Will County Gazette

Harry Benton introduced HB2394 in the Illinois House on Jan. 31, 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 Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that a vehicle or combination of vehicles operated by an engine fueled wholly or partially by an electric battery or hydrogen fuel cell electric fueling system may exceed the posted weight limits by up to 2,000 pounds."

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 Illinois Vehicle Code to update wheel and axle loads and gross weight limitations for vehicles and vehicle combinations with pneumatic tires. It specifies maximum weight restrictions per axle, with general limits of 20,000 pounds on a single axle, 34,000 pounds on a tandem axle, and 80,000 pounds gross weight for vehicle combinations of five or more axles. The bill provides detailed exceptions for special hauling vehicles, municipal vehicles performing emergency repairs, and emergency vehicles, among others, outlining circumstances under which these vehicles may legally exceed standard weight limits. It also allows local authorities to create ordinances to adjust weight limits on roads under their jurisdiction. The bill includes provisions for overweight permits and special allowances for specific vehicle types, such as public utility vehicles, garbage trucks, and vehicles operating during emergency propane supply disasters, among others. It also establishes conditions for vehicles using natural gas or electric systems and outlines enforcement procedures for vehicles exceeding posted bridge or elevated structure weight limits.

Harry Benton has proposed one other bill since the beginning of the 104th session.

Harry Benton is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 97th House District. He replaced previous state representative Mark Batinick 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
HB2394	01/31/2025	Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that a vehicle or combination of vehicles operated by an engine fueled wholly or partially by an electric battery or hydrogen fuel cell electric fueling system may exceed the posted weight limits by up to 2,000 pounds.
HB2388	01/31/2025	Amends the Property Tax Code. Increases the maximum income limitation for the low-income senior citizens assessment freeze homestead exemption from $65,000 to $85,000. Effective immediately.
HB2395	01/31/2025	Amends the Illinois Income Tax Act. Creates a deduction for the full amount of union dues paid by the taxpayer during the taxable year if the taxpayer was not allowed a federal deduction under the Internal Revenue Code. Provides that, if any amount of union dues representing federal miscellaneous itemized deductions was allowed as a federal deduction, then the amount allowed as an Illinois deduction shall be a specified percentage of the union dues disallowed under the Internal Revenue Code. Provides that the deduction is exempt from the Act's automatic sunset provision. Effective immediately.
HB2406	01/31/2025	Amends the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act. Provides that a federally licensed firearm dealer shall, upon the sale or transfer of a firearm to a person whom the dealer reasonably believes to be a first-time purchaser or transferee of a firearm, provide the purchaser or transferee of the firearm with printed or digital information about firearm safety courses available locally or electronically and the safe storage of firearms. Effective immediately.