THE ILLINOIZE: Thursday Free for All...Assault weapon registration rules still fuzzy...State won't enforce crisis pregnancy center law...City eats $1 million on abandoned tent city
December 14, 2023
Good morning, Illinois.
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YOUR THURSDAY FREE FOR ALL
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As deadline looms, assault weapons registration rules still unresolved (Capitol News Illinois)
Firearm owners in Illinois will have to wait at least another month before knowing exactly what items they must register with State Police under the state’s assault weapons ban, even as the deadline for submitting those registrations is less than three weeks away.
The General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, or JCAR – a bipartisan group that has oversight authority of state agency rulemaking – declined Tuesday to take action on a proposed set of final rules.
Also on Tuesday, a federal judge in East St. Louis was asked to block the registration process entirely. And one of the plaintiffs in a series of lawsuits challenging the assault weapons ban said it is preparing to take its case the U.S. Supreme Court to review the law.
Related: Federal judge hears arguments on gun ban registry, while legislative panel considers rules for implementation (Chicago Tribune)
Opinion: Restrictive gun laws disarm only lawful citizens (Champaign News-Gazette)
Proposed agreement would halt state penalties against anti-abortion counseling centers (State Journal-Register)
Implementation of a new law allowing the state to penalize anti-abortion counseling centers for using deceiving practices against patients could be permanently blocked pending the signature of a federal judge.
U.S. District Judge Iain Johnston could sign the agreed order as early as Tuesday, considered a rare victory for anti-abortion advocates in Illinois. Johnston issued a temporary injunction in August to halt enforcement of the new law defined by him as "painfully and blatantly a violation of the First Amendment."
Named as the defendant in the case, Attorney General Kwame Raoul championed the cause during the Illinois General Assembly's spring session.
The law would have permitted his office to investigate limited services pregnancy centers suspected of misleading or interfering with an individual’s attempt to seek an abortion. It would have also allowed the state to temporarily or permanently close the operations and to issue up to a $50,000 civil penalty.
In a statement, Raoul clarified the order does not impact the Illinois’ Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Practices Act or the AG office’s prior authority under the act.
“Patients in Illinois can be assured that as states continue to enact draconian restrictions on access to reproductive health care, I will not waver in my efforts to ensure that Illinois remains an oasis of reproductive freedom in the middle of our nation,” he said.
Attorney Peter Breen of the Thomas More Society, a conservative not-for-profit law firm, represented the plaintiffs. Breen said he was pleased with the judge's decision.
“The federal court was spot on in holding that [the law] is both stupid and very likely unconstitutional,” he said, “SB 1909 exempts abortion facilities and their speech, while exclusively regulating pro-life organizations and their speech, in flagrant violation of the First Amendment.”
Related: After pushing for law targeting ‘crisis pregnancy centers,’ attorney general backs off legal fight (Capitol News Illinois)
Illinois to stop enforcing a new law cracking down on crisis pregnancy centers (WBEZ)
Shelved Brighton Park migrant camp cost city $1 million (Chicago Sun-Times)
The city of Chicago spent nearly $1 million to convert a Brighton Park lot into a migrant shelter before the controversial project was shut down this month by Gov. J.B. Pritzker over environmental concerns, city officials confirmed Wednesday.
But Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office says the $985,621.21 of taxpayer money didn’t go to waste because the site “has been assessed and further prepared for future use.”
State environmental regulators determined there were too many harmful metals and other toxic substances detected on the property for it to safely serve as a winterized tent shelter housing up to 2,000 of the asylum-seekers who continue to arrive to Chicago.
Johnson’s office had contended the land could be made safe for temporary residential use, over the objections of environmental activists and a contingent of Brighton Park residents who protested for weeks against any shelter coming to the Southwest Side neighborhood.
Before Pritzker’s office pulled the plug — despite committing $65 million to private contractor GardaWorld for work to create a winterized tent community — city officials spent the $985,000-plus on equipment, materials and professional services.
Related: Mayor Brandon Johnson defends handling of environmental report at now-scrapped migrant camp (Chicago Tribune)
Johnson says city close to clearing migrants from police districts (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Oak Park, which has been providing shelter for migrants, will require them to move out of hotel, YMCA by Jan. 31 (Chicago Tribune)
Rosemont to crack down on Texas bus companies bringing migrants to town (Daily Herald)
NEW STORIES ON THEILLINOIZE.COM
Judge Won't Stop Assault Weapons Registry Before January 1 Deadline
Republican Rep. Niemerg Challenge Focuses on Failure to Notarize
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
The rich are getting richer in Illinois (Crain’s Chicago Business)
Former Ald. Ed Burke wielded power to ‘satisfy his own greed,’ prosecutor alleges in closing arguments (Chicago Sun-Times)
Illinois lawmaker calls for investigation of health risks from sewage exposure in Cahokia Heights (Belleville News-Democrat)
New state ID program for Cook County Jail detainees aims to ‘help people reintegrate’ (Chicago Sun-Times)
Former Chicago inspector general to head Civic Federation (Chicago Tribune)
Farm Bureau supports moratorium on carbon pipelines (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Board of Ethics finds probable cause four lobbyists improperly donated to Johnson (Chicago Tribune)
53rd Senate District candidate faces objection to nominating petition (Bloomington Pantagraph)
Nomination objections filed against Coburn and Chiaro, House District 95 candidates (State Journal-Register) [note: Coburn withdrew Wednesday.]
Editorial: State should soften road test requirements for seniors (Daily Herald)
Opinion: ICC must continue aggressive oversight of utilities (Chicago Sun-Times)
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