The State of Illinois has been making some very helpful decisions to facilitate on-going commerce in Illinois.  The state agencies that rely upon the most have contacted IFCA directly to keep us informed of provisions they are making to help with certain regulatory requirements that cannot be normally processed during this national emergency.  Here is a summary:

 

1.  The IL Dept of Ag will extend expiring pesticide licenses for one year at no fee.  For applicators and handlers still needing the required training for dicamba and paraquat, please use the available on-line resources.  Go to IFCA's website at www.ifca.com and click on the "Training" menu for dicamba training details as well as the 90-day anhydrous ammonia training.  On our homepage we also have links to the on-line paraquat training program.  If you have employees who are new and still need to get certified in general standards or other pesticide categories, IDA is working on a contingency plan.  For those who have passed tests but are waiting on their license renewals, the renewals will be delayed but you should not worry about your status.  A FAQ from IDA is coming with more details on all these provisions, but rest assured IDA will put in place assurances so that ag can continue to operate.  

 

2.  All Secretary of State offices are closed.  Click here to see the SOS media release on the 30 day extension they are providing for expiring licenses, ID cards, vehicle registrations, etc. Some renewals can be performed on the SOS website, so please take advantage of those options.  If you have employees needing to test to obtain a CDL, any endorsements or change license categories, they cannot do that at this time.  However, we expect that some additional relief may be granted on some of these requirements for critical industries such as agriculture. 

 

3.  It will not be possible in most cases to get a DOT physical or perform drug/alcohol testing due to the strain on healthcare facilities; we are waiting for more guidance from the FMCSA to see what reasonable relief will be granted for these situations, especially for critical industries.  If you had already taken your DOT physical and are awaiting your medical card from SOS, it will be delayed but you will eventually receive it.  

 

The IFCA staff will be working remotely during this order.  A list of our staff and email addresses is here.  Our cell phones are below.  Feel free to call us if you need assistance.  

 

Jean Payne (309) 826-3236

KJ Johnson (217) 369-1669

John Rebholz (815) 674-3798

Leslie Forrest (309) 660-1971

Jason Solberg (309) 212-2159

Dan Schaefer (217) 202-5173

 

Please do your part, use good common sense and follow the Golden Rule.  With some diligence spring will arrive and we will be ready.