In one of the busiest weeks of the legislative session, hundreds of bills passed out of their original chamber and now await action on the other side of the rotunda. The deadlines set by the leaders in each chamber provide for a flurry of activity as legislators try to keep their legislation moving through the process.
Earlier in the week, the Alliance sent out a call to action on three bills, SB 3418, HB 4789, and HB 5572. To see that document, please click
here
. Thanks to your efforts on these three important issues, two of the three bills (HB 5572 and HB 4789) were called for a vote and were defeated by wide margins. While SB 3418 was not called for a vote, it is important to keep working the bills as deadlines could be extended to allow for extra time for passage.
With just under five weeks left until the May 31st adjournment deadline, there does not seem to be significant movement on a budget. Adding to the pressure of the pending deadline, the Illinois House of Representatives is not scheduled to be in session next week. The Senate will return to Springfield Tuesday, May 1.
BILL ACTION THIS WEEK
HB 4232
(Severin, R-Marion)
requires a school board to publish a notice that the district's annual statement of affairs is available on the State Board of Education's Internet website and in the district's main administrative office, instead of requiring a summary of the statement of affairs to be published.
The bill was defeated on the House floor.
HB 4789 (Breen, R-Lombard)
provides that for each school year, school districts shall limit increases in school administrative costs to no more than the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or 5%, whichever is less. The bill was defeated on the House floor.
HB 5572 (Ives, R-Wheaton)
provides that a school district may not refinance debt past the repayment period of the debt when issued, may not issue debt to be serviced over a period of greater than 20 years, and may not issue capital appreciation bonds. The bill was defeated on the House floor.
The following bills passed the full House and will be taken up in the Senate at a future date:
HB 1265 (Hoffman, D-Belleville)
allows a debt limit extension for mine subsidence for the Wolf Branch School District 113 not to exceed $17.5 million and further requires the amount to be reduced for any grants awarded by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) or Capital Development Board.
HB 2617 (Gabel, D-Evanston)
requires employee insurance policies to provide coverage for medically necessary expenses for standard fertility preservation services.
HB 4193 (Parkhurst, R-Kankakee)
for special education impartial due process hearings, changes when the hearing officer must issue his or her written decision from within 10 days to within 10 business days after the hearing. Initially opposed by the Alliance, the bill was amended to address Alliance concerns.
HB 4208 (Welch, D-Westchester)
pushes to reallocate funding from Student Resource Officer's (SRO) and law enforcement and use it for restorative justice, counselors, and psychologists.
HB 4226 (Kifowit, D-Aurora)
requires schools to disseminate a brochure to any family whose child may have sustained a concussion.
Initially opposed by the Alliance, the bill was amended to address Alliance concerns.
HB 4284 (Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora),
a Vision 20/20 initiative, that provides that for State Board of Education appointments made after the effective date, three of the members of the State Board must represent the educator community.
HB 4340 (Wheeler, B., R-Crystal Lake
)
requires school administrators to post notice of the human trafficking hotline in the administrative office or another location in view of school employees. School districts and personnel are not subject to civil penalties for non-compliance with the posting requirement. Initially opposed by the Alliance, the bill was amended to address Alliance concerns.
HB 4346 (Jones, D-Chicago)
requires each public university to offer a course studying the events of Black History and allows school districts and public universities to meet certain requirements by offering an online course.Initially opposed by the Alliance, the bill was amended to address Alliance concerns.
HB 4368 (Halbrook, R-Shelbyville)
, as amended, requires school districts to take into consideration parental direction of classroom placement for twins or multiples in kindergarten through 5th grade. Initially opposed by the Alliance, the bill was amended to address Alliance concerns.
HB 4369 (Sommer, R-Morton)
requires ISBE to develop and maintain a dyslexia handbook, make it available on their website and update it every 4 years.
HB 4379 (Pritchard, R-Sycamore)
removes the penalty of $100 per day for members of an advisory (issues no binding recommendations) board or commission that fails to file a timely economic interest statement.
HB 4413 (Ammons, D-Champaign)
requires all open meetings of any State retirement system to broadcast the meeting in real-time on the system's website using a high-speed Internet connection.
HB 4442 (Gabel, D-Chicago)
creates a three-year pilot project for a school district to include in its curriculum a unit of instruction on parenting education for grades 9 through 12. Initially opposed by the Alliance, the bill was amended to address Alliance concerns.
