SB 42, sponsored in the Illinois House by State Representative Curtis Tarver (D-Chicago), is a horrible bill that will put more high drivers on the roads.  It has passed in the Illinois Senate on April 10th and then out of the House Judiciary Committee last week, so it’s almost to the finish line. It would prohibit law enforcement from stopping a vehicle that smells of raw or “burnt” pot. It removes the requirement of transporting marijuana in an odor-proof container.

In most cases, there is more thoughtful debate in the Illinois Senate, but not for this bill. As mentioned, it passed easily in the Senate, but when it got to the Illinois House committee last week for a hearing, several state representatives raised a number of observations and concerns, starting with the most obvious concern – “this will keep high drivers on the road, which creates grave danger to others.”

They raised the issue of pot already being laced with fentanyl, and brought up the fentanyl crisis because it’s the number one killer of teens today! If we shield pot drivers from being pulled over because of the odor, it also limits the police from stopping fentanyl trafficking. What are they thinking?!

The other concern was the fact that the bill removes the restriction that requires marijuana to be transported in an odor-proof container plus it prohibits the police from searching a vehicle for marijuana if someone 21 or older is in the vehicle. In other words, there could be teens in the car with someone 21 years of age and the police would not be able to search the car even if it reeked of marijuana. Allowing this bill to pass into law would allow under-aged teens to consume marijuana illegally and the police would be unable to do anything about it.

The Rep. Tarver is reportedly going to try to fix SB 42. He did pledge to bring it back amended. We’re keeping a very close eye on a very bad bill. There’s nothing he could do to make this a good bill. In the meantime, it’s important that you call your state representatives.

TAKE ACTION: Please call and email your state representative to oppose SB 42. Click HERE for his/her contact information. Once you’ve entered your zip code and then your street address, your rep will be the last one in the list. Click HERE to send an email urging him/her to oppose SB 42.

SB 1560, sponsored in the Illinois House by State Representative Lindsey LaPointe (D-Chicago), is another horrible bill that mandates that all public school districts offer mental health screenings annually to students in grades 3 through 12. Shockingly, this bill passed out of the Illinois Senate on April 11th with no opposition. It contained all the family-friendly buzz words – privacy considerations, opt-outs, and confidentiality. But when the sponsor and the Illinois State Board of Education were pressed in the House Mental Health & Addiction Committee, it came out that only after the bill was signed into law would all the issues be ironed out.

There are multiple reasons this bill needs to be killed.

Who determines mental illness? The professionals that know better than parents who are intent on teaching our children that a boy can become a girl and marry either a man or a woman? The same “experts” that are grooming our young children for early sexual activity by teaching them a variety of sexual behaviors beginning in kindergarten? And to protect a mentally stressed student who learns she’s pregnant, would she be offered abortion information as the solution?

The bill contains an opt-out provision. How will that work? Will a note be sent home with the student that might never find its way to the parents? Will it be included with vision and hearing screenings as a courtesy notice? Or will opt-out notices be ignored completely like what recently happened in Massachusetts where parents opted their children out of a disgusting sex survey and students as young as 11 were given the survey anyway? How will the data be kept and with whom will it be shared? And lastly, what will this cost Illinois taxpayers?

Public schools are failing our children academically. Instead, they have become indoctrination centers. This bill will be used as a measure of how effective they have been.

It’s important that we do everything we can to protect public school students from being screened for mental health “problems.”

TAKE ACTION: Please call and email your state representative to oppose SB 1560. Click HERE for his/her contact information. Once you’ve entered your zip code and then your street address, your rep will be the last one in the list. Click HERE to email your state rep to urge him/her to oppose SB 1560.

HB 3489, sponsored in the Illinois Senate by State Senator Rachel Ventura (D-Joliet), allows pharmacists to dispense “morning after” abortion pills, whether prescribed or not, as they can dispense any contraceptive. These pills act as an abortifacient to prevent the implantation of a new human life after fertilization has taken place. It also mandates that our tax dollars pay for the pills through Medicaid.

It passed out of the Illinois House on April 8th and will be heard in the Senate Executive Committee on Wednesday, May 14th at 2 PM in Room 212 of the Capitol.

TAKE ACTION: Click HERE to file a witness slip in opposition to HB 3489.

MORE ACTION: Call and email your state senator. Click HERE for his/her contact information. Your state senator will be listed as the second to the last. Click HERE to send an email to urge your state senator to oppose HB 3489.

Witness Slip Instructions

(In any field where the system requires text be submitted, such as Firm/Business or Title, type in self.)

Section I. Enter your name, address, city and zip code. (Do not use punctuation.)

Section II. Leave it blank if you are not a representative of a group or business.

Section III. Check your position as Opponent or Proponent, depending on the bill.

Section IV. Unless you are filing a written statement, select Record of Appearance Only.

Lastly, agree to the terms of agreement by checking the box.

Click Create (Slip).

SB 9, sponsored by State Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora), would legalize physician assisted-suicide. The egregious bill still hasn’t gotten called in the Illinois Senate, but has been given an extended deadline of May 23rd to get it passed in that chamber. We cannot let up on the pressure to stop this bill before the session ends on May 31st.

In addition to calling your state senator, please make calls to these senators as well, urging them to oppose SB 9.

Senator Steve Stadelman – 217-782-8022

Senator Mike Simmons – 217-782-8492

Senator Elgie Sims – 217-782-3201

Senator Kimberly Lightford – 218-782-8505

HB 2827, introduced by State Representative Terra Costa Howard (D-Lombard) is still trying to bring her bill back, supposedly with an amendment. HB 2827 would require parents that homeschool to register their homeschooled children and possibly have their curriculum inspected by the local school officials or face fines and even prison time.

We are keeping a very close eye on both HB 2827 as well as HB 3518, which would legalize prostitution. Continue to ask the Lord to close the doors on these bills for good.

Thank you!