Illinois legislators delved into linguistics during their latest session to deal with words including crash, accident and alien.
For instance, not every crash is an accident, and that definition legally will change July 1, 2023.
Passed as House bill 5496, the law spends 642 pages amending several statutes to uniformly replace the word “accident” with the word “crash” in relation to automobiles, motor vehicles and traffic accidents.
A second word change, passed into law as Senate Bill 3865, ends the use of the word alien to describe non-citizens throughout Illinois law. It took effect immediately.
Both bills were signed by Gov. JB Pritzker.
State Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville, said times change and there often is a need to update words and usage. “Certainly, we went through this in changing chairman to chairperson. Most often, it’s just a basic language update.”
The act reads, “Crash encompasses all types of motor vehicle impacts and collisions, including, but not limited to, an impact or collision caused by negligence, willful and wanton conduct, or an intentional act.”
“Not every crash is an accident and I think they [bill sponsors] were just trying to point out the difference,” Davidsmeyer said. “A crash can be purposeful.”
There was little dissent over the accident vs. crash usage, with only one legislator in each chamber opposing the wording change.
Not so in the case of SB 3865, which its main sponsor, state Sen. Mike Simmons, D-Chicago, said was designed to make only “nonsubstantive changes that remove the dehumanizing term ‘alien’ from all Illinois statutory provisions. No change made by this amendatory act … shall be interpreted so as to make any substantive change to existing law.”
Davidsmeyer was one of seven members of the House to oppose eliminating the use of alien. Thirteen members did not vote.
There is a big push in Illinois to get rid of any mention of illegal immigrants, Davidsmeyer said.
“My concern was there might be something underlying in the bill. Some of these bills are so small but have unintended consequences and that was my concern with this bill,” he said.
The Associated Press Stylebook, a guide to word usage, agrees with the intent, advising not to use the word alien “unless referring to a being from outer space.”
• David Bauer writes for the Jacksonville (Illinois) Journal-Courier.