SPOTLIGHT: Springfield Pro-Family Update

Written by Benjamin Smith

Illinois lawmakers are back in Springfield after a two-week break, and only have six weeks before they are scheduled to adjourn for the summer.  Monte and Dave discuss pending legislation with IFI lobbyist, Ralph Rivera, the only full-time pro-family lobbyist in Springfield.

Take ACTION! Please call your state rep and ask them to vote NO to each of these bills.

HB 40 — reinstates taxpayer-funded abortions for Medicaid recipients and adds abortion coverage in state employees’ insurance plans.  **UPDATE: The Illinois House passed HB 40 by a vote of 62-55 on Tuesday afternoon.  Contact your state representative senator and Gov. Rauner HERE.

HB 1785 — amends the Vital Records Act to allow a licensed health care worker or mental health professional to issue a declaration that a gender dysphoric individual has undergone “gender transition treatment,” and not necessarily surgery, for the purpose of changing their gender and name on their birth certificate. Contact your state representative here.

HB 3735 — says counselors who are convicted of “intimidation” against pregnant mothers and staff members entering the abortion clinic, will be subject to longer prison stays and/or fines. HB 3735 adds acts of intimidation and violence in the vicinity of abortion clinics to the list of aggravating factors in the criminal code. An aggravating factor is a fact or circumstance that increases the severity or culpability of the criminal act. If this bill were to pass, people accused of intimidation will receive harsher sentences simply because they were near an abortion clinic. Read more here.

SB 7 — adds 5 additional land-based casinos; increases electronic gambling and expands positions at existing casinos from 1,200 to 1,600; gives Chicago a perpetual casino license with 4,000 positions (over 3 times larger than current casinos. Contact your state senator here.

The Illinois Capitol’s switchboard number is (217) 782-2000. If you don’t know your state representative or senator, click here.