Dear friends,

As my legislative colleagues and I continue to look for opportunities to collaborate with the governor on budget solutions that support Illinois' working families, I also have been busy advancing legislation that benefits my constituents and Illinois.

As always, I encourage you to stay in touch. Should you have any questions, please contact my office at 708-848-2002.

Sincerely,

Senator Don Harmon
39th District – Illinois

Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) issued the following statement today regarding the Illinois budget stalemate:

“Every day my colleagues and I are confronted with sobering reminders of the consequences of Illinois’ historic budget stalemate. In communities throughout the state, organizations that help the poor, the sick, the elderly, the young and the disenfranchised on behalf of state government are closing their doors because they have not been paid. Highly respected public universities and community colleges are preparing what amount to doomsday scenarios because they, too, have received no state money. As the state’s backlog of bills grows, so does uncertainty about Illinois’ future.

“Senate Bill 2046, which the Senate approved today (with changes suggested in the House), would offer assurances to providers of vital services that are on the brink of collapse today, while giving Democratic and Republican lawmakers in the General Assembly time to continue working with the governor on longer-term solutions to Illinois’ financial and economic problems.

“I don’t think we can say it enough: The General Assembly and the governor cannot allow Illinois’ network of human services and higher education to collapse in the short term for the sake of non-budgetary initiatives that require time and effort to negotiate. Shutting down the government is not an option. This legislation offers temporary relief.

“I urge Gov. Rauner to sign Senate Bill 2046 and bring some stability to universities, community colleges, human service providers and the communities statewide that rely on those institutions for jobs and for help.”

Saying the state lacks adequate information about Illinois’ recovering bobcat population, Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) has proposed a prohibition on trapping the animals and selling their pelts.

Senate Bill 2143, which passed out of a Senate committee on Thursday, does not repeal recently enacted state law that allows hunting of bobcats.

“If it was up to me, I would take bobcats off the list of animals that can be hunted in Illinois,” Harmon said. “But under this legislation, folks still can hunt bobcats in an effort to manage the population in a responsible and humane way. They just can’t trap them.”

Currently, bobcat pelts have a market price of about $35 in Illinois. Harmon said he is concerned that Illinois is creating a market for the pelts of an animal that not long ago was a threatened species here.

Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation in July 2015 allowing licensed hunters to kill one bobcat per season. The practice had been banned in Illinois for about 40 years because the population had dwindled. Bobcats were removed from the state’s threatened species list in 1999.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources estimates there are 3,000 bobcats in southern Illinois, 2,000 in western Illinois and 1,500 in other parts of the state. More precise figures and other data about the state’s bobcat population are unknown, though. The animals are nocturnal and reclusive.

“We don’t have the numbers, and we don’t have all the facts. Let’s slow down and not create a market for pelts of an animal whose population is still coming back,” Harmon said.

“If we’re going to kill animals, I would like for people to use all of the resources those animals provide. That’s the responsible thing to do. But it troubles me that bobcat hunting rules are rushed and without the benefit of having all the facts.

“Let’s not inadvertently create the incentives to hunt for sport only animals that were recently endangered and may still well be threatened.”

Fewer Illinois schoolchildren would start the school day hungry under legislation sponsored by Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park).

Senate Bill 2393 would require every public elementary, middle and high school with a student low-income rate of at least 70 percent to offer breakfast to students after the instructional day has begun. The legislation had unanimous support in the Senate Education Committee Tuesday and will head to the Senate floor for a vote.

Under the proposal, each school would be able to determine the Breakfast After the Bell model that suits its students, such as breakfast in the classroom, grab and go breakfast and second-chance breakfast. Schools that participate in the program are able to capture federal money to pay for the cost of offering these meals.

“It’s difficult to learn, let alone stay awake or pay attention if your stomach is growling from hunger,” Harmon said. “For many Illinois children, the unfortunate fact is that the best and sometimes the only meals they get each day are served at school.”

Yoga instructors would continue to be free from state government regulation under legislation sponsored by Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park).

Senate Bill 2743 exempts yoga instruction and yoga teacher training from state regulation as a trade, occupation, vocation or profession.

“Over-regulation of yoga training disproportionately would impact small, women-owned businesses and advantage large chain fitness clubs,” Harmon said. “That’s not good for business in Illinois.”

The Illinois Board of Higher Education has discretion in determining what types of programs and courses it considers to be occupational or vocational in nature. For example, IBHE regulates training for nurse aids, dental assistants, accountants and HVAC technicians, all of which clearly are vocations.

However, teaching yoga typically is a personal pursuit, not a profession or a career path, Harmon said, noting that the state does not regulate certain ballet, karate or pilates instruction.

Yet several yoga teacher training schools in Illinois recently were notified by IBHE that they are subject to state regulation for training programs and that they must obtain IBHE approval to operate in the state.

“Yoga has been practiced successfully for thousands of years without government regulation. I see no reason to intrude now,” Harmon said.

SB2743 unanimously passed out of the Senate’s Higher Education Committee and will head to the Senate floor for a full vote.