Legislators talk of medical marijuana, concealed carry

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Updated: September 29, 2011 12:33AM

Medical marijuana and concealed carry legislation were stalled by failed votes in the Illinois House this week, while a bill that would allow the children of undocumented immigrants to participate in college savings programs and set up private scholarship pools for those students made its way successfully through the state senate.

Here’s how your representatives voted:

Medical marijuana

The Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act, House Bill 30, failed to pass the House last week, 53-61, with four voting present.

The bill would have established a three-year pilot program to allow people with debilitating medical conditions, including cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and severe fibromyalgia, to purchase up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana from registered non-profit dispensaries every two weeks.

State Reps. Linda Chapa LaVia, an Aurora Democrat and Tom Cross, an Oswego Republican, voted in favor of the bill.

“We heard from constituents, disabled veterans and people from the medical community who have said that the use of medical marijuana is the only thing that eases their severe pain,” said Cross, the only Republican to speak in favor of the bill. “After hearing their stories, we talked with the bill’s sponsor and really tightened up the bill. It would have been the toughest bill in the country by limiting the list of diseases, the number of dispensaries, banning residents from growing at home, adding stronger workplace language, and sunsetting the bill after three years.”

State Reps. Tim Schmitz, a Geneva Republican; Darlene Senger, Naperville Republican; and Kay Hatcher, Yorkville Republican, voted against.

After the failed vote, the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Lou Lang, Democrat from Skokie, postponed consideration of the bill, which means it could be brought back to the floor for another vote in the future. During discussion on the bill, Lang repeatedly pointed to the House gallery where disabled Army veteran, Jim Champion, of Somonauk – who has multiple sclerosis and uses marijuana to treat his symptoms — was seated.

“The question is are we going to make Jim Champion a criminal?” Lang said.

After the vote, Champion expressed disappointment and disbelief at the outcome of Thursday’s vote but continued to defend pot as the only thing that makes his life as an MS patient bearable.

“At night when I sleep, my knees grind together, and I almost end up turning into a ball. I wake up in the morning and take my pills, and they do nothing,” Champion said. “I take three puffs off a cannabis cigarette, and I am able to separate my legs. I am able to basically get ready in the morning.”

Conceal carry

Consideration of concealed carry legislation was also postponed this week when the Family and Personal Protection Act, House Bill 148.

The bill would have allowed people 21 and older to carry guns if they were properly registered and had completed eight hours of training, including target practice. Applicants would have needed to pass a background check and a review of their mental health history.

The vote on the bill was 65-32 in favor, it needed 71 votes, or three-fifths majority, to pass. Gov. Pat Quinn spoke out against concealed carry legislation Tuesday.

Illinois and Wisconsin are the only two states in the country that don’t permit any kind of concealed carry laws.

Reps. Chapa LaVia, Hatcher, Senger, Cross and Schmitz voted in favor.

Hatcher said she voted based on the volume of calls and email her office had received on both issues.

“Overwhelmingly, the 50th district did not want to see medical marijuana, and they did show a great deal of support for personal protection,” Hatcher said.

Because consideration was postponed, the concealed carry bill can also return to the House floor for a vote at a later date.

Back-seat belts

Back-seat passengers who now can decide whether to buckle up would have to start wearing seat belts under legislation that narrowly passed the House on Thursday.

The bill, House Bill 219, which squeaked through 61-55 and now heads to the Senate, would add Illinois to the list of 11 other states that require backseat seat-belt usage for all passengers.

The legislation exempts taxi passengers, school-bus occupants, those riding in the back of an ambulance or anyone with a physical infirmity that makes it difficult to wear a seat belt.

Reps. Chapa LaVia, Cross and Senger voted in favor. Reps. Hatcher and Schmitz voted against.

DREAM Act

In the Senate, the DREAM Act, Senate Bill 2185, passed 45-11.

If passed, the bill would establish a state commission that could award privately funded scholarships to as many as 95,000 children of undocumented immigrants. No taxpayer dollars would be used. It would also allow their parents to invest in state-administered college savings programs, like College Illinois, as long as their parents have taxpayer identification numbers.

State Sens Linda Holmes and Tom Johnson voted for the DREAM Act. State Sen. Chris Lauzen voted against.

Sun-Times reporter Dave McKinney contributed to this report.