South Cook News

Patrick J. Joyce introduced SB1407 in the Illinois Senate on Jan. 31, 2025, during the general assembly session 104, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Removes language providing that an owner may only apply for and receive 5 farm truck registrations, and only 2 of those 5 vehicles shall exceed 59,500 gross weight in pounds per vehicle. Provides instead that an owner may apply for and receive a total of 8 farm truck registrations; however, only 2 farm truck registrations may be registered as exceeding 77,001 lbs. under provisions regarding farm truck registration (with a fee of $1,590 per vehicle registered) and the other 6 farm truck registrations must be registered as exceeding 77,001 lbs. under provisions regarding flat weight taxes (with a fee of $2,890 per vehicle registered)."

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the Illinois Vehicle Code to revise the farm truck registration process. It removes the previous restriction allowing a maximum of five farm truck registrations, of which no more than two could exceed 59,500 pounds in gross weight. The new provision allows for a total of eight farm truck registrations per owner. Within these eight, only two registrations can be for trucks exceeding 77,001 pounds under farm truck registration rules, subject to a $1,590 fee each. The other six registrations must be for vehicles exceeding 77,001 pounds under flat weight tax provisions, with a registration fee of $2,890 per vehicle. This adjustment offers more flexibility for farm truck owners in vehicle registrations while maintaining regulatory fees.

Patrick J. Joyce has proposed another 11 bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Joyce graduated from Illinois State University with a BA.

