Lawmakers have no problem pitching their offbeat bills
Heading into an election year, state lawmakers have education and the budget on their minds–as well as trivia games, power window accidents, fast food and fast cars.
Lawmakers have filed more than 3,700 pieces of legislation this spring, and sprinkled among them are a few that deal with the obscure and offbeat.
Some attempt to address problems worrying people, such as teen drivers endangering other drivers by chatting on cell phones. Others try to prevent problems, including whether courtrooms can be flooded with lawsuits against fast-food restaurants.
Few of the bills will pass. Even some lawmakers acknowledge they don’t necessarily support the bills they’ve introduced for constituents or friendly lobbyists.
That’s the case with a bill that would let doctors prescribe marijuana to patients who have a debilitating condition. Rep. Angelo “Skip” Saviano (R-Elmwood Park) said he sponsored the bill on behalf of some health-care workers as a “trial balloon” solely to spark discussion.
Illinois residents looking to sue restaurants that serve fatty foods for contributing to their obesity would be out of luck under the proposed “Commonsense Consumption Act.” Rep. John Fritchey (D-Chicago) acknowledges no one has filed an obesity lawsuit against a fast-food restaurant in Illinois, but he wants to prevent such complaints from competing with more important matters on crowded court dockets.
“Don’t biggie-size your meals every day for 10 years and turn around and sue the restaurant because you’re overweight,” Fritchey said.
A sampling of suggestions
Some of the more unusual ideas being floated this spring in the Illinois General Assembly:
– Creating special license plates for the rear bumper of Corvettes. HB4345.
– Banning drivers under 19 from using hand-held cell phones while behind the wheel, except in emergencies. HB6568.
– Making it a felony to bring a video recorder into a movie theater without permission. SB2134.
– Requiring teens under 18 to pass drug tests before they can receive instructional permits to drive. HB4456.
– Letting doctors prescribe up to six plants or one ounce of usable cannabis, or marijuana, for patients with debilitating conditions. HB4868, SB2440.
– Requiring the secretary of state to keep records of accidents in which people are injured by power windows or in which vehicles back into pedestrians. HB4086.
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Compiled from RedEye news services.
