SPRINGFIELD – Families of children who lost their lives in the Newtown school shooting came to the Illinois State Senate on Monday urging a statewide ban on the sale of high-capacity ammunition magazines.

Working together with the families and Sandy Hook Promise, Illinois State Senator Dan Kotowski (D–Park Ridge) passed legislation banning the sale of magazines that contain more than 10 rounds. The proposal also punishes violators with a maximum of three years in prison.

“I’m proud to introduce this legislation in honor of all victims of gun violence especially those children and teachers who suffered that tragic day at Newtown,” Kotowski said. “This bill will limit the horrific damage caused by weapons with high capacity ammunition magazines and increase punishment for people who use of these lethal magazines in acts of crime or violence.”

On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza killed 27 people, including children and teachers, by firing 154 bullets in less than five minutes. The use of high capacity ammunition magazines were instrumental in the irreparable damage caused that day.

In a Senate discussion on Monday, Mark Barden, father of Daniel Barden, and Nicole Hockley, mother of Dylan Hockley, spoke about how banning high-capacity ammunition magazines could have saved the lives of their children at Sandy Hook. Lanza used a magazine which held 30 rounds.  Because Lanza had to stop and reload in Dylan’s class, 11 children were able to escape.  

“We’ve witnessed over the years that firearms are becoming more and more dangerous,” Kotowski continued. “By making these weapons are less lethal we can save lives.”

This proposal, Senate Bill 1002, now advances to the full Senate. For additional information about this proposal, click here.

Circuit Courts Fail to Report Mental Health Records for Gun Background Checks

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Dan Kotowski (D–Park Ridge) applauded Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Kilbride for taking action to demand that judges in lower courts across the state follow the law and report key mental health records to the Illinois State Police.

State law requires that circuit court judges direct their clerks to report cases to the state police when a person is considered “mentally defective” or involuntarily committed to a mental hospital. The state police use these records when doing background checks on Firearm Owner’s Identification card applicants and when processing firearm purchases or transactions.

“I applaud the chief justice for stepping up and demanding that this important law be enforced,” Kotowski said. “It’s a clear and present danger to the public’s safety that we have jurisdictions in this state that aren’t complying or providing records to law enforcement.”

Over the past few months, Kotowski has been working with the Illinois State Police to raise awareness about the missing records. As a result of these efforts, Kilbride sent out a memorandum on Wednesday to all of Illinois’ 935 circuit and associate judges regarding their responsibilities. Kotowski said the issue will have even greater impact if Illinois allows residents to carry concealed, loaded weapons.

“We can all agree that people who have been found to be a danger to themselves and others should not have guns or, even worse, be carrying loaded guns in public,” Kotowski said.

Kotowski will continue to work to urge circuit courts to get this public safety information to the Illinois State Police.

Related Article:

Ill. chief justice: Follow FOID law on mental health issues (Chicago Tribune)

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois State Senator Dan Kotowski’s (D–Park Ridge) legislation that promotes a healthier pet population passed the Senate on Wednesday.

Currently pet stores are asked to inform the buyer of certain details about the dog or cat, including where they are from, if they have had any medical treatment, or if they were returned to the store from another customer. But what happens if the dog or cat is ill or has a disease?

Kotowski’s proposal allows a pet owner to return their new pet to the store and receive a refund if a veterinarian confirms that the pet was purchased with an illness not disclosed by the seller.  Consumers would also have an option to keep the animal and have the pet store pay up to twice the cost of the animal for treatment.
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SPRINGFIELD – Illinois State Senator Dan Kotowski’s (D–Park Ridge) proposal to eliminate costly mandates in the state budget passed the Senate on Tuesday.

“No part of the budget should be overlooked,” Kotowski said. “As many families have sat around their kitchen tables and made tough decisions about spending, the state should do the same.”

A commission was created to work with state agencies to identify costly, burdensome mandates and eliminate them to reduce state spending. This time, the group concentrated on 5 agencies including theDepartment of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), Department of Professional and Financial Regulation (DFPR), Department of Public Health (DPH), Department of Transportation (IDOT), and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and eliminated a total of 18 mandates.

