South West Illinois News

Dave Severin introduced HB4003 in the Illinois House on Feb. 27, 2025, during the general assembly session 104, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill's official text as follows: "Amends the Criminal Code of 2012 concerning the Interference With Penal Institution Article of the Code. Provides that in addition to any other penalty provided by law, an additional one year of imprisonment shall be added to the sentence of a person who commits bringing contraband into a penal institution or unauthorized bringing or delivery of contraband into a penal institution by an employee by using an unmanned aerial vehicle. Provides that a person who knowingly and intentionally operates an unmanned aerial vehicle below the navigable airspace overlying a State penal institution is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. Provides that this provision does not apply to an employee who operates the unmanned aerial vehicle within the scope of his or her employment, or a person who receives prior permission from the penal institution to operate the unmanned aerial vehicle. Provides that a person who knowingly and intentionally captures images or data of a State penal institution through the operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle is guilty of a Class 4 felony. Provides that this provision does not apply to an employee who captures images or data of a State penal institution through the operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle within the scope of his or her employment, or a person who receives prior permission from the penal institution to capture images or data of a State penal institution through the operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle. Defines "State penal institution" and "unmanned aerial vehicle"."

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the Criminal Code of 2012 to address the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) related to penal institutions in Illinois. It stipulates that using a UAV to bring contraband into a penal institution or to capture images or data of a state penal institution without permission is prohibited. Specifically, employing a UAV to deliver contraband adds an additional year of imprisonment to existing penalties. Operating a UAV below navigable airspace over a state penal institution is classified as a Class A misdemeanor unless performed by an authorized employee or with prior permission. Capturing images or data of a state penal institution via UAV is considered a Class 4 felony, again barring authorized employment or prior permission. Definitions of "State penal institution" and "unmanned aerial vehicle" are included.

Dave Severin has proposed another eight bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Severin graduated from John A. Logan Community College in 1978.

Dave Severin is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 116th House District. He replaced previous state representative David Friess in 2023.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Bill Number	Date Introduced	Short Description
HB4003	02/27/2025	Amends the Criminal Code of 2012 concerning the Interference With Penal Institution Article of the Code. Provides that in addition to any other penalty provided by law, an additional one year of imprisonment shall be added to the sentence of a person who commits bringing contraband into a penal institution or unauthorized bringing or delivery of contraband into a penal institution by an employee by using an unmanned aerial vehicle. Provides that a person who knowingly and intentionally operates an unmanned aerial vehicle below the navigable airspace overlying a State penal institution is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. Provides that this provision does not apply to an employee who operates the unmanned aerial vehicle within the scope of his or her employment, or a person who receives prior permission from the penal institution to operate the unmanned aerial vehicle. Provides that a person who knowingly and intentionally captures images or data of a State penal institution through the operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle is guilty of a Class 4 felony. Provides that this provision does not apply to an employee who captures images or data of a State penal institution through the operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle within the scope of his or her employment, or a person who receives prior permission from the penal institution to capture images or data of a State penal institution through the operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle. Defines "State penal institution" and "unmanned aerial vehicle".
HB3405	02/07/2025	Amends the Streets and Public Ways article of the Municipal Code. Provides that the corporate authorities of each municipality may remove containers placed by truckers in a street or a ditch for the purpose of containing human waste from streets, ditches, and other municipal property.
HB3010	02/06/2025	Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Provides that notwithstanding any other provision of law or rule, the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts and the Department of Juvenile Justice shall adopt necessary administrative rules governing the employment and qualifications of personnel serving county-operated juvenile detention centers to permit the employment of personnel that possess less than a bachelor's degree, including the hiring of applicants that possess a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate and are otherwise determined to be qualified for the position. Provides that, notwithstanding any other provision of law or rule, the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts and the Department of Juvenile Justice shall adopt necessary administrative rules governing personnel and training to facilitate appropriate training and qualification of county correctional officers to serve within county-operated juvenile detention centers as determined as needed by the county sheriff.
HB3013	02/06/2025	Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates an income tax credit in an amount equal to the foster care expenses, not to exceed $1,000 in any taxable year, paid or incurred by the taxpayer with respect to a qualified dependent child. Provides that the credit may be prorated. Provides that the credit is refundable if the taxpayer's federal adjusted gross income for the taxable year does not exceed $50,000. Effective immediately.
HB0011	01/09/2025	Amends the School Code. Provides that a provision that allows out-of-school suspensions of longer than 3 days, expulsions, and disciplinary removals to alternative schools to be used only if other appropriate and available behavioral and disciplinary interventions have been exhausted does not apply to a student who is determined to have possessed on school grounds a product that is prohibited from being sold or otherwise distributed to the student under the Prevention of Tobacco Use by Persons under 21 Years of Age and Sale and Distribution of Tobacco Products Act. Effective immediately.
HB0012	01/09/2025	Amends the Illinois Estate and Generation-Skipping Transfer Tax Act. Increases the exclusion amount from $4,000,000 to $6,000,000 for persons dying on or after January 1, 2026. Effective immediately.
HB0013	01/09/2025	Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates an income tax credit in an amount equal to the foster care expenses, not to exceed $1,000 in any taxable year, paid or incurred by the taxpayer with respect to a qualified dependent child. Provides that the credit may be prorated. Effective immediately.
HB1202	01/09/2025	Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a credit for individual taxpayers in an amount equal to 100% of the eligible recycling costs incurred by the taxpayer during the taxable year, not to exceed $1,000 per taxpayer. Provides that "eligible recycling costs" means costs associated with the collection, separation, conversion, or treatment of recyclable solid waste materials, including, but not limited to, paper, glass, and plastic.
HB1203	01/09/2025	Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Provides that the rate of tax on individuals, trusts, and estates is 4.85% (currently, 4.95%). Makes a conforming change concerning the pass-through entity tax. Effective immediately.