A Weekly Update on Issues with State Senator Gary Forby...

Legislation that I co-sponsored to ensure gun owners’ privacy was signed into law this week. I have written about this measure and its importance to our law-abiding gun owners a number of times throughout the year; but in case you don’t already know, the measure was prompted by a situation earlier this year when the Associated Press requested the list of Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card holders’ names from Illinois State Police. After State police refused because of safety concerns, the Attorney General stepped in and ruled the names had to be released. In an effort to prevent the list from falling into the wrong hands, my colleagues and I took quick action and proposed House Bill 3500 (Public Act 97-0080). The bill adds an exemption to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and bars state and local governments from publicly releasing the names or other private information of FOID card holders or applicants. This new law prevents residents’ safety from being put in jeopardy. 

I was pleased with the governor’s decision to sign this measure into law to protect the safety of Illinois families and gun owners. I feared that if this list was made public, we would be creating a situation where certain families’ homes would be singled out and targeted by criminals and wrongdoers. This bill is a common sense piece of legislation to ensure safety for all citizens and, more importantly, I think it is an important step in the right direction for Illinois gun owners. I remain hopeful that this will help open the door for future negotiations about gun rights in the state, such as concealed carry.

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A Weekly Update on Issues with State Senator Gary Forby...

Southern Illinois has a lot to offer. Our area gives out-of-town visitors the opportunity to experience a number of stunning state parks, like Giant City, Fort Massac, Cave-in-Rock and Fern Clyffe, and plenty of other recreational activities, like touring our wine trails, fishing, biking, hunting, horseback riding, golfing, and camping grounds. During the summer months, there are a number of county fairs, parades and festivals that draw good crowds. And although the outdoors tourist opportunities are great, we shouldn’t overlook the other sites that draw tourists to Southern Illinois. Our area has many other historic sites, such as the Bald Knob Cross and the Marion Cultural and Civic Center (MCCC). The Cultural and Civic Center, located in Marion, has provided artistic opportunities for tourists and local residents since 2004. The MCCC displays local artists’ work as well as a number of national touring productions.

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A Weekly Update on Issues with State Senator Gary Forby...

My colleagues and I were called back to Springfield this week to tie up a few loose ends during a one-day summer session. Since this session day was not in response to a call from the governor, the cost to the state was almost nothing because legislators did not receive reimbursements to pay for travel or lodging.

During our time at the Capitol, legislators and I voted to reauthorize spending on the capital construction plan. This legislation (SB 2414) makes certain that 52,000 construction workers can continue working on $18 billion worth of projects throughout the state. This was important to continuing our economic recovery and helping the hard-working men and women of Illinois. Summer is the peak time for construction work and this legislation protects thousands of jobs and also continued work on some very important repairs and upgrades to roads, bridges, schools, and other state facilities. While in Springfield, I also voted on a measure (SB 266) that requires lawmakers and me to take 12 unpaid days off during the next year and rejects a 1.1 percent cost-of-living increase. In total, the legislation will cut our pay by 4.6 percent, or a $3,100 cut to our salary. While this measure is largely symbolic to show that we are all in this together, it will be the third year in a row we have made such a move to cut our pay. After passing a balanced budget that makes tough cuts, we need to make a sacrifice ourselves.

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