Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

It’s just a bill

Posted in:

Illinois

The Illinois craft distillery industry could be at the breaking point — but a piece of legislation would throw them a lifeline.

Distillers say that if SB 1618 doesn’t pass — which would create a class 3 license that allows distillers the opportunity to both self-distribute and have on-site full-bar privileges — distilleries will begin to shutter. […]

Currently, Illinois’ some 60 craft distilleries can either self-distribute their product or offer a full bar on-site for guests that includes beer and wine. The legislation would change this, allowing distillers of whiskey and other spirits to now do both, matching similar legislation in states like New York, California and Kentucky. […]

This push for legislative change comes as the industry faces growing headwinds such as drinkers cutting back on booze and rising inflation that are more devastating to smaller distillers. Trump’s tariffs could also negatively impact the industry.

* WAND…

A new bill in Springfield could allow sexual assault survivors to use vouchers to pay for taxis or rideshare services like Uber and Lyft. Sponsors and advocates believe this is another way to help people going through trauma. […]

“It’s a voucher that they can use I think for 90 to 180 days afterwards at some point if they need follow-up care,” said Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs). “The voucher also pays for things from pharmacies as well. There’s a cap on that voucher.” […]

Although, some Republicans are concerned about the cost for survivors to use rideshare services. The Illinois Department of Healthcare & Family Services caps the current vouchers at $1,000 per service. […]

Senate Republicans said this is a well-intended bill, but they want to have more concrete answers on how long people could use the rideshare voucher and how many people could benefit from it.

* Illinois Municipal League…

WHO:
- Brad Cole, CEO, Illinois Municipal League
IML President, Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen, City of Champaign
- IML First Vice President, Village President Sheila Chalmers-Currin, Village of Matteson
- IML Second Vice President, Mayor Gary W. Manier, City of Washington

WHEN: Tuesday, February 25, 2025 10 a.m.
WHERE: Illinois State Capitol Blue Room (basement, room 010)

WHAT: Municipal leaders will unveil their 2025 Moving Cities Forward legislative platform designed to ensure the long-term success of Illinois’ cities, villages and towns. This year’s platform promotes local government efficiency and modern policies that reflect community needs and resources. These policies include legislation that grants authority to fulfill public notice mandates electronically, ensures fair compensation for lift-assist services, creates equitable motor fuel tax authority, protects local authority in housing initiatives and reduces unnecessary financial burdens on small municipalities.

* Crain’s…

Nearly three years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the sale of delinquent property taxes — as it’s been practiced for decades — unconstitutionally takes away owners’ property wealth, a bill in Springfield aims to bring Illinois counties into compliance with the ruling.

Illinois is the last of 12 states to look at becoming compliant. […]

“The Supreme Court ruled that homeowners’ interest in their property should be put first,” said Illinois Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, who introduced a bill, HB 3146, on Feb. 6 aimed at fixing the issue. […]

The bill, which was referred to the Rules Committee Feb. 18, says property owners whose taxes are sold “shall have the right to recover surplus equity that was lost” in the sale.

* HB1428, sponsored by Rep. Kevin Olickal, is set for a hearing in the House Judiciary-Criminal Committee this afternoon…

Creates the Isolated Confinement Restriction Act. Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Nelson Mandela Act. Provides that a committed person may not be in isolated confinement for more than 10 consecutive days. Provides that a committed person may not be in isolated confinement for more than 10 days in any 180-day period. Provides that the provision of basic needs and services, such as nutritious food, clean water, hygiene supplies, clothing, bedding and mattress, religious materials, legal materials, access to grievance forms, and access to medical and mental health, shall not be restricted as a form of punishment or discipline for committed persons in isolated confinement. Provides that a committed person in protective custody may opt out of that status by providing informed, voluntary, written refusal of that status. Provides that a committed person shall not be placed in isolated confinement if the committed person: (1) is 21 years of age or younger; (2) is 55 years of age or older; (3) has a disability as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; or (4) is pregnant or postpartum. Provides that nothing in the Act is intended to restrict any rights or privileges a committed person may have under any other statute, rule, or regulation. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.

* Center Square…

[Rep. Sonya Harper] filed House Bill 1227 last month. The measure to create the Slavery Disclosure and Redress Ordinance would require corporations seeking to do business in Illinois to pay reparations if the company had any ties to slavery. […]

Nineteen lawmakers have co-sponsored Harper’s bill, which was referred to the Illinois House Rules Committee on Jan. 28.

Harper said the state can do the work necessary to figure out how reparations are funded.

“We’re finding ourselves in new situations every couple of years where one minute we say, ‘We have no money, we’re in a deficit,’ but we find billions of dollars out of nowhere to fund different programs,” Harper said.

posted by Isabel Miller
Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 9:19 am

Comments

= Harper said the state can do the work necessary to figure out how reparations are funded. =

Magic beans again.

