UNIVERSITY PARK – State Senator Michael E. Hastings (D-Orland Hills) stood in support as Governor Quinn signed the South Suburban Airport Act into law on Thursday. The act, co-sponsored by Hastings, dedicated funding to the development of a new airport in Peotone. The airport will be built by the Illinois Department of Transportation and operate in a public-private partnership, known as a “P3”.

“I made a commitment to the residents of the 19th District that I would look for new opportunities to create jobs and foster growth in the Southland,” Hastings said. “This law will expand our intermodal transportation system and bring hundreds of construction and skilled labor jobs to an area that has been struggling to recover from the recent downturn in the economy. It’s a start in the right direction, and I believe, a sign of better things to come.”

Senate Bill 20 was approved by both the House and Senate in May of this year.

On Friday, the Illinois Senate passed a measure laying the framework to allow Illinois residents to carry a concealed firearm. State Senator Michael E. Hastings (D–Orland Park), a co-sponsor of the measure, was one of 45 senators who voted in favor of the bill.

“Today is a historic day for Illinois,” Hastings said. “We now join 49 other states in allowing responsible gun owners to protect themselves and their families by exercising their constitutional right to carry a concealed firearm.”

House Bill 183 received bipartisan support and now awaits approval by the House.

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Overview of House Bill 183:

• Shall Issue – Creates a shall issue concealed carry license that is valid throughout the State for 5 years.
• Objects – If law enforcement finds a person is a danger or threat to public safety, they can object to an application and that objection will be reviewed by a 7 member Board made up of federal judges, prosecutors, law enforcement, and a mental health professional.
• Prohibited Places – It lists various prohibited places like schools, government buildings, hospitals, bars, and parks.
• Safe Haven – A person with a license will have a safe haven in his or her car if the firearm is locked in a case or in a truck.
• Preemption – Prohibits towns from further restricting any issue related to concealed carry, transportation of firearms by FOID Card holders, and any new assault weapons bans.
• Mental Health – Requires very strict mental health reporting so that people with mental health issues cannot get a FOID Card and possess a firearm.

On Tuesday, State Senator Michael E. Hastings (D–Orland Hills) passed a measure that seeks to prohibit court supervision for drivers responsible for fatal crashes. The bill is referred to as Patricia’s Law in honor of Patricia McNamara who was killed in an automobile crash in which the driver received court supervision.

“We have to continue strengthening our laws to curb egregious overuse of court supervision,” Hastings said. “I was shocked to learn that someone who had caused a fatal accident could qualify for court supervision.”
  
House Bill 1010 originated from Secretary of State Jessie White’s Advisory Committee on Traffic Safety, which unanimously supported the measure last September. Under current law, drivers involved in fatal crashes may seek and obtain court supervision. During the Senate committee hearing, the parents of the late Patricia McNamara testified in support of the legislation.

House Bill 1010 passed the Senate 56-0 and now awaits approval from the governor.

Losing a loved one in an automobile accident can be terribly traumatic for families. That heartache, however, can be multiplied if the driver that caused the wreck is sentenced to court supervision.

Currently, Illinois law allows a judge to sentence drivers in such wrecks to supervision, a mild form of probation. But thanks to legislation sponsored by State Senator Michael Hastings (D-Orland Hills) that just passed the Senate, judges soon will be prohibited from sentencing offenders to what one lawyer called "slap-on-the-wrist fines."

The lawyer was representing the family of a woman who was killed crossing a street in Chicago's Lakeview East neighborhood in August 2011. A cab driver was found guilty of failure to yield to a pedestrian and sentenced to court supervision and a fine of a few hundred dollars.

A similar incident a month later in McHenry County took the life of a Rockford woman. The driver in that case told police he was distracted by his cell phone and ran a stop sign and struck a car driven by Patricia McNamara, killing her.

The driver had three prior speeding tickets but negotiated a plea deal for failure to obey a stop sign. He was fined and ordered to take four hours of traffic safety as part of his court supervision, which means no conviction will appear on his driving record. Walter and Carol Speer, McNamara's parents, took issue with this during a recent committee hearing.

"My daughter's death is not a petty offense. The man admitted to all the claims against him," Carol Speer said. "Why wasn't he charged with reckless and distracted homicide? Why wasn't his driver's license revoked?

HB 1010 — dubbed Patricia's Law — will prevent a judge from ordering supervision in cases in which a moving violation was the cause of death in a car accident.

"You should not receive a 'slap on the wrist' if you kill someone while driving recklessly," Hastings said. "We have to continue cracking down on the overuse of court supervision."

HB 1010 passed the Senate on Tuesday with bipartisan support and now awaits the governor's signature.