2007 State Legislative Agenda

Education Reform
- We support education reform by bringing accountability, adequacy, and equity to elementary and secondary education. 
- We also support property tax relief by increasing the state income tax. 
Fiscal Policy
- We encourage spending cuts over tax increases.
- We oppose an estate tax at the state level.
- We support maintaining the funding levels of the agricultural programs within the current tax and revenue structure. This includes strong support for the agricultural sales tax incentives at the current levels.
Environmental
- We support the continued authority granted to drainage districts through drainage district law and oppose interference of wetland purchases by IDNR. 
- We support legislation that would prohibit the ability to have private and agricultural land taken for economic development purposes through eminent domain. 
- We support the livestock production industry as a viable segment of the agricultural industry and encourage responsible management practices for all producers to enhance the quality of life of rural residents and ensure compliance with state and federal regulations. 
- We strongly oppose local siting control for livestock facilities. 
- We support legislation to make Illinois the top producer of renewable fuels and ensure a direct demand for Illinois grown commodities.
- We support legislation to narrow the ability to file nuisance lawsuits against livestock facilities. 
- We oppose legislation further restricting animal agriculture practices. 
- We seek legislation that would require the IEPA to confidentially collect name and address information from all complaints regarding agricultural facilities.
- We support the business coalition wetlands proposal.
Property Rights
- We support legislation that limits the term of county/municipal boundary agreements to five years in length and subjects such agreements to public notice and public hearing.
Transportation and Infrastructure
- We support legislation standardizing railroad quiet zones and ICC oversight and involvement in setting standards. We also encourage public hearings in communities where such zones are being established. 
- We support the passage of legislation that provides legal access for 80,000 pound trucks on local roads.
- We support legislation allowing local road jurisdictions to permit the movement of divisible load vehicles hauling production agricultural loads which exceed size and weight limits on posted roads for the shipment to and from a specified farm. 
Food Safety
- We support the Department of Agriculture as the lead agency in the inspection of food and fiber.
- We support the continuation of horse slaughter facilities in the United States as a method to dispose of animals for human consumption in other countries.

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