Sangamon Sun

Lawmakers in Illinois recently gathered to hear testimony from agencies regarding proposed rules on the enforcement of the state's "assault weapon" ban (AWB). The Illinois State Police (ISP) presented their proposed permanent rules for the ban during the meeting of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR). While the ISP's temporary emergency rules are currently in effect, action on the proposed permanent rules will be delayed until the January meeting of JCAR.

One of the key aspects of the emergency rules is the requirement for owners of banned firearms purchased before January 10, 2023, to fill out an affidavit with the ISP to register their weapons. However, critics of the bill, including Senator Bennett, express concerns about the confusion surrounding which firearms and accessories are banned or require the affidavit.

Senator Bennett opposes the new law, seeing it as an infringement on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners and potentially unconstitutional. He hopes that the AWB will be ruled unconstitutional in the court system.

Meanwhile, several court cases are still pending to determine the constitutionality of the AWB. As of now, the ban and the January 1 deadline for registration remain in place.

In other news, a proposed agreement between pro-life advocates and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has been reached to halt the enforcement of a controversial law related to crisis pregnancy centers. Senate Bill 1909, proposed by Raoul and passed by Illinois Democrats, aimed to address deceptive practices within the crisis pregnancy industry. However, critics, including Senator Bennett, argue that the Attorney General already had the power to address these practices and that the bill was unnecessary.

The agreement was reached following a federal judge's temporary block on the law's enforcement, stating that it was likely unconstitutional. The judge criticized the law as "both stupid and very likely unconstitutional."

In a positive development, Illinois is offering financial assistance to volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to help cover training and equipment costs. Eligible volunteers can receive a $500 non-refundable income tax credit starting next year. The Illinois Department of Revenue has provided specific criteria for individuals to qualify for the tax credit, including serving as a volunteer emergency worker for at least nine months during the taxable year and not receiving compensation for services exceeding $5,000.

Moving on to environmental news, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has collaborated with professional fishermen to reduce the population of invasive carp in the Illinois River. In an extensive removal operation, more than 700,000 pounds of silver carp were caught within 10 days. This effort aims to control the upstream migration of invasive species and protect the Great Lakes. Annually, fishermen remove over one million pounds of invasive carp from the Upper Illinois River under the supervision of IDNR staff.

The firearm deer season in Illinois has concluded, with a total of 76,232 deer harvested during the seven-day season. While this is a slight decrease from the previous year, there are still hunting opportunities available, including the late-winter antlerless-only and chronic wasting disease (CWD) season in designated counties, as well as the ongoing archery deer season.

In financial news, the State of Illinois currently owes $1,851,991,218.52 to state vendors, with 31,241 pending vouchers. This figure represents the amount of bills awaiting payment and does not include other debts such as unfunded pension liability. Last year, the state's accounts payable stood at just under $2 billion.

Lastly, the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal provides safety tips for holiday decorations, including ensuring that decorations are flame-retardant or flame-resistant, keeping lit candles away from flammable items, and checking water levels daily for real Christmas trees.

That's the update for this week in the 53rd District, where Senator Tom Bennett continues to work full-time to represent the constituents. Stay informed and stay safe.

For more information on the topics mentioned, visit the following links:

- ISP Assault Weapons Ban: https://isp.illinois.gov/Home/AssaultWeapons

- Illinois Department of Revenue Volunteer Emergency Worker Income Tax Credit: [insert link]

- IDNR Invasive Carp Removal: [insert link]

- IDNR Firearm Deer Season Totals: [insert link]

- State of Illinois Accounts Payable: [insert link]

- Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal Holiday Decoration Safety Tips: https://www.illinois.gov/news/press-release.20914.html

For additional details, please follow this link: https://senatortombennett.com/2023/12/14/update-from-senator-bennet-dec-15/