By: Mark Glennon*
Drum roll, please. It’s more like a David Letterman skit, but they intend this to be serious. Illinois Senate Democrats proudly released their top ten new laws for this year.
Let’s be clear: Most of these are fine and some are great, especially the one on organ transplants. This is not to mock the importance of the topics they address.
It’s just that we have a fiscal crisis. The state is insolvent, our population and tax base are shrinking, the rest of the country is ridiculing us and it would be nice if they could highlight something they did – anything – that might help on those topics.
Here are their top ten:
- Sticker shock or driving hazard? Those great deals might get you onto the lot, but a new law makes sure the numbers are off the windshield before you drive away. HB733 Sen. Cristina Castro.
- Gift of Life Hundreds of Illinoisans are waiting for life-saving organ transplants. A new state law gives 16- and 17-year olds the option of signing up to be organ and tissue donors when they apply for a driver’s license or identification card. HB1805 Sen. Mattie Hunter.
- Expelled from preschool? Early childhood programs will need to find services to help young children resolve problems rather than simply kicking them out. HB2663 Sen. Kimberly Lightford.
- Personal security in the internet age Intimidation, stalking, cyber- stalking or transmission of obscene messages could be considered hate crimes. HB3711 Sen. Omar Aquino A related measure expands cyberstalking penalties to cover tracking software and threats. HB3251 Sen. Tom Cullerton.
- Happy Obama Day August 4 is our 44th President’s birthday. It’s also now Barack Obama Day in Illinois to honor the Chicagoan’s historic election and two terms in the White House. SB55 Sen. Emil Jones, III.
- A call for empowerment Domestic violence victims won’t have to pay to break cell phone contracts and can keep their numbers when they leave their abusers. A new law lets them keep their number and save the related costs for a new account. SB57 Sen. Steve Stadelman.
- Know what you’re paying for Women often end up paying more than men for dry cleaning, haircuts and other services. A new state law requires price lists for standard. services so customers can make more informed decisions. SB298 Sen. Melinda Bush.
- Divorce goes to the dogs When pets are considered marital assets, who gets custody can become part of the proceedings. SB1261 Sen. Linda Holmes.
- Ending elephant abuse in circuses Confinement and brutal training practices mean elephants are often abused while in circuses or traveling animal acts. African and Asian elephants can no longer be used in these settings in Illinois. SB1342 Sen. Linda Holmes.
- No stars? No problem. Great food. Terrible service. Probably wouldn’t go there again. Some businesses don’t want you leaving negative feedback on apps like Yelp. Now customers have the right to post reviews whether positive or negative. SB1898 Sen. Steve Stadelman.
In fairness, they did label their top 10 list as the “most interesting” of the year. So, maybe the meaty but boring stuff is in their complete list of all bills passed in 2017. Nope. try to find even one new law on that list that will make a material difference to our fiscal and economic problems. Look for anything that makes hiring easier or the state more attractive for employers, or will grow the tax base, or somehow says to business, “we want you here.” Maybe two or three very small ones are all you’ll find.
Or search that list for the word “repeal.” You’ll find it once (but it’s actually just an extension of some particular repeal date). Is there nothing in the labyrinth of the state that shouldn’t be axed?
Same for the word “abolished.” Hey, there’s one good one here. Road districts can now be abolished by public referendum. The only other place the word appears is respecting some radiological board and standards.
What you will find is 19 pages of of additional bureaucracy and complexity. Not a single reform to address our fiscal crisis.
*Mark Glennon is founder and Executive Editor of Wirepoints. Opinions expressed are his own.
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The Senate Democrats omitted from their Top 10 two bills that became law this year that redefined the state definitions of a male and when life begins. As a result, males can now get a taxpayer subsidized abortion. That is not interesting? One bill was included on the list as an honorable mention, and the other not mentioned. More specifically, biological females who change their birth certificate sex designation to male, get pregnant, and qualify for a taxpayer funded abortion, can get an abortion. Biological males and birth certificate males are no longer always one and the same in Illinois.… Read more »
This is interesting; thanks Mike.
So I have one question: If it’s a law that a fetus is not a human being any longer, how does the state now charge a defendant with manslaughter or murder when ending a pregnancy of a victim through any number of incidents? I sincerely ask. Or is there already a separate law that classifies manslaughter of a fetus as a separate crime, much like killing a dog or a cat?
What a tangled web we weave.
No clue. Here is the text of the abortion bill. http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/100/PDF/100-0538.pdf The underlined text is additions and the stricken text is deletions. There are organizations who spend a lot of time on these types of issues, such as the Illinois Family Institute, Illinois Right to Life, and others. The question could be sent to your State Senator and Representative. LifeNews is a news aggregator for Pro Life issues. One big problem is our state legislative process is not transparent enough. Maybe someone posed a similar or related question during a committee hearing, testimony, on the house or senate floor, etc.… Read more »