Parents Reminded to “Look Before You Lock” to Prevent Child Deaths

Press Release from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency

SPRINGFIELD – Each year, an average of 37 children die from heatstroke after being left in locked cars. So far in 2017, 14 child fatalities have occurred. With the hottest days of summer just around the corner, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and county and municipal emergency management agencies are urging parents to take steps to ensure their children aren’t locked in a hot car.

Emergency management officials will be offering heat safety tips throughout July as part of Heat Safety Awareness Month in Illinois.

“No one should ever be left in a parked car, even for a short time,” said IEMA Director James Joseph. “Temperatures inside a parked vehicle can rapidly rise to dangerous levels even if the windows are open slightly, and can lead to brain damage or death.”

Joseph said heat effects can be more severe on children because their bodies warm at a faster rate than adults. He encourages parents to develop habits that will ensure the backseat is always checked before the car is locked, such as putting a purse, cell phone or other needed item in the back seat or making it a routine to open the car’s back door every time the car is parked.

“We experience hot and humid conditions several times during the summer in Illinois. The combination of this heat and humidity can reach dangerous levels, particularly for those spending time outdoors in direct sunlight and in buildings without air conditioning,” said Chris Miller, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Lincoln. “Illnesses and fatalities due to heat are preventable. Never leave children or pets unattended in a vehicle; look before you lock your automobile.” Other hot weather tips include the following:

• Always lock car doors and trunks, even at home, and keep keys out of children’s reach.
• Stay hydrated by drinking at least 1½ to 2 quarts of fluids daily, even if you don’t feel thirsty.
• Avoid alcoholic beverages and drinks containing caffeine.
• Avoid overexertion and strenuous outdoor activities if possible.
• Take advantage of cooling centers, public pools and air-conditioned stores and malls during periods of extreme heat. Even a few hours a day in air conditioning can help prevent heat-related illnesses.
• Check on family, friends and neighbors who do not have air conditioning and who spend much of their time alone.
• Don’t forget your pets. Offer pets extra water and place the water bowl in a shaded area if outdoors. Make sure pets have a shady refuge where they can escape direct sun exposure.
• If you or someone around you begins experiencing dizziness, nausea, headache, confusion and a rapid pulse, seek medical attention immediate, as these could be the symptoms of heatstroke.

Additional tips on how to protect yourself and others from heat-related illnesses are available on the state’s Ready Illinois website (www.Ready.Illinois.gov).

Rauner opposes tying emergency services to tax hike

Press release from the office of Governor Bruce Rauner

SPRINGFIELD – Governor Bruce Rauner today issued an amendatory veto of SB 1839 to ensure that critical 9-1-1 services continue without a massive tax hike on Illinois families and businesses.

“The majority in the General Assembly waited until the last moment to send this 9-1-1 service reauthorization bill to my desk. Unfortunately, those lawmakers also inserted a major tax hike into this bill, a tax that’s both excessive and unwarranted, and that I strongly oppose,” Governor Rauner said. “This extreme increase is unfair and indefensible. But the majority in the General Assembly is using the threat of cancellation of 9-1-1 services on Saturday as leverage to force this tax hike through over my opposition.”

In the amendatory veto, the Governor removed all the surcharge increases and special interest giveaways. He also revoked the sunsets on the Emergency Telephone System Act and the sections regarding telecommunications and cable and video in the Public Utilities Act. These changes mean 9-1-1 would continue in Illinois without the General Assembly having to pass legislation to renew the service.

“This mean-spirited strategy has been employed by the majority repeatedly over the years, most prominently in the current budget impasse: holding innocent people, our most vulnerable residents and essential services hostage as leverage to force excessive, unwarranted tax hikes onto the people of Illinois,” Governor Rauner said. “This practice must stop.”

The full veto message to the General Assembly is below:

To the Honorable Members of
The Illinois Senate,
100th General Assembly:
Today I return Senate Bill 1839, an amendment to Department of State Police Law of the Civil Administrative Code, Emergency Telephone System Act and the Public Utilities Act, with specific recommendations to ensure that critical 9-1-1 services continue without a massive tax hike on Illinois families and businesses.

9-1-1 dispatch centers are the backbone of our public safety system. Our dispatchers are dedicated public servants who are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help our citizens in times of crisis. Essential 9-1-1 services are set to expire on July 1, 2017 under the current provisions of the Emergency Telephone System Act and Article XIII (Telecommunications) and Article XXI (Cable and Video) of the Public Utilities Act. This sunset process on important services has been used extensively by politicians in Illinois as a way to exert periodic pressure to extract benefits for political insiders. The majority in the General Assembly waited until the last moment to send this 9-1-1 service reauthorization bill to my desk. Unfortunately, those lawmakers also inserted a major tax hike into this bill, a tax that’s both excessive and unwarranted, and that I strongly oppose. The tax hike is large for the people of Illinois, but it’s particularly massive for the people of Chicago. Chicago 9-1-1 fees are already the highest in America. This extreme increase is unfair and indefensible. But the majority in the General Assembly is using the threat of cancellation of 9-1-1 services on Saturday as leverage to force this tax hike through over my opposition.

This mean-spirited strategy has been employed by the majority repeatedly over the years, most prominently in the current budget impasse: holding innocent people, our most vulnerable residents and essential services hostage as leverage to force excessive, unwarranted tax hikes onto the people of Illinois. This practice must stop.

Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(e) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return Senate Bill 1839, entitled “AN ACT concerning regulation”, with the following specific recommendations for change:

On Page 1, by deleting lines 4 through 23; and
By deleting pages 2 through 8; and
On page 9, by deleting lines 1 through 5; and
On page 9, by replacing lines 6 through 9 with the following: “(50 ILCS 750/99 rep.)
Section 5. The Emergency Telephone System Act is amended by repealing Section 99.”; and

On page 9, by deleting lines 10 through 24; and
By deleting pages 10 through 79; and
On page 80, by deleting lines 1 through 21; and
On page 80, by replacing lines 22 through 25 with the following:
“(220 ILCS 5/13-1200 rep.)
(220 ILCS 5/21-1601 rep.)
Section 10. The Public Utilities Act is amended by repealing Sections 13-1200 and 21-1601.”; and

By deleting pages 81 through 119; and
On page 120, by deleting lines 1 through 22.

With these changes, Senate Bill 1839 will have my approval. I respectfully request your concurrence.

Sincerely,

Bruce Rauner
GOVERNOR