Rauner vetoes bill imposing new trampoline regulations

A bill Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed Aug. 25 would have imposed new regulations and fees upon businesses to enforce trampoline safety measures.

Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a measure Aug. 25 that would have regulated trampoline safety in the state by imposing new mandates and fees on businesses.

House Bill 3897, introduced by state Rep. Robyn Gabel, D-Evanston, passed the Illinois House with a simple majority 64-46 April 28 and the Illinois Senate 43-9 May 30. The bill amends the Amusement Ride and Attraction Safety Act and provides for the adoption of new Department of Labor rules and regulations, including inspection of trampoline courts. The new rules and regulations would have forced the Department of Revenue to purchase thousands of dollars worth of new inspection equipment and pay travel and overtime for the new inspections, according to HB 3897’s fiscal note.

The original draft of the legislation would have also given the Department of Labor the ability to establish fees for initial registration or renewal of registration of trampoline courts and deposit those fees in a “Trampoline Court Safety Fund.”

The drafting of this bill and its eventual passage to Rauner’s desk showed the misguided priorities of lawmakers this spring. Instead of passing a budget in May, lawmakers focused on frivolous bills such as trampoline safety or a truth-in-labeling bill for catfish, forcing a special session this summer, eventually leading to multibillion-dollar tax hikes. Illinois lawmakers – who are among the highest paid in the nation – should spend their time in Springfield on pro-growth legislation the state truly needs.