Results tagged “legislation”

U.S. Rep Dan Lipinski of Chicago has put an a proposal before Congress that's likely to either make you nod your head in agreement or ruffle your feathers about whether or not it's really important. As the Trib explains in a profile today, Lipinski's proposal looks to install federal regulations on size limits of carry-ons. The Congressman is also mulling over a proposal that would put caps on the fees several airlines charge for checked baggage. As for the size limit, David Castelveter, spokesman for the Air Transport Association, questioned its feasibility, asking, "Why set standards that apply to both a large wide-body plane and a regional jet?" Check out the full story at the Tribune.

All eyes are on Springfield as the General Assembly debates legislation affecting mental health funding in Chicago and Illinois.

The three-tier liquor distribution system established after the repeal of Prohibition was designed after our model of checks and balances between the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches of government. Ideally, no one branch between the maker (brewery, distiller or winery), wholesaler and retailer should wield excessive power. Here in the real world, however, money talks, or so goes the adage. That's especially true here in Illinois, where legislation regarding how alcohol gets to a consumer is dictated by the wholesalers through the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois, the powerful lobby for the state's liquor distributors. The ABDI was instrumental in the drafting and passing of HB 429 and SB 123, which prohibits out-of-state retailers (think wine clubs and online retailers) from selling to customers in Illinois.

For the dipshits among us planning on getting absolutely 'faced and cruising home a couple nights from now, here's another thing to consider before you pour yourself into the driver's seat and hit the highways. Whereas a DUI on December 31st would be terribly expensive, time-consuming and have negative legal consequences on your life, a DUI on January 1st is even worse. How could that be, you say?

Governor Rod Balgojevich will more than likely perform an amendatory veto on legislation regarding allowing hearsay in first-degree murder trials. According to the Trib, the bill, "would allow a judge to decide at a pretrial hearing whether hearsay testimony could be admitted into court if the prosecution could prove that the defendant made the witness disappear." The current incarnation of the bill, which passed both the state House and Senate, currently does not include an effective date. Such an exclusion would mean the bill wouldn't go into effect until July 1, 2009, but Blagojevich wants to make the bill effective immediately. The bill's sponsor, Sen. A.J. Wilhelmi (D- Joliet), said, "The governor's likely going to do an amendatory veto, and the amendatory veto is going to make it clear that the bill is effective immediately. It's unfortunate that this got left out, but we're making sure that the bill...is corrected."

Illinois Senator and presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama is facing new opposition over his recent decision to support Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) legislation, which goes before the Senate today. The surprising source of this new opposition? His own base. Obama had formerly supported amendments to the FISA legislation repealing retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies. It's the new bill's restoration of retroactive immunity that has Obama supporters up in arms. One of the largest groups on Senator Obama's social networking site is dedicated to swaying Obama on today's vote.

According to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, the answer is yes. On Monday her office accused ComEd -- and its parent company Excelon -- of lobbying aggressively to kill a bill before the state legislature that would have required utilities to purchase as much as five percent of their electricity from clean-coal plants. The bill, which House Speaker Mike Madigan strongly supported, failed in the House Saturday.

Lawmakers in Springfield expressed confidence they would have a state budget for the coming fiscal year yesterday, as the General Assembly began sending pieces of the budget to Blagojevich for approval yesterday. If the votes are any indication, it looks like state legislators are on track to finalize the budget before Saturday's deadline - avoiding another overtime session like last year's.

If you're a member of an out-of-state wine club or shop online from an out-of-state wine retailer, you have a few days left to place an order. So make it count.

The Café Society program, run by the Public Square at the Illinois Humanities Council, aims to create more informed and engaged communities through weekly coffee shop conversations that tackle relevant social issues.

Aldermen Helen Schiller and Danny Solis introduced a measure yesterday that would make feeding pigeons illegal. And the punishment would be up to $1,000 fine and six months in jail.

Former Chicago Police sergeant John Herman faces a minimum of 24 years in prison after he was convicted of rape this week. Herman had a bench trial rather than a jury trial, and Judge Joseph Claps not only found Herman guilty, he also had some additional harsh words for the rapist. "The defendant's testimony is unreasonable and nothing short of perjury," Claps said. Claps also didn't believe two officers who testified on Herman's behalf, saying...

And the hits just keep on coming for Rod Blagojevich. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops elected a new president today, and it's Chicago's own Cardinal Francis George. But it's not all good news today for George: the Sun-Times got a copy of a letter he sent, in which he says new legislation that allows sex-abuse victims to sue perpetrators even after the criminal statute of limitations has expired, is "about money." Police are...

The Illinois House approved legislation today that requires a moment of silence at the start of classes. This is the most pressing thing in the State's agenda? Not...say....transit funding? Or that 7-percent cap on property taxes? Or, oh, anything else? We're going to take a little moment of silence right now to think about that. Everyone hush. OK, we're back. The new law doesn't define how long a "moment" is, nor does it mention any...

