Springfield (ECWd) –

For those who have not kept up with the new legislation being introduced, you can review just a sampling of them by clicking on them below.

However, the most recent straw ban legislation is worthy of a brief analysis.

The straw ban wants to ban straws made from plastic and even corn.

Why would an Illinois legislator, in a state rich with agriculture, specifically corn, want to ban a product made from one of the state’s top export products?

The straws to be banned currently come wrapped in paper.  Any clue what the proposed plant-based (other than corn), straws are wrapped in?

Plastic! 

So yes, here in Illinois, a legislator wants to ban straws made from one of our top agricultural products that come wrapped in paper and replace them with plant-based straws that will be wrapped in plastic.  For those that think those plant-based straws will be wrapped in paper like the current plastic, think again.  They will be wrapped in plastic to keep moisture out.  I saw this first hand during a recent trip to California. Their straw ban seemed to be the joke of the state in every restaurant we visited, which by the way, many provided plastic straws even though they were banned.

Had all these goofy ideas for new laws been introduced last year, I would say we might need some drug testing of our legislators, but this is a new year and recreational marijuana is now legal.  I can only wonder if there is a connection.

Below is the list of just a small sample of what the citizens of Illinois are dealing with during this legislative session.

•  gas taxes
• Ban on pumping your own gas
• $500 fines for using a gas leaf blower
• $1,000,000.00 in liability insurance just to apply for a FOID card
• Carryout bag tax,
• renovations to a residence to require an electric vehicle charging station installation
• Straw ban, to include those made from corn, one of the top export products in the state.

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