HB 4516 (Fine, D-Glenview)
would create an insurance mandate of coverage for hearing aids.
HB 4583 (Halbrook)
provides that certain notice provisions that currently apply to regular meetings of a public body shall also apply to special meetings of a public body.
HB 4657 (Manley, D-Joliet)
allows schools to teach a unit of instruction studying emotional intelligence and creates the Emotional Intelligence Education Task Force to develop curriculum and assessment guidelines.
HB 4658 (Manley)
Provides that, at least once every 2 years, a school board shall require in-service training of licensed school personnel and administrators who work with children in kindergarten through grade 12 to identify the warning signs of mental illness and suicidal behavior in youth.
HB 4685 (Connor, D-Romeoville)
requires schools to allow students to possess and use topical sunscreen products. Initially opposed by the Alliance, the bill was amended to address Alliance concerns.
HB 4742 (Mayfield, D-Waukegan)
provides that, by January 1, 2019, the State Board of Education shall implement a program and adopt rules to allow school districts to supplement their substitute teacher recruitment for elementary and secondary schools with the use of recruiting firms.
HB 4768 (Wheeler, B.)
adds comprehensive language changes to what must be included in the newly elected school board members' oath of office.
HB 4799 (Harper, D-Chicago)
, as amended to address Alliance concerns, requires schools maintaining grades K-8 to adopt a policy to make available education regarding the effective methods for the prevention and avoidance of traffic injuries related to walking and bicycling.
HB 4821 (Fine, D-Glenview)
would create an insurance mandate of certain drug treatment coverage for the treatment of stage 4 advanced, metastatic cancer.
HB 4822 (Halbrook)
allows a unit of local government to establish a process to allow people to select electronic notifications through an electronic notification delivery system for governmental mailings that are being sent by United States mail. As amended, removes applicability to school districts.
HB 4858 (Pritchard)
provides that local school districts and community colleges may apply for and receive grants for the acquisition of land, construction of facilities, and purchase of equipment, dedicated solely to the instruction of occupations in manufacturing.
HB 4882 (Mayfield)
redefines several components of the Grow Your Own Teacher Program.
HB 4927 (Martwick, D-Chicago)
requires Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to provide all copies of teacher evaluations to the exclusive bargaining unit within 7 days of issuance.
HB 4932 (Welter, R-Morris)
provides that if a public body receives a request for a law enforcement record created for law enforcement purposes that it did not create, the public body shall direct the requester to the public body that created the law enforcement record.
HB 5110 (Lang, D-Skokie)
provides that an individual who applies for licensure as a clinical social worker, licensed marriage and family therapist, or clinical professional counselor that has been licensed for 10 consecutive years without discipline is not required to submit proof of completion of specified requirements
.
HB 4789 (Breen, R-Lombard)
provides that for each school year, school districts shall limit increases in school administrative costs to no more than the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or 5%, whichever is less.
HB 5136 (Slaughter, D-Chicago)
provides that the PERA committee meet annually. Also includes language exempting the RIF and PERA committees from the Open Meetings Act (OMA) and allows collective bargaining strategy sessions to be exempt from the provisions of the OMA. The Alliance originally opposed this language, but now supports the bill with the addition of the OMA exemptions.
HB 5137 (Martwick)
requires the Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) to offer an optional defined contribution retirement plan for members to join.
HB 5148 (Kifowit)
requires that course material and instruction in sex education shall include emphasis on what constitutes sexual consent, harassment and assault in the workplace and on a college campus.
HB 5175 (Hoffman)
removes the teacher salary increase schedule, p
rovides that, beginning July 1, 2019, the statutory minimum teacher salary is $40,000 (currently $10,000).
HB 5195 (Greenwood, D-E. St. Louis)
provides that each school board may provide free transportation for any pupil residing within 1 1/2 miles from the school attended where conditions are such that walking, either to or from the school to which a pupil is assigned for attendance or to or from a pick-up point or bus stop, constitutes a serious hazard to the safety of the pupil due to a course or pattern of criminal activity.
HB 5196 (Greenwood)
lowers the licensure renewal fee for paraprofessionals beginning July 1, 2018 from $50 to $25.
HB 5202 (Ford)
creates the Youth Budget Commission, including ISBE, to produce an annual fiscal scan on ways to improve and expand policies, services, programs and opportunities for adolescents.
