Lawmaker Doesn’t Want You To Pump Your Own Gas

Being old enough to remember the years when we weren't allowed to touch a gas pump, I'm not too eager to return to those days.

However, Camille Lilly (D-Oak Park), the Illinois lawmaker who sponsored House Bill 4571, seemingly doesn't care what I (or those of you who agree with me) think about it. She's introduced that bill to ban pumping your own gas starting next year.

If Representative Lilly gets her way, the bill would create the Gas Station Attendant Act. It states that no gas may be pumped at a gas station in Illinois unless it is pumped by a gas station attendant.

So, just how many other states are doing it like this?

Just one.

New Jersey. They're the only other state with that law. Their reasoning? Fire safety. New Jersey is concerned about drivers who may leave engines running, careless smokers and more static electricity from cell phones.

WGN TV News:

Oregon loosened its mandatory law two years ago.

While hiring attendants would create more jobs, the cost would likely be passed on to consumers already paying a higher Illinois gas tax.

According to the National Fire Prevention Association, there are more than 5,000 gas station fires in America every year, and the majority involve vehicle fires at the pumps.

Representative Lilly has not publicly stated why she's proposing the change, but wants the new law to take effect on January 1st of next year.

Another lawmaker who wants to pass more costs along to Illinois drivers with a law that only one other state has kept on its books.

No thanks.