* SJ-R…

The Safe Firearm Storage Act, filed under Senate Bill 3971 and House Bill 5891, would prohibit the possession of a firearm outside its owner’s “immediate possession or control” and increases the age to 18 from 13 where safe storage in homes are required.

In the case of a lost or stolen firearm, Senate Bill 3973 and House Bill 5888 would require the owner to report it with local law enforcement within 48 hours instead of the original 72. It comes after reports show that approximately 380,000 guns are stolen per year nationwide.

They could also be subject to losing their Firearm Owner Identification Card on a second violation of failing to report a lost or stolen firearm within the new 48-hour window.

* React from Center Square…

“The Safe At Home legislation will address the sobering realities that today, there are more guns in our country than people, and every one in three children lives in a home with a gun,” a statement from G-PAC President and CEO Kathleen Sances says. “There is mounting evidence that the risk of unintentional shootings, mass shootings and suicide can be significantly reduced if we make simple changes in our laws to keep us all Safe At Home.” […]

Illinois State Rifle Association lobbyist Ed Sullivan said the proposal also requires firearms be locked up if there are any “prohibited persons” in the residence.

“Anybody in the state of Illinois that does not have a [Firearm Owner’s ID] card is a prohibited person,” Sullivan told The Center Square. “And so there’s over 10 million people that are prohibited persons [in Illinois]. There’s no criminal damage. They’re not criminals. They’re not mentally challenged. They just don’t have a FOID card.” […]

“I can think of two separate legislators who have introduced language who make it cheaper to buy a safe or do some type of tax credit to buy safes and they’ve never moved forward,” Sullivan said. “So, here are the Democrats that want you to buy safes to have safe storage and yet they do nothing to make it easier to buy them.”

* WAND…

A separate bill [HB5065] could ban people from storing or leaving a gun outside an owner’s possession or control unless it is unloaded and secured in a lock box. The legislation specifically notes that minors, at-risk people and those prohibited from using guns should not be able to access firearms in the home.

“It is clear that we must address child access to firearms and safe storage,” said Rep. Maura Hirschauer (D-Batavia). “Guns have surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of death of our children ages one to 17 years old.”

Gun owners could face a fine of $500 to $1,000 if someone prohibited from accessing guns obtains their weapon. The bill would also create a $10,000 penalty if a minor or at-risk person uses someone else’s gun to injure or kill people.

“We need to ensure that all of our gun owners are responsible and they know what they need to do to keep everybody safe, including our youth,” Villivalam said. “I have a six-year-old. I have a three-year-old. I want them to be safe. I want every youth regardless of the community they live in, but especially those communities that have been disinvested in, to feel safe.”

Click here for a fact sheet.

* Midwest Renewable Energy Association Senior Regional Director John Delurey…

Illinois is facing a critical moment in its clean energy transition. The recent price spike in PJM’s capacity market — the tool designed to ensure power availability during peak demand — is drawing attention to the growing need for policy that moves Illinois towards an affordable clean energy future. Though the current capacity crunch is largely beyond the control of state policy, Illinois does not have to resign itself to this fate. Illinois lawmakers must act now to pass legislation that will help us boost energy supply and reduce and shape energy demand. […]

While Illinois cannot single-handedly overhaul PJM, there are state policies that can help Illinois prepare for what lies ahead. The Clean and Reliable Grid Act (SB 3637), currently under consideration in Springfield, is a critical piece of legislation that would help strengthen the state’s power grid. It includes policies that would reduce and shape demand by updating energy efficiency standards and paying residential customers to shift their energy use to off-peak hours. It also includes policies that would accelerate clean energy supply by inviting the state to directly procure more renewable energy on behalf of certain utility customers. In doing so, the Clean and Reliable Grid Act would reduce strain on the grid while keeping energy bills affordable.

The urgency of this moment calls for a full menu of legislative solutions, so Vote Solar and our partners in the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition have outlined a comprehensive set of priorities for Illinois’ clean energy future. This includes reforms to the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard to ensure large solar and wind projects can move forward. Illinois cannot afford to fall behind in its journey to 100% clean energy, and the RPS is key to driving the next wave of clean energy development.

Energy storage is another critical piece of the puzzle. By storing excess renewable energy for use during peak demand, batteries help lower capacity costs and meet PJM’s need for dispatchable resources. On a smaller scale, residential and community storage systems provide added resilience, especially for those who are medically or financially vulnerable. This past summer, expanded battery storage was pivotal in stabilizing California’s grid during an extreme heat wave and delivered vital energy support across the Western grid.

SB3637 sponsored by Sen. Bill Cunningham never made it out of Senate Assignments.

* HB5887 from House Minority Leader Tony McCombie…

Amends the Election Code. Provides that the election authority shall reject any application for registration that is not accompanied by satisfactory evidence of United States citizenship. Specifies the documents that provide satisfactory evidence of citizenship. Provides that any person who is registered in the State on the effective date of the amendatory Act is deemed to have provided satisfactory evidence of citizenship and shall not be required to resubmit evidence of citizenship unless the person is changing voter registration from one county to another. Sets forth additional requirements.