The House and Senate were in session Tuesday through Thursday this week. For the month of March, the House is scheduled to be in session every week, while the Senate will only be in session this week, and the week of March 17, which is also committee deadline week. As we slowly approach the March 21 committee deadline, committee action is expected to heat up in both chambers. Last week, legislators advanced only a handful of bills through committees. No bills on IFCA's “watch list” were called in committee this week.
 
IFCA was informed this week the California Emissions Mandates are back for this session. Last year the bills were on standalone, but now they are part of larger pieces of transportation legislation that are being talked about in Springfield this session. The California Emissions Mandates are buried in HB 3778 (page 492) as well as SB 2486.  HB 3778 and SB 2486 would require Illinois to adopt CARB (California Air Resource Board) environmental regulations, subjecting Illinois citizens to the extreme policies of the California bureaucracy. This proposal is extremely detrimental to anyone that owns a semi. Here is what the legislation does:
 
The bill provides that starting next year, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency shall adopt rules to implement the motor vehicle emission standards of the State of California, including, but not limited to the (1) zero-emission vehicle program, (2) low-emission vehicle program, (3) advanced clean trucks program, and (4) heavy-duty low NOx omnibus program, and shall amend the rules within 6 months of any changes to maintain consistency with the California motor vehicle emission standards and federal clean air laws.
 
IFCA will keep our members informed if any legislation starts moving over the next two weeks in Springfield.