Catch up on summer legislative action!

I hope you all had a wonderful summer and wish everyone a smooth transition into the fall season.

Summer has been a busy time of year as legislation that was passed during the spring session was either signed into law or vetoed by the Governor. With more than 550 bills being approved by both legislative chambers, all were signed into law with the exception of six bills that received some sort of governor veto.

So what happens to those bills that were struck down? They're now back in the hands of the Legislature.

For the bills that received total vetoes, the Legislature will now have an opportunity to override those vetoes with a 3/5 majority of votes to enact the law. If a vetoed bill is not called for a vote, the veto stands, and the bill dies.

For the bills that received amendatory vetoes, the Legislature can either vote to approve the Governor’s amendments to the bill with a simple majority vote, or lawmakers can override the amendatory veto with a 3/5 majority vote to approve the original bill. If the bill is not called for either vote, the bill dies.

The General Assembly reconvenes for the annual fall veto session beginning in late October, which is a period designated to take up any vetoes that have been issued; however, any issue can be taken up.

Senate Republicans hope to take action on a number of pressing issues, including making fixes and improvements to the controversial SAFE-T Act and addressing the looming sunset date of the Invest in Kids program, which provides private scholarships to low-income students.

To learn more about the bills that passed the General Assembly, be sure to check out our “At A Glance” document, which summarizes all approved legislation from the spring session.

Sincerely,

John Curran
Illinois Senate Republican Leader

Newly signed McClure legislation helps restore and strengthen parental rights

If a parent has to consent for their child to receive a medical procedure or test, then they should be able to access the resulting records and results. That’s the idea behind a new law brought by State Senator Steve McClure.

Under prior Illinois law, parents have access to medical records for children under the age of 12; however, they can be denied access for children 12 -17 years of age, requiring those children to provide the parent consent. That poses a major problem for parents with special needs.

Sen. McClure sat down with the mother of a special needs child, who brought this issue to his attention. Check out the video above on how they worked together to change this law for parents across the state.

Watch

Governor vetoes bipartisan nuclear legislation

On Aug. 11, Gov. JB Pritzker issued a full veto of Senate Bill 76, which would have ended Illinois’ decades-old ban on the construction of advanced nuclear reactors.

Senate Bill 76, filed by Republican State Senator Sue Rezin, garnered strong bipartisan support, receiving a 36-14 vote in the Senate and an 84-22 vote in the House of Representatives. State Senator Sue Rezin says this legislation would have assisted in Illinois’ ongoing energy goals to build a cleaner, stronger, and more robust power supply, and that wind and solar alone cannot fulfill the state’s needs.

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Fowler bill to address food deserts now law

A new law chief co-sponsored by State Senator Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg) to address food insecurities and deserts across the state of Illinois is now on the books.

The first of its kind, this $20 million investment will open and expand grocery stores in underserved rural towns and neighborhoods, as more than 3 million people live in food deserts across our state.

Full Story

Rose’s legislation to make AIM HIGH Scholarship Program permanent signed into law

What began as a statewide pilot program, designed to keep the best and brightest students in Illinois, will now be permanent, due to legislation sponsored by State Senator Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet), which was recently signed into law.

“AIM HIGH has been a great success, and it is an honor to have been part of the bicameral, bipartisan group that conceived of the program,” said Rose. “For too long, Illinois universities have been playing a losing game against out-of-state schools that could offer better financial incentives to students. AIM HIGH helps to level the playing field so that our schools can fight to keep the best and brightest here in state.”

Please visit ILSenateGOP.org/DMVchanges for more information and to view a full list of appointment-only facilities and a list of DMV sites that have Saturday hours.