BELLEVILLE — Former St. Clair County Sheriff and Illinois Lt. Gov. David C. O’Neal, who also served in positions under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, has died.
O’Neal died at his Las Vegas home July 10 following an extended illness, according to an obituary on the Kraft-Sussman Funeral & Cremation Services website. He was 84.
O’Neal was born Jan. 24, 1937, in Belleville. After attending McKendree College, O’Neal joined the United States Marine Corps and ultimately was honorably discharged as a corporal.
He later graduated from St Louis College of Pharmacy in 1962 and owned and operated two pharmacies in Belleville. He was elected St Clair County Sheriff in 1970 and eventually re-elected to a second term as sheriff.
Listen now: Pritzker talks plans for Unemployment Trust Fund, pandemic response
In 1976, O’Neal ran for the office of Lieutenant Governor of Illinois and served with Gov. Jim Thompson during a two-year term. The duo was re-elected to a four-year term in 1978, and O’Neal later ran for the U.S. Senate as the Republican candidate from Illinois. Despite the backing of Ronald and Nancy Reagan, O’Neal lost the race to Alan Dixon.
O’Neal resigned as the Lieutenant Governor position and went on to work in the private sector before Reagan invited him to Washington, D.C., as acting deputy director of the Bureau of Land Management. Reagan then requested O’Neal be considered for the position of Assistant Secretary of Labor.
People are also reading…
After Senate confirmation, he served in the position to the end of Reagan’s term in 1988.
Gov. Pritkzer signs HB 3308 into law, increasing access to telehealth services in communities across Illinois.
President George H.W. Bush then asked O’Neal to serve as Assistant Secretary of Interior, Land and Minerals Management. Additional accomplishments include being a Lincoln Scholar and president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce.
Survivors include O’Neal’s wife of 32 years, Lonna McKenna; daughters, Allison O’Neal of Phoenix and Kelly Van Dinther (Michael) of Sugar Grove, Illinois; grandchildren, Chris and Kate; step-daughter, Stacey McKenna (Mike Spasev) of Fort Collins, Colorado; and many friends. He was preceded in death by his brother, Robert O’Neal, and his sister, Elizabeth (Betty) Haskins.
Honoring Dave O’Neal’s wishes, there will be no services.
See the new Illinois laws that took effect July 1
665 bills
The Democrat-controlled Illinois General Assembly approved 665 bills this legislative session, with the vast majority awaiting Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature.
But, Pritzker has signed 42 bills into law. A handful of those will take effect Jan. 1, 2022, but most went into effect immediately upon signing or will take effect this Thursday.
Here are some notable new laws in effect now or on Thursday that Illinoisans should know.
Election reform
With pandemic-related delays to U.S. Census redistricting numbers, lawmakers moved back the state’s 2022 primary election from March 15 to June 28. The legislation also makes Election Day a state holiday, requires every county to have at least one universal voting center and allow people to be added to a permanent vote-by-mail list. (SB825)
Vote by mail
Some pandemic-induced changes to voting for the 2020 general election, such as vote-by-mail and curbside drop-off, will now be permanent features of future elections. (House Bill 1871)
State legislative redistricting
As they are tasked with doing every 10 years, lawmakers approved new district boundaries for the Illinois House and Senate. The Democrat-drawn maps, which utilized the U.S. Census’ American Community Survey instead of waiting for the decennial census numbers that will arrive later this year, have been challenged in court by Republicans and some other groups. (HB2777)
Illinois Supreme Court redistricting
The seven-person Illinois Supreme Court’s district boundaries were successfully redrawn for the first time since the 1960s. (SB642)
Police reform
There was no more controversial bill that passed this year than House Bill 3653, also known as the SAFE-T Act, which passed during the lame duck session this January. The provisions ending cash bail and requiring all police to wear body cameras will not take effect until 2023 and 2025, respectively. But starting Thursday, police will be required to render aid to the injured, intervene when a fellow officer is using excessive force and and be limited in use of force. It also offers stricter guidelines for the decertification of officers and would allow people to file anonymous complaints of police misconduct. (HB3653)
Payday loans
Lenders are now prohibited from charging more than 36% annual percentage rate on consumer loans. The average rate in Illinois was nearly 300% prior to the law’s signing. (SB1792)
Vaccine lottery
Tucked into the state’s fiscal year 2022 budget is $10 million for a “vaccine lottery.” All Illinois residents vaccinated by July 1 will be automatically entered into the contest. It includes $7 million in cash prizes to vaccinated adults, ranging from $100,000 to $1 million, and $3 million in scholarship awards to vaccinated youth. (SB2800)
COVID-19 emergency housing
Created guidelines for distributing more than $1 billion in federal stimulus funds for COVID-related housing relief. Also creates automatic sealing of evictions during the pandemic. (SB2877)
Pretrial interest
Victims in personal injury and wrongful death cases will be allowed to collect interest from defendants from the time a lawsuit is filed. It is meant to incentivize settlement of these cases. It was supported by the trial lawyers and opposed by business groups. (SB72)
Casino labor
All casino applicants in Illinois are now required to enter into a project-labor agreement when seeking a new or renewed license. (SB1360)
Crime victims compensation
Provides that a victim’s criminal history or felony status shall not automatically prevent compensation to that victim or the victim’s family. Extends the applicant’s period for submitting requested information to 45 days from 30 days and provides that a final award shall not exceed $45,000, up from $27,000, for a crime committed on or after August 7, 2022. (HB3295)
Electronic signature
Provides that a contract, record, or signature may not be denied legal effect or enforceability simply because it is in electronic form or an electronic record was used in its formation. Provides that if a law requires a record to be in writing, an electronic record satisfies the law. (SB2176)
