Halfway through May is a fine time to revisit some of the legislation covered earlier in the session, among more than 11,800 bills and resolutions filed since the current General Assembly started in January 2025.
March 31: The second time might be the charm for a “junk fees” ban. House Bill 288 was among about 150 proposals to advance from committees in late March, then in early April, the full House endorsed the measure 77-18. That gets the plan to a similar proposal in 2024 that never reached the full Senate floor. This version has six Senate sponsors, and on May 6, the Judiciary Committee advanced it 6-2.
According to Capitol News Illinois, House sponsor Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, said the “bill delivers on a promise that’s quite simple: The price that you see should be the price that you pay.” I’m all for making sure nothing gets buried in the fine print only to be sprung on consumers near the end of a transaction, but I won’t be holding my breath on what I really want: a truth in taxation law that spells out which government unit gets what cut on every cash register receipt.
April 4: A column about Senate Bill 3014, which would reduce roadblocks to the wide deployment of solar panel systems that plug into standard wall outlets, drew positive reader feedback but appears stalled in the Energy and Public Utilities Committee.
With 17 Senate sponsors so far and seven amendments proposed to the original bill, this seems like an idea whose time will come, but isn’t likely to get across the finish line with lawmakers juggling so many other priorities. Amid concerns of technology and safety regulations moving faster than legislators, it’ll be worth noting how other states handle implementation. Utah led the way, but many other states are considering and advancing similar proposals.
April 11: HB 4948, which sets conditions allowing problematic drivers to avoid a suspension by consenting to the installation of a speed control device in their vehicle, has cleared two major hurdles: the House voted 77-24-1 on April 16 to send it to the Senate, where on Wednesday the Transportation Committee approved 18-0.
State Rep. Marti Deuter, D-Elmhurst, has told Capitol News Illinois that “Data indicates that about 75% of the people whose licenses are suspended continue to drive.” As noted earlier, HB 4948 basically concedes that those people have and will continue to beat the system. Which means the other 25% get what benefit exactly?
No driver lands in this precarious position without first earning a license suspension or revocation, so sympathy is scarce. But whether this new technology actually improves roadway safety definitely remains to be seen.
• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.
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May 16, 2026 at 10:06AM
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