“By eliminating these out-dated mandates, we can reassure tax payers we are spending their money wisely,” Kotowski said.

Some of the changes include saving on mail and printing costs by making information available online for certain agencies and eliminating old boards that don’t meet anymore.

“As chairman of one on the Senate’s budget committees, I will continue to get rid of what doesn’t work to put together a budget that is balanced,” Kotowski said.

SPRINGFIELD—A measure to improve awareness and gather research concerning sudden unexpected deaths in epilepsy (SUDEP) passed the Senate on Tuesday.

State Senator Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge) worked with Tom Stanton, the executive director of the Danny Did Foundation, to put together this proposal. Mr. Stanton’s 4 year-old nephew, Danny, lived with epilepsy before dying from SUDEP following a seizure that occurred during his sleep.  His family was never made aware of the possibility of SUDEP, a seizure-related risk that is not often discussed between doctors and patients.

“Coroners and medical examiners can play a key role in recording instances of SUDEP, and this data will help to educate the public on its causes and signs,” Kotowski said.

The definition of ‘Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy’ (SUDEP) is accepted as an unexpected death in a person with epilepsy, with no clear causes for death. It is a baffling condition that brings sorrow and bereavement to many families every year. Little is known about the precise causes of SUDEP, although it is now accepted that it is likely to be triggered by a seizure as, almost invariably, SUDEP seems to happen in the aftermath of a seizure.  SUDEP is the most common cause of death in epilepsy and accounts for an estimated 20,000 of deaths in people with epilepsy every year.

“This legislation will create a national model to further SUDEP research,” Kotowski continued. “It will help save lives by providing accurate data that furthers research and hopefully one day can prevent sudden death for those with epilepsy.”

“Providing data to a national SUDEP registry is a key factor in discovering the causes behind this devastating occurrence,” said Stanton. “It is critical that an autopsy includes inquiries about a history of seizures and epilepsy and that the process includes the opportunity for a bereaved family to further epilepsy research. This bill will make Illinois a national leader in fighting SUDEP.”

SPRINGFIELD– Illinois State Senator Dan Kotowski (D–Park Ridge) continues to look for ways to make the state budget more efficient. Today, a measure sponsored by Kotowski passed the Senate Appropriations Committee that would eliminate unnecessary, duplicative or overly burdensome mandates in the budget.

As part of Budgeting for Results, Kotowski created a commission with the mission to examine state agencies and eliminate wasteful government spending. The group spoke with business leaders, legislators and many state agencies to find ways to save taxpayers’ money. As a result, they propose 18 different mandates be eliminated.

“I’ve been working on this idea for some time,” Kotowski said. “We must put every aspect of our budget under scrutiny and fund what works and eliminate what doesn’t to make sure taxpayers’ money is spent wisely.”

Some of the changes include saving on direct mail by making information available online for certain agencies and eliminating old boards that don’t meet anymore.

“Removing these out-dated mandates will save the state money, time and make our government more effective”.

This proposal will soon be heard on the Senate floor.

SPRINGFIELD– Senator Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge) continued the fight against gun violence today by calling on circuit court judges to comply with the law requiring the reporting of people determined to be a danger to themselves and others to the Illinois State Police.

Last fall, legislators passed a law requiring that circuit court judges direct their clerks to report cases to the state police when a person is considered “mentally defective” or involuntarily committed to a mental hospital. The state police use these records when doing background checks on Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card applicants and when processing firearm purchases or transactions. As of today, only 25 out of 102 circuit courts report these cases, according to the state police.

“Failure to comply with Illinois’ background check law poses a clear threat to public safety,” said Kotowski. “Right now, there are people in Illinois with a history of mental illness who can get guns. This situation is unacceptable and compliance with this law is a must.”

Before the law passed last fall, only three circuit courts were reporting cases to the state police.

“While some improvements have taken place, it’s not enough,” continued Kotowski. “We must do everything possible to prevent dangerous people from getting guns. I will continue to work with the state police to strengthen background checks and ensure full compliance to the law.”