Bill banning Illinois residents from pumping gas is tabled
The Illinois General Assembly tabled House Bill 4571 on Tuesday.
The Gas Station Attendant Act sponsored by Rep. Camille Lilly (D-Oak Park) came off the docket for the House Rules Committee after Lilly said that the intention of the law would be to start a conversation, not to make it illegal for individuals to pump their own gas.
“HB4571 is concept legislation that creates safety and convenience at the pump,” Lilly stated on her website. “It is not intended to pass as is. The intention of this bill is to give consumers the option to be serviced by an attendant, in addition to the self-service option currently used. House Bill 4571 could potentially create jobs that impact the local economy. The input we receive is very valuable to help shape HB4571 into legislation the people of Illinois desire.
The bill’s synopsis states that it “provides that no gas may be pumped at a gas station in this State unless it is pumped by a gas station attendant employed at the gas station. Effective January 1, 2021.”
Currently, New Jersey is the only state that requires gas to be pumped by a gas attendant. Oregon loosened its mandatory gas station attendant law in 2018, allowing drivers to use the pump themselves in most counties with fewer than 40,000 people.
Last year, lawmakers passed a new Illinois gas tax which increased from 19-cents to 38-cents per gallon on July 1, 2019. The new tax will continue to increase each year alongside inflation.
