Downstate Illinois conservative activist Chris Grissom thinks about the more than 250 new laws that are slated to officially kick in at the start of the New Year and figures something has got to give.
“With what we’re doing right now, we’re actually running people and businesses out of Illinois,” Grissom, former chairman of the Jackson County Republicans, told the Carbondale Reporter. “The accumulative impact of everything is just too much.”
In a world that’s forever changing, Grissom concedes that some new laws may be necessary, but there’s a flip side when it comes to laws that remain on the books after having long ago outlasted their intended purpose.
“I think for every new law we enact, there should be a suggestion to take one off the books,” Grissom said. “Look at the way President Trump and the federal government are doing things in terms of regulations. Every time there’s a new regulation, they remove a few old ones and look at the impact on things.”
As it is, Grissom said all the red tape in Illinois makes getting almost anything done far too cumbersome.
“You almost need a team of top-notch lawyers just to deal with state government,” he said.
The laws scheduled to take hold as of Jan. 1 range from not being allowed to watch or stream video while behind the wheel of a vehicle to requiring a license from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation for anyone looking to become a Chinese herbologist.
“It goes from the practical to the not so much in terms of how important and necessary some of these things are,” Grissom said. “The bottom line is you can’t legislate your way into a perfect world. Trying something like that just leads to things becoming far too cumbersome.”
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