Governor Blagojevich signed into law late Wednesday HB 429, which brings into balance the amount of wine wineries in and out of Illinois can sell directly to consumers, but prevents out-of-state retailers and wine clubs to sell product directly to customers in Illinois. HB 429 goes into effect June 2, 2008. Under the terms of HB 429, smaller wineries with an annual production yield of under 25,000 gallons may sell directly to consumers with the...

Conventional wisdom says that we should not speak ill of the deceased, but that's a tall endeavor if we're to take the pundits' criticisms of William Wirtz as law, although one has surprised us with his restraint. The longtime Blackhawks owner and liquor magnate passed away early this morning at the age of 77 from cancer. It's easy to say that Mr. Wirtz was stuck in a bygone era, treating his beloved hockey franchise as...

A new ruling from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals may finally put an end to the Cavel horsemeat slaughter saga that has been on our radar for some time. On Friday, the court upheld the Illinois Horse Meat Act, effectively shutting down the DeKalb County-based slaughterhouse. The ever-prolific Richard Posner penned the 15-page opinion. In his trademark witty style, he writes, But even if no horses live longer as a result of the...

Seattlest watches as a S.L.U.T. is born and Seattle Flickr users go nuts over a local art installation. A restaurant critic demands a Diner's Bill of Rights over a gnat next to her drink, and, in lieu of a Portlandist, Seattlest debates with itself over the identity of the Northwest's crown jewel. Seattlest also joins the guys from Fantagraphics for an ill-fated gun party in the woods. Bostonist got a crash course in what not...

We got an eyeful on Monday when we read the Chicago Reporter's study of high-cost loans and their impact on Chicagoans. The federal government has already announced a program to help middle-class families avoid foreclosure. Now the State of Illinois is stepping in to help renters as well. A new piece of legislation, sponsored by Sen. Maggie Crotty (D-Oak Forest) will give Illinois renters living in properties where the landlord is going into foreclosure 120...

Bad news hit the Chicagoist offices late yesterday afternoon as word came through that SB572 — the bill that would have raised sales taxes in Cook County and the five surrounding "collar" counties, as well as the real estate tax in Chicago, to help fund regional transit — failed to reach a "supermajority" of 71 votes in the Illinois House. Rep. Julie Hamos (D-Evanston), sponsor of the bill, halted voting and placed it on the...

Happy Labor Day Chicago! Although for many this is a day of picnics and playing, Labor Day has a bit more history behind it, and a significant role in its creation was played by people right here in Chicago. In the midst of the Industrial Revolution, with workers putting in 12 hour days and seven day weeks and child labor rampant, a small slice of our city lived in relative labor peace for a good...

On Wednesday, the Illinois House Committee on Mass Transit approved legislation that would enable the RTA to fund the CTA, Metra and Pace and prevent service cuts and fare hikes across the board. The Illinois House Committee on Mass Transit approved a transit funding and reform proposal by a 15-4 vote. The House is expected to convene to vote on the proposal next week. This bill comes after the RTA announced that a "doomsday" scenario...

With unseasonable weather descending upon much of North America, schools getting ready to reconvene, and sports seasons getting exciting, it's a busy time of year for us here in the Ist-A-Verse. Luckily, even with all the things we have to do, we still managed to get together to let you know what we've all been up to. After cooling down from a hot weekend of many badass Sunset Junction Street Fair photo dispatches, LAist asked...

Perhaps in an effort to pass something — ANYTHING — that everyone could agree on, Blagojevich signed new bicycle lane courtesy legislation. The new law requires drivers to yield at least three feet of clearance when passing a biker.

At the time of this writing, a budget had not cleared the Senate. This morning major news outlets are reporting that the Senate voted 52-5 to pass an operating budget late last night similar to what the House approved 99-9 earlier in the day. The Senate legislation will have to be voted on by the House before it can go to the governor's desk. The potential budget includes increases in spending for education, but not...

Yesterday the Illinois House approved legislation regarding how customers will be able to buy their wine. It's a story we've been keeping tabs on here at Chicagoist for a while. Supporters of the bill champion HB 429 as a victory for Illinois consumers. They claim that the uniform 12-case limit shared by in- and out-of-state wineries, and the establishment of a permit system allowing smaller out-of-state wineries to sell their product directly to retailers,...

Takeout Menu Ban?

Last week we clued you in to BP's plans to increase the levels of ammonia and sludge thhey are discharging into Lake Michigan from their Whiting, IN refinery. Responding to the wave of local bad press the company got, BP ran full page ads in newspapers, letters to the editor, and even blog advertising, including here on Chicagoist. Yesterday the Chicago Tribune ran with a front page headline detailing the flogging that BP took on...

Here at Chicagoist we've been watching the ongoing developments of HB 429, the pending legislation in the state House of Representatives, with a cautious gaze. Readers will remember that HB 429 is intended to bring Illinois in "compliance" with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Granholm v. Heald, which stated that non-reciprocal wine shipping laws were a violation of interstate commerce laws and the 21st Amendment to the Constitution repealing Prohibition. If signed into law...

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires...