Senate Bill 223, clarifies which projects financed through the state fall under the prevailing-wage requirements.

Under previous law, it was unclear which public works projects were required to pay the prevailing wage for the work, even though parts of the financing came from the state. This new piece of legislation promotes workers’ rights and ensures the fair wages that workers deserve during these tough economic times.

I also co-sponsored two measures worth noting.

The “Silver Alert” bill (Senate Bill 27) establishes the Endangered Missing Person Advisory program to locate endangered high-risk missing persons. Based on the success of the “Amber Alert” program for missing children, this new bill creates a system to rapidly distribute information regarding persons with dementialike symptoms, seniors and persons with disabilities.

Another measure, Senate Bill 1906, extends the Illinois Finance Authority’s bonding authority for clean-coal projects and renewable energy projects to $3 billion from $2.7 billion. This will provide additional investment in one of our region’s most plentiful resources.

As we approach the beginning of a new spring session, I want to ensure my constituents that I will continue to fight for job growth in Southern Illinois and ensure the state is held accountable so that it pays its bills on time.

Although we have a lot on our plate in the coming months, I am confident we will work toward finding a responsible budget solution and continue to promote economic development throughout the state.

• Gary Forby is an Illinois state senator in the 59th District, which includes part of Hamilton County.