Dear Friend,
In this week’s edition of Severin Says, I’d like to address the latest news and notes from Springfield and beyond. Like I said last week, I’ll use this space on a weekly basis to give you the news, and to tell you what I think about it. But first, I want to invite you to my upcoming District Office Open House on Tuesday, January 22nd in Marion. We are located at 600 Halfway Road in the Futiva building. My staff and I will be available from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. to meet with the public and answer any questions.
Now, on to this week’s news.
Chicago Democrats Rule the Roost
First up, Governor JB Pritzker was sworn-in as Illinois’ 43rd Governor on Monday of this week. Now that the legislature and Constitutional officers have been sworn-in, I want to provide you with a short Civics/Geography lesson. There are eight positions of political leadership in Springfield. Of those eight positions, seven of the politicians reside within the limits of the city of Chicago.
Governor JB Pritzker – Chicago
Lieutenant Gov. Juliana Stratton – Chicago
Attorney General Kwame Raoul – Chicago
Secretary of State Jesse White – Chicago
Comptroller Susana Mendoza – Chicago
Senate President John Cullerton – Chicago
House Speaker Michael Madigan – Chicago
That my friends, is a lot of Democrat power concentrated in just one area of the State.
The lone Constitutional officer or legislative leader to reside outside the boundaries of the city of Chicago is State Treasurer Michael Frerichs, who currently lives in Champaign.
That brings me to this week’s news. One of Governor Pritzker’s first acts as Governor was to sign legislation that increases regulations on gun-owners, gun-dealers, and law-abiding citizens. During his Inaugural Address, Governor Pritzker promised to dramatically tilt the State’s tax policies, and its economic, environmental, and healthcare industries in a liberal-progressive direction. Another promise he made was to enact “common sense gun control” – which I think is what he believes he was doing when he signed SB 337 earlier this week.
I will have my reaction to that and more in this week’s edition of Severin Says. Thank you for reading!
Press Release – Severin Reacts to New Gun Dealer Licensing Law
“Once it takes effect, SB 337 will now create new licensing costs and regulations for small, independent gun dealerships,” “Back when it was a bill, the legislation became probably the most infamous piece of legislation among gun owners and Second Amendment supporters in Illinois. Some quick research on ILGA.gov shows that the bill drew more than 4,000 opponents on the record when it was presented to the House Judiciary Committee. That is a major mobilization of law-abiding gun owners and dealers.”
The new law creates a new fee and additional licensing regulations for businesses that do the majority of their business selling guns and ammunition. The law will also require gun dealers to have a state license for the owner, a state license for the dealer, and possibly a local license in addition to the federal license that is already required. The bill also allows for local governments to impose additional requirements on gun dealers.
Severin is warning his constituents to be aware that more gun regulations are likely coming, as control of State government has shifted radically to Democrat control.
“Higher costs, more regulations, and the State government duplicating federal requirements should be what law-abiding gun owners in Illinois should expect while the Chicago Democrats are running everything,” Severin said. “We enjoy a culture and history in Southern Illinois of hunting and sport shooting. It is unfortunate that politicians from the northern part of the State fail to appreciate that.
####
Pepsi Job Fair
If you are looking for a new career, Pepsi Mid America may be the place for you. On Saturday, Pepsi is hosting a job fair at the Crisp Container facility located at 700 Skyline Dr. in Marion.
Jobseekers are invited to attend between 8 a.m. and noon. There will be no appointments, walk-in applicants only. HR staff and managers will be present to conduct on-the-spot interviews.
Positions include: CDL Class A Driver (paid training for CDL provided); Merchandiser; Assembler; Sales; Shipping/Receiving; Data Entry; Production/Operations and Management.
For more information, call Pepsi Mid-America at 618-997-1377.