Attention: Illinois truckers! The bill sponsor of last year’s effort in the Illinois General Assembly to eliminate the state’s split speed limits wants to hear from you.

The legislation – HB1186 – called for creating a uniform 65 mph speed limit on the state’s rural interstates. It overwhelmingly passed both houses of the Assembly during the 2003 session only to be vetoed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich. An attempt by lawmakers to later overturn the veto fell one vote short in the House, officially killing the measure for the year.

The bill sponsor, Rep. Dan Reitz, D-Sparta, told OOIDA he has not yet made a decision on whether to reintroduce the bill, nor has he heard from any other lawmakers who have plans to.

It is imperative that you contact Rep. Reitz to thank him for his previous efforts and encourage him to reintroduce the legislation. Also, contact your elected state officials now and let them know you would appreciate their backing of the uniform-speeds effort and its importance to road safety.

To contact Rep. Dan Reitz, call (217) 782-1018; fax (217) 782-0945; or e-mail at repreitz@egyptian.net. For your state House and Senate lawmakers contact information, visit www.ilga.gov and scroll down to “Additional resources” and click on “Legislator lookup.” You can also call OOIDA’s Membership department at 1-800-444-5791 and they’ll look it up.