OOIDA Call to Action - Illinois Members
October 20, 2004

Attention: Illinois truckers! Supporters of the effort to end Illinois' split speed limit plan an attempt to override the governor's veto in November. You need to contact your state legislators now and urge them to vote in favor of the bill - SB2374 - during the upcoming veto session.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich vetoed the bill in August citing fears that faster trucks would mean bloodier accidents.

It's obvious the governor has received bad information.

By having one speed limit for which all vehicles comply, the need for passing, lane changes, tailgating, and other maneuvers that create opportunities for drivers to make mistakes is minimized. This isn't physics or rocket science. It's simple common sense that highway engineers have known and followed for decades.

Sen. George Shadid, D-Pekin, SB2374's primary sponsor, is expected to call the bill during the first week of the veto session, Nov. 8, 9 and 10. The vote will likely occur in the Senate on the 9^th or 10^th.

The bill's chances look good. Both the Senate and House votes earlier this year were more than the three-fifths necessary to override a veto.

However, despite similar majorities last year on a nearly identical bill many House lawmakers changed their votes when asked to make the override - resulting in the effort's failure by two votes.

We don't want to let that happen again.

For Senate members contact information, visit www.legis.state.il.us/senate/default.asp. For House members, contact www.legis.state.il.us/house/default.asp. You can also call OOIDA's Membership Department at 1-800-444-5791 and they'll look it up.