March 5, 2010

Legislative committees met continuously during the week as Senate lawmakers attempted to move all Senate bills out of committee by the scheduled March 5 deadline.

The Senate Executive Committee considered legislation that would require a photo of any prisoner who received early release to be posted online, while additional measures would increase the speed limit for cars and trucks to 70 mph on rural interstates and allow $300 million in short-term borrowing for health care providers.

Following reported problems and abuses related to Gov. Pat Quinn’s “MGT Push” inmate early release program, Senate Bill 3411 was introduced to make public identifying information and a photograph of any inmate who is released earlier than was delineated in their initial sentence. The information would not only include the inmate’s name and age, but also his or her physical attributes, address, the offense that was committed and the county where the conviction took place.

Only months after a 2009 law went into effect allowing big trucks to travel 65 miles per hour on certain Illinois interstates, a measure has been introduced to increase the state speed limit to 70 mph for both cars and big rigs on interstates outside of heavily populated areas, like Chicago or collar counties and other urban areas.

March 4, 2010

On March 3, Sen. Dillard met with former professional hockey player Stan Mikita. The hockey legend and Hall of Famer played for the Chicago Blackhawks throughout his entire career. In 1961 he and his fellow Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup.

Mikita traveled to Springfield to meet with lawmakers and attend a cable industry reception.

SPRINGFIELD – To ensure students with diabetes are safe in school, and have the same access to academic opportunities as other children, State Sen. Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale) has sponsored legislation to protect and provide commonsense care for diabetic children.

“Unfortunately, there is no standard policy outlining how Illinois schools should care for diabetic students. This creates a problem for parents who often have to go to school during the day to ensure their child is receiving the medical treatment and attention they need. It’s also dangerous for the student, negatively impacts their classroom experience, and creates uncertainty for administrators and educators, who often have little or no experience in dealing with diabetes,” Dillard explained.

Senate Bill 3822 would allow a parent with a diabetic child to submit a diabetes care plan to a public, private or charter school. The plan would include reasonable requests for services and accommodations, must reflect the current standard of diabetic care, and include appropriate safeguards to ensure diabetic equipment is disposed of properly.

February 19, 2010

Resolutions were filed on Feb. 18 to amend the Illinois Constitution with reforms that would take the power of drawing legislative maps out of lawmakers’ hands and place it into the hands of an independent commission.

House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 56 and Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 104 take an initiative sponsored by the League of Women Voters and other government reform groups and put it into legislation for General Assembly passage.

The current process allows legislative leaders to draw district boundaries behind closed doors. The constitutional amendment would require public hearings, ensure public display of proposed maps and allow public submission of proposed maps.  Since 2001, incumbents have a 98 percent reelection rate; passage of the amendment will encourage competition and promote diversity.

The League of Women Voters has taken the lead in recommending the constitutional amendment, and has partnered with other reform groups, including: the Better Government Association, members of the Illinois Reform Commission, the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, Common Cause – Illinois, the Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Americans for Prosperity, Illinois Alliance for Growth, Independent Voters of Illinois and United Power for Action and Justice.
 
“We are thrilled that legislative leaders are proposing this constitutional amendment with our language in it—and we are hopeful that lawmakers will do the right thing and pass it through the General Assembly,” said Jan Czarnik, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters. 

According to state law, in order for the Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment  to appear on the ballot in November—the General Assembly must pass it with a 3/5th majority by May 2, 2010 (six months before the election).