SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
Missouri: Same-sex couples are not allowed to legally marry in Missouri, although in November, Gov. Jay Nixon announced same-sex couples who are legally married in other states can file joint state tax returns.
Illinois: On November 20, Gov. Pat Quinn signed the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act into law. Same-sex couples can begin marrying in Illinois beginning June 1.
AUTO INSPECTIONS
Missouri: All motor vehicles older than five years must pass a vehicle safety inspection within 60 days prior to every title application and license or registration renewal. And if a vehicle is registered in St. Louis, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Franklin County, or Jefferson County, it is subject to an emissions inspection, unless it meets certain criteria.
Illinois: If your vehicle is 4 years old and a 1996 model or newer, Illinois generally requires a vehicle emissions test every two years for residents in certain ZIP codes of the Chicago and Metro East areas.
PHONE RECORDINGS
Missouri: Missouri’s phone recording law requires only one party in the conversation to consent to intercepting or recording any wire, oral, or electronic communication.
Illinois: In Illinois, it’s a crime to use an “eavesdropping device”—“any device capable of being used to hear or record oral conversation or intercept, retain, or transcribe electronic communications”—without consent of all parties to the conversation.
AT-WILL EMPLOYMENT
Missouri: Missouri is an employment-at-will state, meaning an employer can terminate an employee for any reason, unless he or she has a contract.
Illinois: Illinois also follows the employment-at-will doctrine, though it’s one of 37 states that recognize an implied contract exception, meaning an employer may not fire an employee in violation of an implied contract, such as an employer’s personnel policy. The burden of proof is on the fired employee.
RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY TAXES
Missouri: According to a recent residential property tax report by the nonprofit Tax Policy Center, Missouri had the 23rd-highest mean property-tax rate in the nation, at 0.97 percent of a home’s value, between 2007 and 2011.
Illinois: Illinois had a mean property-tax rate of 1.79 percent between 2007 and 2011, the sixth-highest in the country.
OPEN CONTAINERS FOR CAR PASSENGERS
Missouri: It’s legal for passengers in a vehicle to drink.
Illinois: It’s illegal for a passenger in a car to drink alcohol—all previously opened alcohol containers must be transported in a car’s trunk.
