I had the great pleasure of meeting with Mascoutah Chamber of Commerce this morning to provide legislative updates and how recent bills that passed through the General Assembly will affect businesses in the 114th District.
We had productive conversations about the needs and concerns from business owners, and will continue to work together to help improve the business atmosphere in Illinois.
Thank you all for taking the time to meet with me today!
Legislative Update on bills supported by Illinois Chambers:
SB0071:
This bill creates an amendment to the Illinois Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act. It basically requires state and local emergency members to partner with school districts to analyze any safety threats that may come from hazardous substances that are stored or transported to nearby schools. After assessments of potential safety concerns, a comprehensive emergency response plan must be implemented.
HB3177:
House bill 3177 amends the Innovations for Transportation Infrastructure Act. It allows IDOT or the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority to use the design-build project delivery method of $500 million (rather than $400 million) of contracts awarded on an annual basis. (rather than during IDOT’s multi-year highway improvement program for any 5-year period) This bill removes limitations on contract work increases funds to be used for improvements.
HB2391:
This bill amends the Environmental Protection Act and is supported by the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. It allows treated municipal wastewater from a publicly owned treatment works to be authorized and used for irrigation and industrial use. Prior to this bill, water reclamation was only allowed to be used for irrigation, so now treated municipal wastewater can be used for a variety of projects throughout the industrial sector.
SB1999:
This bill Amends the Department of Transportation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. It requires IDOT to develop and implement a life-cycle costs analysis for each new construction, reconstruction, or replacement road project. So, members of an advisory committee will determine if a home is eligible for reconstruction if it causes offensive odors that impact nearby homes and/or businesses.
SB1236:
This bill amends the Business Assistance and Regulatory Reform Act and requires the Office of Business to implement comprehensive reforms to expedite permit applications. The Office is also required to utilize modern-day technology in order to track important data such as project schedules and metrics to improve the process of getting permits approved. This is a great bill that will improve transparency and create a better process for permit approvals.