Kankakee Times

State Sen. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington) has voted against a bill that treats the Illinois State Fair differently when it comes to laws about recycling and the use of single-use food ware, including utensils. 

Barickman questioned why the fair would be exempt from both the ban on single-use plastic disposable food ware and the requirement to do so when securing contracts.

"Why exempt them? It seems like you would want to go about it the other way. The State Fair is an extension of the state and it seems like you're telling the industries to do yourself what you think the state should do," Barickman said during a Feb. 25 debate on the Senate Floor. 

Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) said the exemption was made at the request of the Department of Agriculture.

"They felt that this would be too onerous of a burden for some of the smaller vendors that come in for just once a year to sell their food," Morrison told Barickman. "Hopefully, this is something we will be able to add next year, but I think it's important to start small and chip away at the bigger issue."

Barickman still questioned why the state fair was left out of the ban, when other state-owned areas such as state parks and natural areas would have to abide by the recycling rules. 

"My point is you've carved out the State Fair, that creates discrepancies," Barickman said. 

The legislation, Senate Bill 1915, passed in the Senate with 32 votes in favor and 13 against it. 

According to the Illinois General Assembly website, the bill had several Senate committee and floor amendments while it was in the Senate. It now heads to the House of Representatives for a vote. 

Both Republican and Democratic senators were among the 13 who opted not to vote on the bill at all.