During a flurry of weekend activity, the Illinois General Assembly concluded the 2019 Spring Legislative Session. Illinois lawmakers are taking bows for passing the following legislation:
Illinois Senate Bill 25, repeals the Illinois Abortion Law, which could punish doctors for performing abortions a law that has technically been on the books since the ‘70s but is not in practice due to court injunctions and decrees. SB 25 also repeals the state’s ban on partial-birth abortions, stipulates that all health insurance companies cover abortion procedures at any stage of pregnancy and for any reason, and wipes away the state’s Abortion Performance Refusal Act that allows doctors and hospitals to refuse to perform abortion procedures on the grounds of moral objections.
The bill that establishes abortion (up to birth) as a “fundamental right” easily passed both chambers of the legislature and now heads to the desk of Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) who is an avid supporter of abortion rights and has vowed to sign off on it.
Expanding gambling with 6 new casinos; the bill allows the Chicago casino to have 4,000 slot machines and table games (more than most casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.) Sports betting (online and within major sports stadiums in Chicago will be permitted. The legislation forbids betting on Illinois college teams…
Allowing inmates to vote while adding a polling place in the Cook County Jail
Removing the $5 co-pay for inmates thus making medical and dental care completely free.
Illinois’ medical marijuana program would become permanent through a bill that received final approval Sunday in the Senate.
Illinois residents would be able to identify as non-binary, male or female, on driver’s licenses or state identification cards under a bill given final approval. When the bill is signed into law, Illinois would join a handful of states and Washington, D.C., in offering a gender-neutral option for official identification.
Senate Bill 172 would allow student trustees, who may or may not be citizens, to serve of the Board of Trustees for the University of Illinois. Student trustees have the authority to influence decisions with lasting effects on the University of Illinois and taxpayers. [ …“This is terrible practice. The ability to bond out our institutions; the ability to set policy; the ability to adopt tenure,” Rep. Chesney (R, 89th Dist.). “This is yet another attempt by our Democratic colleagues to extend voting rights to non-citizens.”…]
Passed legislation preventing police from enforcing laws and making Illinois a Sanctuary State. …“Local law enforcement agencies would be prohibited from entering into agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to enforce federal immigration law under legislation that received final approval Thursday in the Senate..the bill’s sponsors voiced concerns in light of President Donald Trump’s hardline stance on immigration.”
Passed a bill that requires all refineries, petrochemical, ethanol, organic chemical plants to become unionized.
Passed a constitutional amendment to go from a flat income tax to a progressive income tax.
Gas tax will double from 19 cents per gallon to 38 cents per gallon (but Chicago gets to tack on another 3 cents.) Truckers and others that use diesel will now pay a tax of 45.5 cents per gallon.
Annual vehicle registration fees go up $50 (from $98 per vehicle to $148.) Electric vehicles see an increase of $248. Raising license plate fees to $199.
Increasing taxes on cigarettes by $1.00 per pack (to $2.98) and e-cigarettes would be taxed the same as tobacco.
Increases hourly or daily parking garage taxes by 6% - parking spaces paid for monthly or annually will be increased 9%.
And last but not least, Illinois lawmakers will get a $1,600-a-year salary increase after the House surprised the Senate by slipping a pay raise into budget legislation, then refusing to take action on the Senate’s attempt to reverse it.
Illinois joins California and New York is pushing their liberal agenda…proof that the democrats do not care about the hard working (legal) citizens of the “Land of Lincoln.”
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-met-illinois-general-assembly-session-wrap-20190602-story.html
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2019/6/3/18650891/illinois-legislature-pay-raises-2019-state-budget
https://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2019/06/illinois-perfect-storm-gene-kollack.html
https://www.wbez.org/shows/wbez-news/budget-gambling-expansion-infrastructure-advance-in-historic-springfield-session/e29428bb-fd25-4258-9b5a-abbad1ec7572
https://repchesney.com/2019/05/24/chesney-opposes-legislation-to-extend-voting-rights-to-non-citizens-in-illinois/
https://www.sj-r.com/news/20190601/abortion-rights-bill-clears-senate-pritzker-will-sign-into-law
https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-met-illinois-legislature-tax-fee-hikes-20190603-story.html