Comment by JoanP Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 10:01 am
Illinois Municipal League wants to “preserve local authority on housing” meaning “we love the housing shortage and want to make it worse”. Straightforwardly attacking the recent batch of upzoning/pro-housing legislation that has come forth this session. Hopefully legislators don’t fall for this claptrap.

Comment by Politically_Illinois Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 10:07 am
=SB1618=

I am a huge fan of Illinois Distillers where the product’s quality is improving every year - Whiskey Acres, and Blaum Brothers are two favorites - hope this bill passes. Sponsors will need to get over the influence of the Illinois Mega distributors, namely Breakthru Beverage Group ( Wirtz Corp).

Comment by Donnie Elgin Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 10:12 am
“Illinois Municipal League wants to […]”

Don’t forget to sign their civility pledge. You seem to be displaying some points of view that are critical of their vague position on the things they want your city to impose upon you, and that’s not very civil of you.

https://iml.org/civility

Comment by TheInvisibleMan Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 10:15 am
=. Straightforwardly attacking the recent batch of upzoning/pro-housing legislation that has come forth this session. Hopefully legislators don’t fall for this claptrap=

IML is looking out for the needs of locally elected municipal leaders and the property owners and residents that they represent. Folks who like the ability to keep and improve the local economy, the housing stock, the schools, and living standards through locally approved zoning/building codes that best fit the resident’s wishes.

Comment by Donnie Elgin Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 10:27 am
Old enough to remember when Carbondale mayor Brad Cole was a “rising star” in the ILGOP.

Comment by Flyin' Elvis'-Utah Chapter Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 10:38 am
==Old enough to remember when Carbondale mayor Brad Cole was a “rising star” in the ILGOP.==

Right? Everytime I see his name I think about that

Comment by low level Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 10:44 am
What legal evidence could be brought forth to establish a given company’s “ties to slavery”, and how that would be adjudicated? Seems pretty impractical.

Comment by Friendly Bob Adams Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 10:49 am
==“shall have the right to recover surplus equity that was lost” in the sale.==

And how will a property recover said “surplus equity”? Sue the entity which bought the arrears property taxes? If they can’t afford the property taxes, how are they going to afford to pay a lawyer?

Comment by Huh? Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 10:53 am
== Sponsors will need to get over the influence of the Illinois Mega distributors

Teamsters usually fight this too–they seem to think it will reduce the number of delivery truck jobs. A complete misunderstanding of the industry, but they have been a consistent no in other states at least.

Comment by ArchPundit Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 10:58 am
===Right? Everytime I see his name I think about that

In his defense, he’s not a star largely because he is sane.

Comment by ArchPundit Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 10:59 am
== IML is looking out for the needs of locally elected municipal leaders and the property owners and residents that they represent==

Zoning is the antithesis of property rights. IMP’s mission is to preserve the ability of municipalities to tell property owners what they can build and who they can let onto their property. And the way they’ve been doing it has resulted in housing shortages and fair housing issues. They have only themselves to blame for the battles they now choose to fight.

Comment by fs Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:08 am
==Zoning is the antithesis of property rights. ==

You would prefer it be abolished?

Comment by low level Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:16 am
== You would prefer it be abolished?==

Crazy enough, there is a middle ground between no zoning and overreach on zoning that results in bad housing policy and affordability issues. Simply comparing the cost of living between places with limited or no zoning and places like Illinois, and you will see striking differences. I read the housing package bills to aim at that balance. Allow for more types of housing to be built (while still allowing local building code requirements), and don’t allow local housing ordinances to push people out in a manner that might violate fair housing laws.

Comment by fs Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:21 am
“Zoning is the antithesis of property rights.”

Spot zoning certainly is, but zoning in general exists to protect the rights of all property owners. Not just people with money.

When you buy a piece of land in an area with a lot of people, it is with the understanding of what the directly adjacent parcels of land next to you will and will not be able to do. It’s not not just about you.

Nobody would invest in an outdoor diner, if the property adjacent to them could be randomly turned into a gravel pit or truck stop.

The more people in an area, the more zoning there will be to protect the property rights of all people.

If you don’t like that, there are plenty of vacant parcels in Illinois right now with minimal zoning on them. You won’t be nearby anything providing any services or businesses, but you do have that option. My guess is you instead want to be able to nullify those agreements in existing areas for property owners - without any public input, for the benefit of a small minority of monied interests. But still take advantage of the structures and zoning which made the area a place you wanted to invest in in the first place.

If existing zoning in an area is too restrictive for you, your method of redress is to petition the governing body to change the zoning. Of course, you have to present your case with evidence why it is beneficial to people other than you.

I have a parcel of land I may eventually petition to rezone from agricultural into single family residential. Is it a guarantee I will be able to do that? Nope. That’s the risk I took in buying the land. Going into the transaction I already knew how to follow the process available to me as the owner to do such a rezoning before I put a single cent into it. That’s called long-term planning. The absence of such planning isn’t a problem with zoning that needs to be fixed.

