Ok I finally managed to get over to see Rep. Dan Brady about this bill so many were fuming about to find out the gist behind it. It turns out this bill was originally created because of problems various municipalities were having dealing with makeshift junkyards. It does not soley come from central Illinois, although the city of Bloomington and McLean County were the ones who first approached Rep. Brady. There was influence from several northern municipalities (DuPage Co.)who also have similar problems who were in on this as well. The purpose of the bill, as stated, is to go after makeshift junkyards, not after car restorers. It boils down to this, if you have a bunch of old cars sitting around that are never being worked on...you could be in trouble. But as long as you can show you are someone who restores old cars and they are not just sitting there waiting to return to mother earth via oxidation, you are ok. You guys know the type I'm talking about...the guy with a bunch of cars he's "gonna restore" but never does anything and wont' sell you anything. The way the law is currently all the guy has to do is say its over 25 years old and exempt because he restores old cars, now you will have to prove it. I think we can all prove we "restore" old cars. Evidently one of the local clubs had concerns about the bill last time and there was an amendment to the bill to their satisfaction. Supposedly none of the members had any objections to the bill with the new language. I will post the language of the bill in its entirety once I receive a copy. Rep. Brady said he is not pushing this bill to get it to pass. Meaning he is not working hard to get it through, however one thing he did bring up raised some eyebrows with me. Evidently he has been getting a bunch of nasty email in regards to this bill, and he WILL push it if he continues to get harassing email. I'm not saying any of this is coming from here, I would hope we are mature enough not to start shit by running our mouths without knowing all the facts. You can accomplish more talking to your local representatives, than by yelling and being an idiot. I'm not saying there are not times when the gloves have to come off, but do it the right way so you don't make everyone on your side of the table look like an ass. Guys and gals, I have known Dan for about 15 years, he is a decent guy and will talk to any of you who have any questions about the bill. He supports the car hobby and does not want to do anything that would harm legitimate collectors and restorers. If you have a question....send him an email or give him a call. OK...this was essentially my conversation with him paraphrased. I might not have everything 100% correct, but it's damn close. If you still don't like it...you know what to do. Contact your local representative and see where they stand on it, and do it in a mature fashion. Bill
Good info, thanks Bill. I understand his reasoning, but interpretations of the law in local municipalities could get ugly.
Yeah that's why I want to see the actual bill and the new language in it. Personally I would worry more for you guys up in the northern part of the state than down here. I only know of 1 person in this whole county (largest in IL @ 1157 sq miles) that it would affect and would lose "good cars." I think they pushed for it because there are some (not many) clusters of junk around...and believe me there isn't a single car in there worth having...they want to get rid of but they haven't been able to.
I would like to read the bill too. Unfortunatly when it comes to my local political tree huggers what ever the intent of the bill was has no effect on how they can twist it to do what they want to do with it. They would use this bill, if it became a law, to take any car that wasn't in a building. These local fools around here do not want you to park a work truck on the street in front of your house. They do not want you to park a car, trailer, or pickup in your driveway, licensed or not! And they don't want you to build a garage bigger the 2 1/2 stall. Fortunately my property is zoned for a repair shop, that has saved me more then once. What do you think these idiots would do with a bill that would give them that kind of power? It would take a court case to beat them back, but the cars would still be long gone. Relay that to your buddy, for those of us that have to deal with idiots all the time, so he knows we are not pissed at him (yet). I am one guy that is growing tired of good intensions taking away my right to persuit of my happiness. As far as polititions around here are concerned, for every one that has good intensions, three are trying to figure out a way to use it to screw us over. Gene
