By Dave Dahl
SPRINGFIELD – As the Illinois General Assembly waits for a budget to be put together for a hoped-for Friday vote, other legislation is passing.
A bill sponsored by State Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer recalls a recent tragedy: last fall’s crash of a hazardous materials truck at Teutopolis, causing five deaths and eleven injuries.
“This bill just says, in the Rules of the Road book, that all kids have to go through before they get their driver’s license, we have to include (information about) hazardous material placards,” said Davidsmeyer, “so they know that when they get around larger trucks or larger vehicles that have hazardous material placards, that they should be a little bit more careful as they drive around those vehicles.”
A seemingly mundane bill involving legislative rulemaking at the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security allowed Republicans to recall their feelings about how that agency and the governor responded to the pandemic.
“Our memories should be so very fresh, understanding when we give agencies of state government too much unilateral control,” said State Rep. Ryan Spain (R-Peoria). “Where we allow a chief executive of our government to have outsized, unchecked control. Anytime the legislature grants rulemaking authority to an agency, we are giving up a little piece of our control.”
SB 3406 (hazmat) has passed the House, 106-0, and awaits the governor’s action.
SB 3434 (IEMA-OHS) has passed the House, 67-39, and awaits the governor’s action.
Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected].