HB 5247 (Pritchard)
requires ISBE t
o initiate rulemaking to allow students of any high school in Illinois who are 16 years of age or older to participate in registered apprenticeship programs allowing them to earn postsecondary credit toward a certificate or degree.
HB 5351 (Spain, R-Peoria)
would require insurance coverage for dietitian nutritionists and diabetes educators who counsel senior diabetes patients at home if the policy provides coverage for telehealth services.
HB 5481 (Guzzardi, D-Chicago)
requires school districts to report certain K-12 information about actively employed teachers, pupil-teacher ratios, class instructors and class sections to ISBE.
HB 5588 (Crespo, D-Streamwood)
changes references in State laws from the old version of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, No Child Left Behind to the new version, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Additionally makes changes necessary to implement accountability changes included in the State Plan created as a requirement of the ESSA.
HB 5627 (Bennett, R-Pontiac)
that includes several provisions to address the teacher shortage. The bill would:
- For a two-year period, allow a retired teacher to teach in a school district for up to 120 days (currently 100 days)
- Allow for the establishment of a short-term substitute teaching license for applicants who hold an associate's degree or have completed at least 60 hours of credit from a regionally accredited institution of higher education
- Allow school boards, in collaboration with the teachers' union, to jointly develop a short-term substitute teacher training program that provides individuals with short-term substitute teaching license information on curriculum, classroom management techniques, school safety, and district building operations
- Allows for licensure reciprocity for individuals holding a comparable and valid educator license or certificate from another state
HB 5696 (Welch)
creates the Bridge Program for Underrepresented Students Act. Requires applicants to have graduated from high school or received the equivalent of a high school diploma in Illinois.
HB 5754 (Phelps-Finnie, D-Harrisburg)
provides a school principal endorsement shall be affixed to an Illinois Department of Corrections school support personnel or teachers license with at least 4 years of teaching in addition to other requirements in the School Code.
HB 5770 (Conroy, D-Villa Park)
requires schools to notify student and families that a student with a mental health diagnosis may be eligible to receive supportive services from the school district under a federal Section 504 plan.
HB 5771 (Chapa LaVia)
facilitating the work of the Balanced Accountability Model, establishes a definition of chronic absenteeism and requires state funded early childhood programs to collect and review the data and determine needed resources to positively engage chronically absent students and their families.
The following bills passed the full Senate and will be taken up in the House at a future date:
SB 544 (Mulroe, D-Chicago)
provides that in Cook County school districts shall not be required to pay circuit court clerk fees until 30 days after an itemized bill is provided by the clerk. Establishes fines the clerk can collect from judgement debtors.
SB 563 (Cunningham, D-Chicago)
allows police officers to request a mental health evaluation for anyone making a threat against a school.
SB 650 (Connelly, R-Naperville)
provides that certain notices concerning requests for mandate waivers may be made electronically.
SB 1829 (Hutchinson, D-Chicago Heights)
makes changes to licensing required to teach preschool children.
SB 2328 (Holmes, D-Aurora)
allows local governments to develop an alternative process of public hearing, evaluation procedure, and selection procedure for selection of architectural, engineering or land surveying services for emergencies costing less than $40,000 and includes an annual unadjusted percentage increase determined by the consumer price index-u.
SB 2332 (Morrison, D-Deerfield),
as amended, raises the age from 18 to 21 years for any person to legally possess or sell tobacco products, electronic cigarettes, and alternative nicotine products.
SB 2344 (Mulroe)
allows a student to continue to receive special education services at a school outside of a district of residence even if the district of residence no longer has a joint agreement with district providing special education services.
SB 2345 (Lightford, D-Westchester)
requires ISBE to provide information for the school report card as to whether or not a school has participated in the Illinois Youth Survey.
SB 2350 (Morrison)
states that the law enforcement drill must address an active shooter and must be done when students are present. School personnel and students would participate in the drill with law enforcement observing.
SB 2573 (Syverson, R-Rockford)
provides that it is a violation of the Automatic Telephone Dialers Act to play a recorded message, placed by an autodialer without the prior express written consent of the called party or the prior express written consent if the call is made by or on behalf of a tax-exempt nonprofit organization.
SB 2654 (Hunter, D-Chicago)
requires school boards to include information about influenza and influenza vaccinations in accordance with the latest recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when it provides information on school health issues to the parents or guardians.
