Carbondale Reporter

Senate Republicans are maintaining pressure on Governor J.B. Pritzker to veto Senate Bill 328, a measure they say would make Illinois more attractive for lawsuits unrelated to the state and raise costs for employers and families. The bill would allow out-of-state plaintiffs to sue businesses registered in Illinois, even if their cases have no connection to the state.

According to opponents, this change could overwhelm Illinois courts with cases from outside the state and increase legal expenses for businesses operating in Illinois. The method by which the bill was passed has also drawn criticism. Instead of addressing a technical error through normal procedures, Democratic lawmakers used a “gut and replace” tactic to alter an unrelated bill near the end of the legislative session. This move avoided the standard Three Readings Rule required by the Illinois Constitution and limited public input.

A lawsuit has been filed by Republican leaders challenging whether the passage of SB 328 met constitutional requirements. Oral arguments in Sangamon County Court are scheduled for August.

Governor Pritzker faces an August 29 deadline to act on SB 328; otherwise, it will become law without his signature. "Senate Republicans are urging the governor to stand for transparency and reject legislation that places special interests above the needs of Illinois families," stated Senate Republican leaders.

In another matter, reports indicate that Illinois may be required to pay back over $700 million annually to the federal government due to high error rates in its management of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. SNAP helps low-income families buy food but recent data shows that Illinois’ payment accuracy is among the lowest nationally—ranking worse than 38 other states with an error rate of 11.56 percent in fiscal year 2024.

Federal regulations now mandate that states exceeding a ten percent error rate must repay fifteen percent of total SNAP benefits distributed. State Senator Terri Bryant said, "State Senator Terri Bryant is calling for increased transparency and urging the Administration to take immediate action to fix the errors and stop the fraud and abuse in the SNAP program."

Bryant, a Republican, was elected in 2021 as state senator representing Illinois' 58th District after succeeding Paul Schimpf.

Elsewhere, $5 million in grants will be distributed by the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal (OSFM) among seventeen fire departments or districts statewide as part of its Fire Station and Rehabilitation Program. These grants provide up to $350,000 per recipient for building or upgrading fire stations through a competitive process managed under a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Details about recipients are available at https://sfm.illinois.gov/.

As summer continues, safety experts warn families about increasing risks associated with pool use—especially at home where most child drownings occur according to Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) statistics. On average each year there are 379 child deaths from pool or spa drownings; seventy-five percent involve children under five years old. An estimated 6,700 children require emergency care annually due to nonfatal incidents.

Experts recommend installing barriers such as four-sided fences with self-latching gates around pools, closely supervising children while swimming, keeping pool areas clear when not in use, assigning adults as dedicated water watchers free from distractions like phones or books, never leaving children unattended near water, teaching swimming skills early on, and handling chemicals safely.

More information on pool safety can be found at https://www.poolsafely.gov/.