MIG Journal, Saturday Morning Edition
- attorneygeneral5
- Mar 7
- 6 min read
Alcohol for Babies but No Caffeine for College Students
By Allen Dekeyrel
House Democrats and Republicans in the Alcohol, Gaming, Tobacco and Firearms Committee debated a variety of bills this morning. Most important to lawmakers were HBOL 2107 and HB 1019.
HBOL 2107, presented by Rep. Aidan McGovern (Northern Illinois University), aims to prohibit publicly funded universities and colleges from selling caffeinated beverages. The bill faced major pushback from House Democrats such as Rep. Aloura Barter (Roosevelt University), who said the bill “does nothing for off-campus caffeine.”
Another Democratic congresswoman said, “If you can join the military, why not drink at 18,” in support of the bill.
McGovern argued that “relying on caffeine reduces sleep” and that “we need mental health programs, not caffeine,” in response to Democratic pushback. The ATF committee voted to pass the bill to the House floor, where it will be voted on later this weekend.
HB 1019, however, was amended from allowing 18-year-olds to drink to allowing 1-year-olds to drink. Republicans achieved unanimous bipartisan support on the legislation. Rep. Anna Sheehan (McKendree University) said, “Beer is awesome,” and “I want to drink with my mom,” when the bill was presented to the committee.
Rep. Owen Harrison (Prairie State College) said, “The only thing more fun than getting drunk is getting drunk with Ma and Pa.”
Republicans agreed that lowering the drinking age was a good idea. Rep. Tobias Liebermann (Triton College) said, “Through my parents, I learned to drink responsibly.”
Even McGovern agreed, saying, “We should allow the youngest of our population to drink.”
Flame Throwers and Water Guns
By Allen Dekeyrel
The House Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Gaming Committee discussed two bills involving very different types of weapons this afternoon. The first was HB 0019, which would require owners of flamethrowers to have a FOID card.
Republicans argued the bill was a slippery slope.
Rep. Aidan McGovern (Northern Illinois University) said, “Flamethrowers, pocket knives — where does it end?”
Democrats largely agreed. Rep. Owen Harrison (Prairie State College) said, “While many people use flamethrowers for cooking, including myself, we should be forced to get FOID cards to protect the public from crazies such as myself.”
Harrison abstained from voting.
Rep. Aloura Barter (Roosevelt University) said the proposal was unnecessary. “The majority of people who want a flamethrower probably have a FOID card,” she said.
The committee also discussed HB 1034 and amended the bill to include water guns. “It is the Second Amendment right to carry weapons, and that includes water guns,” McGovern said.
Republicans also said water guns can be useful for repelling raccoons. Sheehan defended raccoons during debate. “They like hot dogs, we like hot dogs; therefore we should not have water guns anywhere near them,” she said.
Democrats voted for the bill.
Harrison concluded the discussion by saying, “I do not know if water guns are included in the Second Amendment, but I think they should be.”
Gambling Bills Move to Senate
By Alex Dolgin
The Senate committee regulating tobacco, gambling, alcohol and firearms — referred to as ATF — passed several bills related to gambling.
Among the legislation was SB 1224, which creates the Fantasy Sports Consumer Protection Act. The bill removes the sports wagering classification from fantasy sports if they operate under the new act.
The bill would allow the Illinois Gaming Board to regulate fantasy sports through licensing, taxation and emergency rulemaking.
Another proposal, introduced by Sen. Tayton Meyer (Lincoln Land Community College), sought to prohibit sports betting advertisements during sporting events.
Before an amendment, the bill would have created a blackout period preventing betting ads during game breaks.
The bill drew opposition from Democratic senators in the ATF committee. Democratic spokesperson Sen. Adam Wallace (John A. Logan College) argued that preventing ads from airing would represent government overreach.
“A complete blackout would drive people to unsanctioned places to place bets,” Wallace said.
Republicans introduced an amendment replacing the word “prohibit” with “limit.” The amendment passed the committee and allowed Democrats to support the measure in larger numbers, resulting in unanimous approval.
“I understand it. I initially wanted to get rid of all of them, but I couldn’t,” Meyer said.
SB 1292 also passed unanimously, prohibiting gambling companies from collecting data to create targeted promotions. SB 2398 similarly bans AI tracking in gambling apps designed to draw users back to betting platforms.