SB 2658 (Schimpf, R-Murphysboro)
provides that a Professional Educator License with Stipulations with a provisional educator endorsement obtained by a service member or a spouse of a service member is valid until June 30 immediately following three (rather than two) years of the license being issued.
SB 2693 (Weaver, R-Peoria)
provides that a college or university may not require a teacher applicant to complete the test of basic skills prior to the semester before student teaching or starting the final semester of an internship.
SB 2838 (Link, D-Gurnee
)
provides that, by January 1, 2019, ISBE shall implement a program to allow school districts to supplement their substitute teacher recruitment for elementary and secondary schools with the use of recruiting firms.
SB 2844 (Aquino, D-Chicago
)
creates the Future Language Teacher program to assist qualified participants in acquiring a Professional Educator License with an endorsement in bilingual education.
SB 2846 (Castro, D-Elgin)
requires applicants for a tuition waiver from the Department of Children and Family Services to have earned a high school diploma from an accredited institution or a high school equivalency certificate or have met the State criteria for high school graduation before the start of the school year for which they are applying for the waivers.
SB 2866 (Holmes)
provides that the Illinois Department of Public Heath (IDPH) must provide all students entering sixth grade and their parents with written information about the availability of an HPV vaccine. The bill was amended to address Alliance concerns.
SB 2889 (Rose, R-Champaign)
provides that epinephrine may also be administered with a pre-filled syringe. Initially opposed by the Alliance, the bill was amended to address Alliance concerns.
SB 2900 (Righter, R-Mattoon)
provides that if a school board fills a vacancy due to a lack of candidates for election in a congressional township in the most recent election, then the school board shall submit a question to the voters at the next election as to whether they approve at-large election of the board instead of mandatory board representation by area.
SB 2925 (Lightford)
codifies the role of school resource officers (SRO) in schools, establishes a training process for SRO's, and requires any law enforcement agency providing SROs to schools must certify they have been trained beginning January 2021. Initially opposed by the Alliance, the bill was amended to address Alliance concerns.
SB 2939 (Holmes)
requires the
Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy to charge non-Illinois students an amount sufficient to ensure no State appropriations are used to fund costs for those students. No more than 25% of the students can be from out-of-state and IMSA must submit information to IBHE demonstrating these requirements.
SB 2941 (McGuire, D-Joliet)
provides that a school district may participate in ISBE's competency-based, high school graduation requirements pilot program for some or all of its schools.
SB 2951 (Bush, D-Grayslake)
requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to develop a Medicaid pilot program under which a qualifying adolescent or young adult may receive community-based mental health treatment. The program should allow for collaboration with schools and requires providers of the program to track rates of high school engagement and graduation for service recipients.
SB 2999 (Van Pelt, D-Chicago)
provides that an employer shall reimburse an employee for all necessary expenditures or losses incurred by the employee directly related to services performed for the employer.
SB 3003 (Sandoval, D-Cicero)
provides that an applicant for a school bus driving permit cannot have been convicted of committing or attempting to commit solicitation or solicitation of murder; permitting sexual abuse of a child; presence or loitering of a sexual predator or child sex offender in or near a public park; aggravated battery; and use of a dangerous place for the commission of a controlled substance or cannabis offense.
SB 3015 (Koehler, D-Peoria)
changes the definition of "asthma medication" to mean quick-relief asthma medication that is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of respiratory distress. Initially opposed by the Alliance, the bill was amended to address Alliance concerns.
SB 3045 (Manar, D-Bunker Hill)
for the next two years only, increases to 120 days (from 100) the number of days that a retired teacher may teach without impairing retirement status.
SB 3047 (Manar)
, creates the Grow Your Own STEM and Vocational Education Teachers Act.
SB 3093 (Anderson, R-Moline)
adds life care facilities to the general homestead exemption allowing the homestead exemption to be credited to the owner or resident of the life care facility or cooperative.
SB 3101 (Castro, D-Elgin)
creates the Volkswagon Settlement Environmental Beneficiary Mitigation Plan Task Force. The Task Force will conduct 6 public listening sessions statewide to gather public input on priorities for use of the funds from the trust agreement.
SB 3197 (Mulroe)
creates a homestead exemption of $5000 EAV reduction for police officers and firefighters with a disability.
SB 3201(Hastings, D-Frankfort)
requires the school to notify the parent no later than 48 hours after discovery of a breach of security that results in the unauthorized release, disclosure, or acquisition of student information contained in a school student record.
