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Committee holds bill to create temporary parking placards for pregnant people after ADA concerns
Summary
Representative Lee proposed a $15 temporary disabled-parking placard for pregnant people; disability advocates warned the change could conflict with ADA parking formulas and displace accessible stalls. The committee voted unanimously to hold HB173 so sponsors can craft an amendment.
Representative Lee introduced HB173, a bill to allow people who are pregnant to purchase a temporary disabled-parking placard for $15 from the DMV to use accessible spaces while pregnant. “You can go to the DMV, snag the permit for $15. It's temporary. Once you have the baby, it's gone,” the sponsor said when presenting the bill.
Supporters framed the proposal as a simple, family-support measure intended to shorten walking distances for expectant parents. The sponsor said the intent is to provide a short-term accommodation during physically challenging late-pregnancy weeks and indicated she may shorten an initially drafted “up to 1 year” expiration to about ten months or otherwise make the timing trigger on pregnancy rather than allowing pre-pregnancy issuance.
Disability advocates who testified urged caution. Andrew Rega, a disability public policy advocate, told the committee that pregnancy alone typically does not qualify as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act and that accessible parking requirements for businesses are set by formulas in the ADA regulations. “From the DLC's perspective, this proposal is unnecessary,” Rega said, noting Illinois limits eligibility to the last trimester and recommending voluntary “stork spots” or doctor-documented temporary placards for qualifying conditions as alternatives.
Other committee members raised concerns that a new pregnancy placard could reduce available accessible stalls for people with permanent mobility impairments. Representative Chevrier said she liked the idea but worried pregnant people might occupy stalls needed by people “with severe handicaps.” Representative Peterson asked how long the placard would last; the sponsor said she would adjust the duration in response to committee concerns.
After discussing options including a one-year sunset or pilot program and developing a middle-ground substitute, Representative Matthews moved to hold the bill. The committee voted by voice to hold HB173 unanimously; the sponsor said she would work on an amendment addressing ADA compatibility and stall availability before bringing the bill back.
Next steps: the sponsor will draft a substitute to clarify duration and ADA compliance; the committee held HB173 for further work.