Marijuana Pension Funding Change Moves to Senate
By Alex Dolgin
The Senate ATF Committee voted on several bills related to the distribution of weed- and hemp-based products.
SBOL 2316, sponsored by Republican Sen. William Fulth, would redirect tax revenue collected from the sale of legal marijuana into the state pension fund until a 95% funding ratio is reached.
Democratic senators criticized the bill during debate, arguing the proposal would remove funding from communities that currently receive support through marijuana tax revenue.
Minority spokesperson Sen. Jayden Vazquez (Triton College) argued the measure would still serve the public.
Teachers, police officers and EMT workers increasingly encounter marijuana-related situations, Vazquez said, adding that pension funding supports those workers.
The bill passed the ATF committee with nine votes in favor and now moves to the Senate floor.
SB 0067 Draws Republican Joke
By Alex Dolgin
The Senate Committee on Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms voted on SB 0067, though the debate drew unusual behavior from several senators.
The proposal would amend the Nurse Agency Licensing Act to allow civil penalties of up to $10,000 for violations paid to the Department of Labor.
Committee chair Sen. Jackson Henke (Lincoln Land Community College) criticized members’ behavior during debate.
“The membership of the committee behaved very badly,” Henke said. “They could not remain on topic.”
Henke said Republican spokesperson Sen. Jayden Vazquez (Triton College) stood to debate the bill, said only “67,” and then sat down.
Democratic Sen. Zachary Bosi (Purdue University Northwest) confirmed the unusual exchange but said the committee handled the situation appropriately.
The bill ultimately failed to advance.
Good vs. Good
By Destiny Thomas
Rep. Damian Orozco (Northeastern Illinois University) summarized the debate during discussion of HB 0040. “My opponents on the right argue that police are the good guys — and they are right,” Orozco said.
The bill proposes amendments to the Illinois Police Training Act to improve law enforcement responses to hate crimes and bias-related incidents.
Rep. Zachary Luhman (Western Illinois University) opposed the measure.“No department has a 100% success rate,” Luhman said.
Democrats argued the goal should still be perfection.
The bill passed committee with eight votes in favor, four opposed and no abstentions and now heads to the House floor.
Life, Liberty and Choice
By Destiny Thomas
Debate intensified in the House over HB 3243, a bill that would roll back many of Illinois’ current abortion protections.
Rep. Rita Cortez (Purdue University Northwest) criticized arguments from Republican colleagues. “I don’t think arguments made from my colleagues on the right have any merit,” Cortez said.
Rep. Abbey Mobley (John A. Logan College) agreed. “Politicians are in no way medical experts,” Mobley said.
Rep. Cort Hooven (John A. Logan College) presented photographs of premature infants while arguing that life begins at 23 weeks. “Our unalienable rights include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” Hooven said.
Cortez responded by questioning whether women themselves would be denied those same rights.
You Are Terminal
By Destiny Thomas
Rep. Cort Hooven (John A. Logan College) introduced HBOL 2320, which would expand Illinois’ Right to Try law.
The law allows terminally ill patients to access experimental treatments not yet fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
“Terminal patients have a 100% mortality rate without treatment,” Hooven said.
Rep. Jordan Coates (John A. Logan College) raised concerns about insufficient testing.
“We don’t need Yelp for drugs — we need rigorous testing,” Coates said.
Despite concerns, the bill passed committee unanimously and now heads to the House floor.
SBOL1115 Only Bill to Fail in Morning Committee Caucus
By Juana Sanchez Castillo
Of the six bills debated during the morning’s committee caucus, only SBOL1115 failed to pass.
The proposal addressed equality between couples regarding parenting and marriage, particularly the concept of automatic 50-50 custody.
Majority spokesperson Sen. Hannah Towal (Lincoln Land Community College) opposed the bill.
“Fifty-fifty custody of a child right off the bat is absurd,” Towal said.
Lobbyist Prince Washington (University of Illinois Springfield) argued Illinois courts show bias against fathers.
Sen. Cynthia Manson (Prairie State College) said fathers can maintain strong bonds with their children.
Sen. Miguel Martinez (Purdue University Northwest) argued the bill lacked clarity.
Sen. Breana Magallanes (Prairie State College) said it could lead to more dysfunctional families.
The bill ultimately failed with a vote of 5-7-0.