Comment by TheInvisibleMan Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:31 am
== When you buy a piece of land in an area with a lot of people, it is with the understanding of what the directly adjacent parcels of land next to you will and will not be able to do. It’s not not just about you.==

None of the bills that I’ve read deal with allowing commercial property or industrial property in residential areas. They allow for more residential building choices in lots more than large enough to support them. We’re in the middle of a well documented housing and affordability crisis, which will only be actually solved by making it easier and cheaper to build more housing. If you choose to live in a city next to an open 5000 square foot lot, you shouldn’t be shocked if a duplex or three flat is built.

Flipping the script, if living in a community filled with 6000 square foot lost with single families, then choose to live in one with an hoa. Private agreements could still be made, but the city shouldn’t be able to continue to mandate practices when history and shown those practices to result in housing shortages and discrimination.

Comment by fs Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 11:42 am
We’re also spending a lot of time as a society talking about why people aren’t having kids, and a LOT of the answer is: They can’t afford it, and there’s nowhere to live. Many Boomers have a ton of wealth in their house and want to age-in-place in the community they’ve lived in for 60 years, which is totally fair. But with a fixed income, a paid-off house, and a senior property tax exemption, there’s no incentive for them to downsize from their family home and free up stock for younger families, and even if there was incentive, it often would involve being relegated to the car-focused edges of a community where retirement communities cluster. Why shouldn’t they be able to build an ADU on a large lot and move into that and rent their house to a young family, or do a rent-to-own arrangement, or have their kids move into the house?

Comment by Suburban Mom Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:00 pm
=Why shouldn’t they be able to build an ADU on a large lot and move into that and rent their house to a young family, or do a rent-to-own arrangement, or have their kids move into the house?=

Let the locals decide and keep the state out of these matters. ADUs were a big deal in Champaign IL, the debate was robust both for/against and
eventually, the local Board passed an ordinance allowing ADUs in June 2022.

https://cu-citizenaccess.org/2024/03/over-one-year-later-no-detached-housing-built-following-champaign-ordinance/

Comment by Donnie Elgin Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:09 pm
“They allow for more residential building choices”

All those choices exist today. You follow the zoning rules to petition the relevant agency to change the zoning on your parcel of land. As the land-owner that is your right.

Not every town wants to jump onto the infinite growth bandwagon as a matter of policy. Sometimes towns want to stay small or less dense.

If there is a town who shares your views, then they would certainly approve any petition you bring to rezone your property to a different residential density.

The town also has to consider issues external to your interests when making that decision. Do they have the water and sewer infrastructure to handle your proposal? Do they want to get assurances from the builder that a multi-family unit more than 4 units has appropriate property management to handle this? Would your proposal end up causing an increase of services to the point property taxes would now need to be raised for everyone to deal with your zoning change? Oops, you’ve just increased the cost of owning a home for more people than you’ve lowered it for.

Everything you want is allowed through current zoning laws. The only difference in these proposals is you don’t want the input of anyone else, especially neighbors, in the location you own land.

Comment by TheInvisibleMan Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:23 pm
===Zoning is the antithesis of property rights===

An absolutist among us.

You seriously want a garbage dump next to your house?

Try living in a society.

Not saying zoning is great, but banning it would be supremely stupid.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:28 pm
==Would your proposal end up causing an increase of services to the point property taxes would now need to be raised for everyone to deal with your zoning change? Oops, you’ve just increased the cost of owning a home for more people than you’ve lowered it for.==

You mean impact fees, which are wholly separate from zoning, and also an area abused by municipalities to raise funds beyond the actual impact of development? None of that authority by the muni is impacted by a restriction on how they can zone property.

Comment by fs Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:53 pm
===“Zoning is the antithesis of property rights.”

Houston is available in all its glory for those who hate zoning. Enjoy.

Comment by ArchPundit Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 12:57 pm
= protects local authority in housing initiatives

The housing shortage is a statewide problem that will require a statewide solution. It was manufactured by municipalities in the first place, after they implemented exclusionary zoning in the 1950s, pushing new housing further and further out into the hinterlands. Prior to that, we could build housing at an astonishingly rapid clip within existing cities. Chicago grew by 600k residents in a single decade before zoning existed.

Trying to pass Envision Evanston is like walking over broken glass. Multiply that by 100… The Capitol is the right place to do a major overhaul.

Comment by Michael McLean Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 2:02 pm
=== You seriously want a garbage dump next to your house? ===

Residential / industrial designations are good. But its gone so far beyond that. Most residential land in cities is zoned single-family-only, with big setbacks from the street, and small floor area ratios.

Arbitrary Lines, and Color Of Law are good reads on the topic

Comment by Michael McLean Tuesday, Feb 25, 25 @ 2:29 pm