Sauer Bill to Help Mom & Pop Businesses Ready for Gov's Signature

SPRINGFIELD – Yesterday, the Illinois Senate passed legislation carried through the Illinois House by State Representative Nick Sauer (R-Lake Barrington) to address Illinois’ burdensome regulatory environment. House Bill 4944 carries on from legislation Sauer passed in 2017 to bring Illinois law in line with federal law to reduce the additional burden placed on businesses in Illinois.

“Illinois’ economy has been at a competitive disadvantage compared to other states because of overregulation,” said Sauer. “Last year, we took a step forward in addressing our overregulation problem by bringing our regulatory system into parity with federal standards and other growing states through House Bill 3172.”

Previous Illinois law required semi-trucks and similarly categorized carrier vehicles to be inspected every six months, rather than every twelve months as federal law requires. Illinois was one of a handful of states with this additional regulation. The extra inspection cost was unnecessarily prohibitive to Illinois’ small intrastate trucking businesses, but the real economic detriment was in the amount of time vehicles were out of service.

“This year, we can take another step forward with House Bill 4944,” said Sauer. “This legislation will further improve the economic environment by recognizing the changing nature of 21st Century vehicles used by our small businesses to transport their goods and equipment. I’m glad my House and Senate colleagues agreed and I look forward to it being signed by the Governor.”

Many of the new types of carrier vehicles used by small mom and pop businesses, which are the driving force of our economy, no longer use the traditional semi-truck designs. Recognizing these changes in the marketplace, HB 4944 updates the carrier vehicle inspection requirement to be based on standard carrier vehicle weights. This update ensures a uniform, annual safety test for all types of carrier vehicles used in Illinois weighing 10,000 to 26,001 pounds – exempting school buses – and brings improved clarity to Illinois’ regulatory system for small businesses.

Sauer noted, as a matter of safety, school buses have been specifically exempted from this annual inspection change. School buses will continue to be inspected every six months to ensure the safety of their precious cargo.

Learn more about the House Bill 4944 here: http://www.repnicksauer.com/20...