The Senate on Nov. 20 voted 44-5-1 to override Gov. Quinn’s veto of Senate Bill 2015, legislation that increases the speed limit on Illinois toll highways to 70 miles-per-hour. Senate Bill 2015 now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.
Quinn vetoed Senate Bill 2015 on Aug. 26, citing evidence that tollway drivers already exceed the speed limit in many cases, which he said can lead to serious accidents. However, a recent study found that differential speeds between vehicles were actually more problematic.
Construction Debris (HB 4606 – Amendatory Veto): Clarifies that facilities that accept only general construction or demolition or demolition debris and operate in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act are not considered a "pollution control facility." Identical to SB 2944, which passed unanimously.
Suburban Truck Speed Limit (SB 930 – Veto): Provides that in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties, the interstate speed limit for second division vehicles, such as a semi-truck, is 60 mph on interstate highways.
Anatomic Pathology (SB 1630 – Amendatory Veto): Spells out billing practices of “anatomic pathology services.” Clarifies exemptions and specifies there is no prohibition against a referring physician, who takes a patient specimen, from charging a patient or a payer an acquisition or processing charge. Anatomic pathology is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the gross, microscopic, chemical, immunologic and molecular examination of organs, tissues, and whole bodies.
70 MPH Tollway (SB 2015 - Veto): Brings the state’s Toll Highway system in the Chicago region up to the same 70 mph standard. This is a follow-up measure to legislation that raised the speed limit on Interstate highways in Illinois to 70 mph in January.
Voluminous Requests (HB 3796 – Amendatory Veto): Amends the Freedom of Information Act to provide a process for handling "voluminous requests," to allow for recovery of personnel costs to review documents for redactions of a commercial request, and to allow a public body to refer a requester to their website if the information is posted on the public body's website. The bill was introduced as a way to help municipalities, which the bill’s sponsor stated sometimes receive “spiteful, harassing” Freedom of Information Requests.