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Southern Illinois lawmakers are busy as the session winds down

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Illinois Capitol building

As the Illinois General Assembly rolls to a scheduled adjournment date of May 19, southern Illinois lawmakers are working on legislation.

A bill approved in the Illinois Senate would create a delayed notification procedure involving law enforcement investigating sex crimes against minors.

The idea behind the legislation is to allow the victims to prioritize their medical treatment, but State Senator Terri Bryant of Murphysboro says she's concerned delaying involvement of the police will let abusers get away and possibly expose the victims to additional abuse.

"So, on multiple levels, this is a very bad bill. It's dangerous. It enables abusers. (It) prevents justice for victims. It's regressive in what it does. It endangers the community. I urge a no vote."

The Senate voted 31 to 22 in favor of the legislation, which now heads to the House for consideration.

A bill sponsored by a southern Illinois lawmaker would make it easier for Illinois courts to deal with cases involving abused and neglected children.

The measure stemmed from the recommendation of a judge in State Representative Patrick Windhorst’s district, who had a case where there were some records from an out of state hospital which didn’t comply with Illinois current laws and created problems for the case moving forward.

"House Bill 1434 makes it easier for medical records of abused and neglected children to be admitted into court without having extra hurdles that prevents a court from considering that medical evidence when a child is potentially taken into DCFS care or if there's allegations of abuse against a family or another member of the community."

Lawmakers have approved the bill and it now heads to the governor for his consideration.

State Representative Paul Jacobs' bill to allow for the quick and efficient purchase of police vehicles when a patrol car has been wrecked is headed to the governor's desk.

The Pomona republican says House Bill 1727 permits a county board to approve bypassing the competitive bidding process for contracts and purchases in the event it needs to replace a destroyed or inoperable Sheriff’s Department patrol vehicle.

The bill was an initiative of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

State Senator Dale Fowler from Harrisburg reports he helped pass a bill with the hopes to keep renewable energy components like wind turbines and solar panels out of landfills.

Senate Bill 1160 would require the Renewable Energy Component Recycling Task Force to consider the benefits of prohibiting a person from mixing renewable energy components with municipal waste.

The task force, which was created in May of last year, is to conduct a report alongside the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency due in 2025.

The bipartisan measure passed unanimously in the Senate and now heads to the House for full consideration.

As a news producer and news anchor on All Things Considered, Brad provides the listeners with a recap of the day's top local and state news as well as breaking news at any given time. Contact WSIU Radio at 618-453-6101 or email wsiunews@wsiu.org
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