Inside:
- Saving Family Farms
- Senate bills arriving in the House
- New anti-distracted driving program
- More news
Speaking about the future of family farms
This week I joined a couple of the other farmers in the House of Representatives for a press conference on farm safety and the future of family farms in Illinois.
We talked about reforming Illinois’ estate tax laws to keep families from losing their farms when there is a death in the family. We also discussed legislation to keep farmers and rural motorists safe, as well as my bill to help beginning farmers get started.
Agriculture is our number one industry in Illinois. Nearly one million people are employed in the food and fiber industries here in Illinois. Illinois agriculture products generate over $50 billion annually, including crop production, manufacturing machinery, food production and sales, renewable fuels and more. In our area, agriculture is absolutely essential to the survival of our communities.
While agriculture is critical to our present, it is also important for our future. We need to get the next generation of farmers up and running in agriculture. So earlier this year I sponsored a bill to create an income tax credit for the owner of an agricultural asset who sells or rents that asset to a beginning farmer. This is a way to help ensure that the next generation of Illinois farmers is able to get started in agriculture. Unfortunately, my bill was never called up for a committee hearing or a vote.
We need to get serious about supporting agriculture and securing its future.
Senate bills arriving in the House
This week the House returned to Springfield to start reviewing bills that have already passed the Senate. I am sponsoring a pair of these Senate bills in the House.
Senate Bill 1814 would help educate Illinoisans about the signs, symptoms and management of amniotic fluid embolism. This is a life-threatening condition that can occur if amniotic fluid enters the bloodstream of an expectant mother. It can strike suddenly and is often fatal, but with education mothers and physicians can learn the warning signs and take the rapid action that is required to save lives. The bill passed the Senate unanimously earlier this year.
A second Senate bill I am sponsoring in the House deals with online auctions and estate sales. Senate Bill 2351 will make some changes to the way online auctions and estate sales are conducted in Illinois. It, too, passed the Senate unanimously before arriving in the House.
Both bills passed House committees this week and are now awaiting action by the full House of Representatives.
New anti-distracted driving program
Before they are able to get their driver’s license, student drivers in Illinois will be better acquainted with the dangers of distracted driving.
The Secretary of State has announced a “One Road, One Focus” campaign to make student drivers aware of “the consequences of dangerous driving behaviors.” Far too many Illinoisans, of all ages, have been in accidents that involved distracted driving. Nationally, more than 300,000 people have been hurt in distracted driving accidents, and over 3000 have been killed.
The new policy will require student drivers to watch a video on the dangers of distracted driving after they obtain a learner’s permit, but before they can get a driver’s license. There will also be educational billboards and a special enforcement effort by law enforcement to help spread awareness.
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
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