McLean County Times

Jason R. Bunting introduced HB3204 in the Illinois House on Feb. 6, 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 when a construction vehicle or farm vehicle properly and lawfully making use of an audible or visual approaches any other vehicle: (1) the driver of the other vehicle shall yield the right-of-way and shall immediately drive to a position parallel to, and as close as possible to, the right-hand edge or curb of the highway clear of any intersection and shall, if necessary to permit the safe passage of the construction vehicle or farm vehicle, stop and remain in such position until the construction vehicle or farm vehicle has passed; and (2) the operator of every streetcar shall immediately stop such car clear of any intersection and keep it in such position until the construction vehicle or farm vehicle has passed. Provides that approaching a stationary construction vehicle or farm vehicle, when the stationary construction vehicle or farm vehicle is making use of an audible or visual signal, a person who drives an approaching vehicle shall: (1) proceeding with due caution, yield the right-of-way by making a lane change into a lane not adjacent to that of the construction vehicle or farm vehicle, if possible with due regard to safety and traffic conditions, if on a highway having at least 4 lanes with not less than 2 lanes proceeding in the same direction as the approaching vehicle and reduce the speed of the vehicle to a speed that is reasonable and proper with regard to traffic conditions and the use of the highway to avoid a collision and leaving a safe distance until safely past the stationary emergency vehicle; or (2) if changing lanes would be impossible or unsafe, proceeding with due caution, reduce the speed of the vehicle to a speed that is reasonable and proper with regard to traffic conditions and the use of the highway to avoid a collision, maintaining a safe speed for road conditions and leaving a safe distance until safely past the stationary construction vehicles or farm vehicles. Makes conforming changes."

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 establish protocols for drivers when approached by or approaching construction and farm vehicles using audible or visual signals. It mandates that drivers yield the right-of-way, move to a parallel position near the curb, and stop if necessary until the vehicles pass. Additionally, when approaching a stationary construction or farm vehicle, drivers must change lanes if possible or reduce speed to avoid a collision. The bill also includes penalties for violations, such as fines, license suspensions, and possible misdemeanor or felony charges depending on the severity of the offense, including injuries or fatalities. The bill establishes the Scott's Law Fund for educational materials and law enforcement related to these provisions, and permits counties to use funds for safety measures in construction zones.

Jason R. Bunting has proposed another four bills since the beginning of the 104th session.

Bunting graduated from Joliet Junior College.

Jason Bunting is currently serving in the Illinois State House, representing the state's 106th House District. He replaced previous state representative Thomas Bennett 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
HB3204	02/06/2025	Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that when a construction vehicle or farm vehicle properly and lawfully making use of an audible or visual approaches any other vehicle: (1) the driver of the other vehicle shall yield the right-of-way and shall immediately drive to a position parallel to, and as close as possible to, the right-hand edge or curb of the highway clear of any intersection and shall, if necessary to permit the safe passage of the construction vehicle or farm vehicle, stop and remain in such position until the construction vehicle or farm vehicle has passed; and (2) the operator of every streetcar shall immediately stop such car clear of any intersection and keep it in such position until the construction vehicle or farm vehicle has passed. Provides that approaching a stationary construction vehicle or farm vehicle, when the stationary construction vehicle or farm vehicle is making use of an audible or visual signal, a person who drives an approaching vehicle shall: (1) proceeding with due caution, yield the right-of-way by making a lane change into a lane not adjacent to that of the construction vehicle or farm vehicle, if possible with due regard to safety and traffic conditions, if on a highway having at least 4 lanes with not less than 2 lanes proceeding in the same direction as the approaching vehicle and reduce the speed of the vehicle to a speed that is reasonable and proper with regard to traffic conditions and the use of the highway to avoid a collision and leaving a safe distance until safely past the stationary emergency vehicle; or (2) if changing lanes would be impossible or unsafe, proceeding with due caution, reduce the speed of the vehicle to a speed that is reasonable and proper with regard to traffic conditions and the use of the highway to avoid a collision, maintaining a safe speed for road conditions and leaving a safe distance until safely past the stationary construction vehicles or farm vehicles. Makes conforming changes.
HB3205	02/06/2025	Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Requires the driver of a vehicle to yield the right-of-way to any authorized vehicle or pedestrian actually engaged in work upon a highway within any agricultural work zone. Sets the penalties as follows: failing to yield is a business offense punishable by a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $25,000; failing to yield that results in damage to property, in addition to the business offense penalty and any other imposed penalty, shall have the person's driving privileges suspended for not less than 90 days and not more than one year; failing to yield that results in injury to another person, in addition to the business offense penalty and any other imposed penalty, shall have the person's driving privileges suspended for not less than 180 days and not more than 2 years; and for failing to yield that results in the death of another person, in addition to the business offense penalty and any other imposed penalty, shall have the person's driving privileges suspended for 2 years.
HB2630	02/04/2025	Creates the Solar Powered Road Signs Pilot Program Act. Requires the Department of Transportation to develop a pilot program to test the use of solar powered LED road signs in 5 counties of varied population. After getting reports of the program from the counties, the Department shall file a report with the General Assembly that contains the complete findings of the program. Effective immediately.
HB1200	01/09/2025	Amends the Illinois Police Training Act. Creates within the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board a Recruitment Division. Provides that the Division shall establish a Back-the-Badge Program, which shall establish recruitment plans for law enforcement agencies. Provides that the Division shall determine and prioritize specific characteristics that a law enforcement agency and community desire in their police officers. Provides that the Division shall cooperate with law enforcement agencies to determine a strategy to hire and retain sworn police officers who are diverse and reflective of the community and the priorities of the law enforcement agencies.
HB1201	01/09/2025	Amends the Counties Code. In provisions about commercial wind energy facilities and commercial solar energy facilities, removes changes made by Public Act 102-1123. Provides that any provision of a county zoning ordinance pertaining to wind farms, commercial wind energy facilities, or commercial solar energy facilities that was in effect before January 27, 2023 may continue in effect notwithstanding any changes made in Public Act 102-1123 and, if applicable, any provision of a county zoning ordinance pertaining to wind farms that was in effect before August 16, 2007 may continue in effect notwithstanding the changes made in Public Act 95-203.