South West Illinois News

State Rep. David Friess took to Facebook to share a legislative update, noting that he was not pleased about the Illinois state budget taking so long to be voted on.

“As we prepare to enter the last three days of our spring legislative session, I'd like to invite you to check out the latest edition of Friess Frame, my e-newsletter,” Friess said and included a link to his newsletter which criticized the work of the state legislators.

The budget, which amounts to $50.6 billion, ultimately passed in the House with 73-38 on May 27 at about 2:30 a.m. and did not have a single Republican vote, according to the Chicago Sun Times.

Friess shared a link to his weekly newsletter, which covered a range of topics, including a statement about the budget and the lack of a budget at that time.

"Now, in the final session day before we are scheduled to adjourn, and 5 months into the calendar year, we have not seen a single page of what will probably be a several thousand page, $50 Billion Dollar budget," he said. "The House calendar came out in January. The Governor’s Budget Address was in February. It is the middle of May. We have been in Springfield about 15 weeks and yet the Governor and Majority Party have zero problems with no one outside their secret circle knowing what is going on. Drafting a $50B budget behind closed doors, in secret, is not how Illinois should be run. The process is shameful, and we deserve better.”

He also issued a statement on the passage of Senate Bill 1909, which amends the deceptive practices act. According to the Illinois General Assembly website, Senate Bill 1909 was filed by Sen. Celina Villanueva on Feb. 9. It passed in the Senate on March 31 and moved to the House where it passed May 11.

The bill "prohibits a limited services pregnancy center from engaging in unfair methods of competition or unfair or deceptive acts or practices: (1) to interfere with or prevent an individual from seeking to gain entry or access to a provider of abortion or emergency contraception; (2) to induce an individual to enter or access the limited services pregnancy center; (3) in advertising, soliciting, or otherwise offering pregnancy-related services; or (4) in conducting, providing, or performing pregnancy-related services."

Friess said, “The amendment specifically identifies and names pregnancy centers and purports to prohibit pregnancy centers from the 'use or employment of any deception, fraud, false pretense, false promise, or misrepresentation… to interfere with or prevent an individual from seeking to gain entry or access to a provider of abortion.'"

Friess added, “In reality, the amendment targets crisis pregnancy centers in our state and seeks to unlawfully ban pregnancy centers from exercising their Constitutional right to free speech and prohibit people from telling pregnant women about the negative side effects of an abortion. It breaks my heart to say this, but it appears that the democrats do not want to give expecting mothers an option to terminate their pregnancy and kill their unborn child. In addition, SB 1909 is an example of state government going far beyond the Constitution, pro-life advocates have an absolute Constitutional right to speak to women about pro-life options. If advocates of abortion celebrate a woman’s right to make her own reproductive health care decisions free of interference from politicians, why are those same advocates using the power of government to interfere with a woman’s ability to seek services and care from a pregnancy center?”

Friess represents constituents of the 115th District. He is a longtime Illinois resident, former aircraft mechanic for the Air Force and Delta, and also put himself through college at Mercer University with a Criminal Justice degree. He went on to earn his Juris Doctorate from John Marshall Law School.