Patrick Joyce is currently serving in the Illinois State Senate, representing the state's 40th Senate District. He replaced previous state senator Toi Hutchinson in 2019.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
SB1407	01/31/2025	Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Removes language providing that an owner may only apply for and receive 5 farm truck registrations, and only 2 of those 5 vehicles shall exceed 59,500 gross weight in pounds per vehicle. Provides instead that an owner may apply for and receive a total of 8 farm truck registrations; however, only 2 farm truck registrations may be registered as exceeding 77,001 lbs. under provisions regarding farm truck registration (with a fee of $1,590 per vehicle registered) and the other 6 farm truck registrations must be registered as exceeding 77,001 lbs. under provisions regarding flat weight taxes (with a fee of $2,890 per vehicle registered).
SB1408	01/31/2025	Amends the Governmental Account Audit Act. Provides that any governmental unit receiving revenue of less than $1,500,000 (rather than $850,000) for any fiscal year shall, in lieu of causing an annual audit of the accounts of the unit to be made, either (i) cause an audit of the accounts of the unit to be made once every 4 years and file with the Comptroller an annual financial report containing information required by the Comptroller or (ii) file with the Comptroller an annual financial report containing information required by the Comptroller, a copy of which has been provided to each member of that governmental unit's board of elected officials, presented either in person or by a live phone or web connection during a public meeting, and approved by a 3/5 majority vote. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.
SB1409	01/31/2025	Amends the Wildlife Code. Provides that, within one year of the effective date of the amendatory Act, to the extent permitted by federal law, the Department of Natural Resources shall adopt or amend rules effectuating an increased shooting time for waterfowl of 30 minutes after sunset on at least one day per week during seasons for the hunting of waterfowl. Provides that hunting hours between one-half hour after sunset and one-half hour before sunrise may be established by administrative rule for waterfowl, to the extent permitted by federal law.
SB1410	01/31/2025	Amends the Illinois Gambling Act. Provides that during the period where authorized payments are required, Des Plaines commits to share 40% of the gaming tax revenue that remains after the authorized payment, less the amounts received by the named municipalities from the proceeds of a specified casino, with the following municipalities: Chicago Heights; Dixmoor; Ford Heights; Harvey; Hodgkins; Markham; Phoenix; Riverdale; Robbins; and Summit. Provides that the amount received by each named municipality shall be allocated proportionally to the population of each municipality and reduced by the amount received by that municipality from the proceeds of the specified casino. Defines "authorized payments".
SB1473	01/31/2025	Amends the Illinois Horse Racing Act of 1975. Removes provision stating that no organization licensee conducting its race meeting in a county bordering the Mississippi River and having a population greater than 230,000 may be a host track for its race meeting. Makes changes in provisions regarding organizations that may not conduct a horse race meeting, the standardbred racetrack in Cook County, the application for an organization license, and wagering. Adds provisions concerning the standardbred racetrack in Macon County. Effective immediately.
SB1360	01/29/2025	Amends the Illinois State Police Radio Act. In provisions about public safety radio interoperability, defines interoperability and includes legislative findings. Provides that the Illinois Statewide Interoperability Executive Committee (SIEC) shall oversee advisory boards in the governance, interoperability, and land mobile radio standards for Illinois' land mobile radio communications system and shall collaborate with the Office of the Statewide 9-1-1 Administrator and the Homeland Security Advisory Council to strengthen Illinois' emergency communications ecosystem. Modifies the membership of the SIEC. Provides that the advisory boards of the SIEC shall include, but are not limited to, the Governance Advisory Board, the Statewide Interoperability Advisory Board, and the STARCOM21 Advisory Board. Removes references to the STARCOM21 Oversight Committee. Requires the SIEC to adopt bylaws for its effective operation, as well as that of its advisory boards, and allows the SIEC to appoint advisors from the public safety communications community to serve on its advisory boards at the pleasure of the SIEC. Requires the SIEC to establish, no later than July 1, 2026, standards necessary to ensure land mobile radio equipment interoperates throughout Illinois; compliance with these standards shall be implemented as funding becomes available; planning, training, and evaluation standards necessary to enhance public safety communications operational readiness; and standards necessary for the unification of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System statewide. Requires the SIEC to, no later than July 1, 2026, develop and recommend a plan to sustainably fund radio infrastructure, radio equipment, and interoperability statewide. Allows the Illinois State Police to use any money appropriated to it for the purpose promoting public safety radio interoperability if the use of the funds is consistent with any standards set forth by the SIEC and to adopt emergency rules or jointly adopt emergency rules with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act to make conforming changes. Effective July 1, 2025.
SB1229	01/24/2025	Amends the Nursing Home Care Act. Provides that the Directory published each year by the Department of Public Health for each public health region listing facilities shall contain the facility website address, if any.
SB1230	01/24/2025	Amends the Capital Development Board Act. Provides that, on or before July 1, 2026, and every year thereafter, the Capital Development Board shall submit a report to the General Assembly and the Governor concerning all upcoming and proposed projects constructed by or under the supervision of the Board.
SB0217	01/22/2025	Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning creation of a firefighters' pension fund.
SB0218	01/22/2025	Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that aggravated assault of a teacher upon school grounds or grounds adjacent to a school or in any part of a building used for school purposes is a Class 4 felony (rather than a Class A misdemeanor).
SB0258	01/22/2025	Amends the Personnel Code. Provides that, if requirements exist under federal law, regulation, or rule for administration of programs by methods relating to the establishment and maintenance of personnel standards on a merit basis on January 1, 2025, those requirements shall remain in place for the purpose of administration of those programs by the State. Effective immediately.
SB0151	01/17/2025	Amends the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
SB0152	01/17/2025	Amends the Illinois Fire Protection Training Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
SB0153	01/17/2025	Amends the Illinois Fire Protection Training Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
SB0154	01/17/2025	Amends the Illinois Pension Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning creation of a firefighters' pension fund.
SB0155	01/17/2025	Amends the Open Meetings Act. Provides that an elected or appointed member of a public body of a township may satisfy specified training requirements of the Act by participating in a course of training sponsored or conducted by an organization that represents townships created under the Township Code. Specifies the contents of the course of training. Provides that if an organization that represents townships provides a course of training, it must provide a certificate of course completion to each elected or appointed member of a public body who successfully completes that course of training.