It all sounds fair, but that's also what is SAID and the INTENT of the law... but if that's not spelled out in the bill, things WILL get ugly. I'd like to see the bill before I write all my officials. Thanks for the update! This is what I sent a few weeks ago Representative Brady, I understand that you have introduced H.B. 25 and that this bill will make it difficult, if not impossible for citizens to keep inoperable vehicles on their own private property, even antique and collector vehicles. I'm writing you, as a citizen of Illinois, to oppose this bill. I am an enthusiast of old cars and spend a lot of time working on them for fun. These cars are getting harder to find and are an important part of American history. Most parts for these cars simply are not made any more, so in order to replace missing or broken parts one must get the parts from another car. These "parts cars" are almost always inoperable and kept on private property. I personally spent nearly a year working on a classic American car trying to get it road worthy. During that time it was inoperable, but now it was still a registered vehicle that I paid taxes and fees on and now can drive it and show it off. Many inoperable vehicles will one day be restored and on the road, or their parts will be on a operable vehicle. Without these parts sources and in operable vehicles there will be fewer and fewer cars around for younger generations to experience and older generations to reminisce and enjoy. I understand the purpose of the bill is probably to rid the community of unsightly junk. I can understand that and I don't want to see piles of trash, old refrigerators or children's toys littering my neighbors yards, but I respect their right to keep those things. Not everyone can afford a storage shed for their children's yard toys, nor can many people afford a garage to store a parts car, and sometimes not even a car that they have restored. Perhaps a compromise to your bill would be to require that inoperable vehicles be kept out of sight of the road by such methods as a tarp or a fence built around them. That way the vehicle would not disturb the community, but would allow the enthusiast to continue contributing to the community. I urge you to please withdraw this bill.
Well written letter Hellfish, those are whats needed and not to just Brady but your local reps as well. I agree with what Gene said about for every one good one there are 3 bad ones. The thing is this will be left to your local government entity, be it city or county, to enforce. Depending on who does the enforcement would have a lot to do with how well it is enforced. I can tell you around here it would only be on a filed complaint because we don't have zoning officers running around with nothing to do but find ways to generate revenue. And just so there is no confusion, I don't support this bill and while I know Rep. Brady, he's not a "buddy." I'll post the bill when I receive it.
Bill -- If you (or someone in IL) haven't already, I'd strongly recommend contacting SEMA's legislative affairs people. We had an anti-street racing bill here in MN last year that was so badly worded it would've outlawed all racing, even at tracks! They helped rework it so that it did what was intended while still protecting legit racing. They've got the horsepower and the experience to get it done right. Steve.
i hope this doesnt cause a problem too quick... my uncle has a junk yard near both of those counties listed in the original post. thats where i got my 49/50 ford. there are 3 more in there that i would like to get out some time but i havent finished mine yet. time is going to be the problem with me and most other people. if they start hauling these cars away for scrap the only thing were going to have left to hotrod and restore is crap from the 70's and up. there are very few parts or cars left. i think its a sad shame.
I appreciate the fact that he's sympathetic to our hobby, but I'm bothered by the fact that he'd push this bill just for spite because of a few knuckleheads. A little thicker skin and a more level head seem to be in order if you're going to 'represent' the 'people'. Ahh, American politics, gotta love it.
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/default.asp This is the link to the proposed bill language for the State of Illinois. Something is not up to speed. Either the wrong House or Senate bill identification number has been posted or the language of the bill hasnt been transcribed yet. This is the begining of the legislative season and they may still be recovering from the governors inauguration party. I am an area representative for the AASPI (local Autobody Association). I havent seen any info about this bill yet. Im sure it will be discussed at our next meeting. Keep an eye on this link. This is where the language will be displayed.
Boy I've been up too late!!!!!! Forgot to look at the date on the first post . If you send me a hat make sure it has no batteries in it I may hurt myself.
Don't feel bad, I read the entire thread intently, getting nervous and worked up until Django mentioned that it's been 2 years... Good question though - what became of this bill? Anybody know how to find out?
Last I knew if was more or less dead, but it could be attatched to some other bill. You can check the general assembly's web site for more info on this.
Wow I didnt even know about this!!! Thanks for posting this and I'll be sure to send him an email. Very good info!!
LOOK AT THE DATE!!! The last time he got ton's of pissed off e-mails and it didn't help matters. It's dead so unless you find it is now an active bill let if drop!
I'm a dumbass, just saw the date on here. Thanks for the correction willywilly68. No need to get all pissy!!!
The Jalopy Journal