SB 3220 (Aquino)
provides that an institution of higher education that is denied recommendation for recognition by the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board to offer an educator preparation program at the institution may appeal the decision to ISBE.
SB 3226 (Weaver)
requires
ISBE to adopt rules as may be necessary to allow students of any high school in Illinois who are 16 years of age or older to participate in registered apprenticeship programs.
SB 3236 (Manar)
requires that a school report card include the most current data possessed by the State Board of Education relating to a school district's administrative costs.
SB 3402 (Collins, D-Chicago)
creates the Illinois Council on Women and Girls and includes the State Superintendent of ISBE as an ex-officio member.
SB 3466 (Lightford)
, as amended,requires a school district to make reasonable efforts to provide ongoing professional development on the appropriate and available supportive services for the promotion of student attendance and engagement. Initially opposed by the Alliance, the bill was amended to address Alliance concerns.
SB 3491 (Holmes)
provides that a network plan shall not be subject to any fines or penalties for information that the Network Adequacy and Transparency Act requires the provider to submit that is inaccurate or incomplete.
SB 3507 (Murphy, D-Des Plaines)
requires a school district to allow a student diagnosed with a pancreatic insufficiency to self-administer and self-manage his or her pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy if the parent or guardian of the student provides the school with written authorization and there is written authorization for the therapy from the student's health care professional.
SB 3536 (Collins)
requires that beginning July 2019, any publicly funded early childhood program receiving Preschool for All Block Grant funds or Preschool for All Expansion Block Grant funds shall collect and review its chronic absence data.
SB 3547 (Cullerton, D-Villa Park)
provides provisions concerning matters relevant to the employment rights of service-members, including employment protections, additional benefits for public employee members of a reserve component, prohibitions on discrimination, a notice of rights and duties, violations, enforcement, remedies, and rulemaking.
BILLS SCHEDULED FOR COMMITTEE NEXT WEEK
The following is a selection of bills of interest that are scheduled to be considered in committees next week. For a full listing of next week's Senate committees, click
here
. The House of Representatives is not in session this week.
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Tuesday, May 1, 3:00 p.m., Room 212, State Capitol
HB 4409 (Pritchard)
changes part of the definition of school psychologist to a person that holds a valid Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) credential.
HB 4514 (Pritchard)
provides that only individuals licensed and endorsed as a school counselor may use the title of school counselor.
HB 4706 (Scherer, D-Decatur)
makes the requirement for substitute teachers to be physically fit,permissive. The bill defines what can be required and medical personnel required to make the determination. Requires the hiring school board to pay for the examination when it requires an examination of any substitute teacher employee.
HB 4870 (Lang)
, as amended, requires school districts to authorize a parent or guardian of a student who is a qualifying patient to administer a medical cannabis infused product to the student on school premises or a school bus if both the student and the parent or guardian have been issued registry identification cards. Also allows the school district to prohibit parental administration if it creates a disruption at school and disallows discipline of a student whose parent has administered the medical cannabis product.
HB 4956 (Cavaletto, R-Salem)
requires universities to offer students seeking teacher licensure a 3-year completion program and have the program curriculum approved by the Board of Higher Education.
HB 5062 (Flowers, D-Chicago)
requires ISBE to develop a program facilitating education in advanced manufacturing skills.
SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
Tuesday, May 1, 4:15 p.m., Room 400, State Capitol
HB 4242 (McSweeney, R-Cary)
requires schools to report certain information regarding employee and contractor severance agreements on the school website and to local news media no more than 72 hours from approval of an agreement when an employee or contractor has been found to have engaged in sexual harassment or sexual discrimination.
SENATE LICENSED ACTIVITIES AND PENSIONS COMMITTEE
Wednesday, May 2, 3:00 p.m., Room 400, State Capitol
HB 751 (Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville)
extends the sunset provision for retired teachers returning to teaching in subject shortage areas from June 30, 2013 to June 30, 2019.
HB 3080 (Reis, R-Olney)
from July 2017 to June 2019, allows retired teachers to be paid for 120 days without impairing retirement status.
SENATE REVENUE COMMITTEE
Wednesday, May 2, 3:00 p.m., Room 212, State Capitol
HB 4237 (Carroll, D-Buffalo Grove)
establishes the Illinois Excellence Fund in the State treasury to accept contribution funds for exclusively public educational purposes including, early childhood, elementary and secondary, higher education, adult education and teachers' employment benefits.
