After dedicating several columns to reviewing legislation taking effect Jan. 1, perhaps the biggest takeaway is just how much gets accomplished in a given legislative session – to say nothing of all the proposals that die in committee.
So far, every featured law originated in the House. While the list of House bills reached almost 200, the Senate list approaches 120. Here are a few worth noting:
As someone who lives just a few blocks from our county’s only Level I trauma center – with K-8 schools in between – Senate Bill 1251 caught my immediate attention. State Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove, sponsored the plan to increase training for drivers of ambulances and other emergency vehicles. According to a news release, Johnson advanced the proposal in response to a May 2022 Waukegan incident where an ambulance struck and killed a 23-year-old motorcyclist.
The law is named after the victim, Donald “DJ” Stallworth III. Crash reports indicate the collision happened when the ambulance went through a stop sign without having its siren activated. In addition to mandated training on light and siren protocol, the law also clarifies when ambulances going through red lights or stop signs must use both lights and sounds.
“Proper training will help save lives,” Johnson said. “As first responders work to protect one life, we must ensure other lives are not at risk.”
That’s a fair assessment. As I stood in the frong yard with our dogs about 11:30 p.m. Christmas Eve, a southbound ambulance punctuated the usual holiday lights with its own flashing pattern. There was no siren, as there were no moving cars or people, inviting a pause to send good thoughts into the universe. If this law can prevent future tragedy, it will have been worth the effort. If it makes a bunch of people mad about extra noise, further clarification may be in order.
Two other quick hits on consumer advocacy efforts: SB 328, which passed without a single “no” vote, requires companies offering automatically renewable contracts to “disclose the automatic renewal offer terms clearly and conspicuously in the contract before the subscription or purchasing agreement is fulfilled” with extra provisions for whether the contract offer is written or verbal.
Then there’s SB 1440, which passed the House 99-4 and the Senate 56-1. State Sen. Rachel Ventura, D-Joliet, sponsored the plan to force anyone sending a postcard in Illinois to clearly note if it is a solicitation. That means no more “final notice” mailers under the pretense of mandatory home or vehicle warranty extensions
The General Assembly’s business is about much more than the issues dominating headlines during campaign season. Not all the work is exciting – and some is purely ceremonial – but it’s all official and impactful.
• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Media. Follow him on Twitter @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.
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December 30, 2023 at 04:52AM
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