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Senate week in review
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Budget
still not budging; child protection and land conservation laws pass
[July 14, 2007]
SPRINGFIELD -- State lawmakers remained
in Springfield during the past week as the governor convened
multiple special sessions in response to the continued budget
impasse. Although no significant progress occurred on the budget,
the General Assembly passed some substantial legislation during the
week, according to Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield.
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The Senate unanimously passed "Jessica's Law,"
Senate Bill 1397, which now heads to the governor for his
signature. The law seeks to ensure the state's worst child predators
are off the streets and away from Illinois children. The bill also
requires convicted sexual predators who are subject to GPS
monitoring to pay for the cost of monitoring. Jessica's Law is
named after 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford, a young girl from Florida
who was raped and killed by a previously convicted sex offender.
According to Bomke, Illinois now joins more than 20 other states in
passing similar legislation to keep children safe from sexual
predators.
In other action, the Conservation Stewardship Act,
Senate Bill 17, passed legislative chambers. The measure
protects owners of nonproductive woodlands, grasslands and wetlands
from skyrocketing property taxes, while also encouraging
conservation and the preservation of open space.
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 The measure came about after the Illinois Department of Revenue
compelled many county assessors to increase their assessments of
such property.
The land under the plan would be valued at 5 percent of the
market value, and land has to meet a minimum size of 5 contiguous
acres. Eligible lands for this bill include woodlands, prairie,
wetlands, or other vacant and underdeveloped land that is not used
for any residential or commercial purpose that materially disturbs
the land.
Also during the week, a group of lawmakers called on the governor
to use one of his special sessions to allow senators to vote on
ethics reforms that have been stalled by Senate President Emil
Jones, D-Chicago. The call was in response to a statement by Gov.
Blagojevich that he would use special sessions to force legislative
leaders to vote on measures that they have blocked.
[Text from news release sent on
behalf of
Sen.
Larry Bomke by Illinois
Senate Republican staff] |
