David Curtin, IFI’s lobbyist in Springfield, notes that there a race to see who goes on to the November election in November and apparently a race to see who can pass the worst piece of legislation. It reads like a “Greatest Hits Against Life, Family and Fairness.”
Please take time to file witness slips on these bills. Then send email the lawmakers who need to hear from you on each one.
Witness Slip Instructions
- Click on the witness slip link for each bill.
- Fill out your personal information.
- Under Firm/Business/Agency, Title, Representation, type “self” or “NA” if you are not representing an organization and do not have a title.
- Under Position – Add Legislation, select Original Bill, unless otherwise noted.
- Under Add Position, select Oppose, or in one case, Support. Then click Add Position. (Your position will then appear in the box to the right with a red circle and an x inside of it.)
- Select Record of Appearance Only.
- Check that you agree to the ILGA Terms of Agreement.
- Check that you aren’t a robot.
- Click Submit Witness Slip.
HB 2 – LaShawn Ford (D-Chicago): would allow people to vote in prison. Illinois law has long said you regain voting rights once you finish your sentence, but this proposal wipes out that line entirely. It’s another example of the supermajority trying to find votes wherever they can as well as pushing to expand voting in ways that weaken basic guardrails around election integrity. The hearing will take place in the House Ethics & Elections Committee on Wednesday, March 18th at 3:00 PM in Room D-1, Stratton.
Click HERE to file a witness slip in OPPOSITION to HB 2.
Click HERE to send your state representative an email to OPPOSE HB 2.
HB 1442– Nabeela Syed (D-Palatine): current law says that counties may offer curbside voting. HB 1442 would make it mandatory for both early voting and on election day. Moving further away from a controlled polling location makes oversight more difficult with greater chance of ballot-handling problems. The hearing will take place in the House Ethics & Elections Committee on Wednesday, March 18th at 3:00 PM in Room D-1, Stratton.
Click HERE to file a witness slip in OPPOSITION to HB 1442. Note: under Add Legislation, select HCA 1.
Click HERE to send your state representative an email to OPPOSE HB 1442.
HB 3355 – Carol Ammons (D-Urbana): authorizes election officials to mail live ballots to all registered voters in Illinois. The chaos, cheating and fraud as a result of this becoming law would be hard to imagine. Dead people and those that have moved would be voting in every election. Ironically, the sponsor of this bill is the wife of the Champaign County Clerk, who oversees the election process in the county. Champaign County is dubbed the Cook County of downstate. The hearing will take place in the House Ethics & Elections Committee on Wednesday, March 18th at 3:00 PM in Room D-1, Stratton.
Click HERE to file a witness slip in OPPOSITION to HB 3355.
Click HERE to send your state representative an email to OPPOSE HB 3355.
HB 5022 – Sonya Harper (D-Chicago): HB 5022 is a Pandora’s box that must remain closed. It allows abortion providers to use licensed birthing centers and loosens restrictions on midwives and other practitioners of abortion, continuing the drift from physician-only requirements. It establishes rights for the mother and newborn under the World Health Organization. It removes child-protection reporting tied to drug-exposed newborns. The hearing will take place in the House Health Care Availability & Accessibility Committee at 5:00 PM on Wednesday, March 18th in Room C-1, Stratton.
Click HERE to file a witness slip in OPPOSITION to HB 5022.
Click HERE to send your state representative an email to OPPOSE HB 5022.
HB 5295 – Mary Beth Canty (D-Arlington Heights): creates a legal firewall around abortion services in Illinois by prohibiting Illinois medical providers from sharing abortion-related records with out-of-state investigators looking into abortion cases. If providers fail to shield the records properly, it allows for lawsuits and penalties. The hearing will take place in the House Health Care Availability & Accessibility Committee at 5:00 PM on Wednesday, March 18th in Room C-1, Stratton.
Click HERE to file a witness slip in OPPOSITION to HB 5295.
Click HERE to send your state representative an email to OPPOSE HB 5295.
HB 2400 – Michael Kelly (D-Chicago): This bill increases penalties for aggravated criminal sexual assault and predatory criminal sexual assault of a child. It adds additional prison time for offenders convicted of some of the most serious sexual crimes. The hearing will take place in the House Judiciary – Criminal Committee at 5:00 PM on Wednesday, March 18th in Room D-1, Stratton.
Click HERE to file a witness slip in SUPPORT OF HB 2400.
Click HERE to send your state representative an email to SUPPORT HB 2400.
HB 2679 – Margaret Croke (D-Chicago): This bill adds abortion clinics and reproductive health facilities to Illinois’ terrorism and catastrophe statutes. That means certain crimes tied to those facilities would carry much harsher penalties. The fact that recent targets of terror have not been included, such as Tesla dealerships and campus buildings damaged by pro-Hamas demonstrators, is troubling. And why isn’t she adding churches since over 400 have been attacked in the last 5 years? Or pregnancy care centers where, in the last year alone, 90 have been set on fire or vandalized? The hearing will take place in the House Judiciary – Criminal Committee at 5:00 PM on Wednesday, March 18th in Room D-1, Stratton.
Click HERE to file a witness slip in OPPOSITION to HB 2679.
Click HERE to send your state representative an email to OPPOSE HB 2679.
HB 5095 – Mary Beth Canty (D-Arlington Heights): On Illinois driver’s licenses and ID cards, applicants would be able to select “male,” “female,” or “X,” and could change the designation any time by submitting a gender designation form. The hearing will take place in the House State Government Administration Committee at 2:00 PM on Thursday, March 19th in Room C-1 Stratton.
Click HERE to file a witness slip in OPPOSITION to HB 5095.
Click HERE to send your state representative an email to OPPOSE HB 5095.
HB 4596 – Dave Vella (D-Loves Park): creates a new unit inside the Illinois Department of Public Health to monitor and “counter” what it considers health misinformation. In plain English, it gives the state the ability to police speech about public health issues. The definitions are broad and vague, and it opens the door to government deciding what is acceptable speech on controversial medical or moral issues. Violations would violate the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act and could result in fines up to $2,500, and for subsequent violations, up to $25K and 5 years in prison. Big Brother means business! The hearing will take place in the House Public Health Committee at 8:00 AM on Friday, March 20th in Room C-1 Stratton.
Click HERE to file a witness slip in OPPOSITION to HB 4596.
Click HERE to send your state representative an email to OPPOSE HB 4596.
HB 2929 – LaShawn Ford (D-Chicago): the original bill requires the Department of Human Services to collect data and research the effectiveness of “Overdose Prevention Sites” that actually offer “pre-obtained substances;” … “sterile injection or other substance use supplies” and “safer smoking and safer snorting kits.”
The witness slips are in opposition to House Floor Amendment 3, which amends to bill to grant immunity from civil and criminal liability. Why would immunity be needed?! The hearing will take place in the House Mental Health & Addiction Committee at 10:00 AM on Friday, March 20th in Room 413 Stratton.
Click HERE to file a witness slip in OPPOSITION to HB 2929. Note: under Add Legislation, select HFA 3.
Click HERE to send your state representative an email to OPPOSE HB 2929.
THANK YOU!
