Legislature Works Through the Final Day
The Illinois General Assembly was working feverishly today to try and finish its aggressive agenda before the midnight deadline for adjournment. Though significant issues have been taking shape and discussions are continuing in committees and on the chamber floors, many of the more controversial issues need more time for negotiations. The House of Representatives just announced that it plans to be in session through Sunday – therefore missing the scheduled adjournment deadline. In the past couple of hours, amendments have been filed to enact legislation for a Fiscal Year 2020 State budget, a Budget Implementation Act (BIMP), a statewide capital infrastructure plan, and expanded gaming.
The Alliance will provide updates throughout the weekend as details become available. For now, here are some of the most important bills being considered:
SB 39 (Link, D-Vernon Hills) would establish a property tax relief fund in the State treasury to be used to issue property tax rebates to taxpayers.
SB 262 (Cullerton, D-Chicago) contains the FY 2020 appropriations and spending priorities. The evidence-based funding formula for K-12 education will likely see an increase of at least $375 million.
SB 687 (Hutchinson, D-Olympia Fields) contains the income tax rates that will be put into place if the proposed constitutional amendment is approved to allow for graduated income tax rates.
SB 1814 (Steans, D-Chicago) contains the BIMP provisions. A pension provision is included to raise the current 3% end-of-career salary increase limit to 6%. A companion bill, HB 62 (Harris, D-Chicago), includes provisions regarding funds for construction of schools, early childhood facilities, higher education facilities, and hospitals.
SB 1932 (Manar, D-Bunker Hill) would establish the Property Tax Relief Task Force that will make recommendations for short-term and long-term property tax relief for homeowners
SB 690 (Link) contains provisions for expanded gaming, including allowing sports betting, and also adds provisions to enable Illinois to capture "out-of-state" online retail sales tax.
Bills Approved by Both Chambers
HB 247 (Carroll, D-Northbrook) requires school districts contracting with a third party for drivers education to ensure that the private instructor has a teaching license and that the district administrator evaluate and observe the instructor.
HB 254 (Guzzardi, D-Chicago) requires school districts to report certain information about actively employed teachers, pupil-teacher ratios, class instructors by grade level and subject, and class sizes to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
HB 1561 (Crespo, D-Streamwood) requires all school boards to develop threat assessment protocols and create threat assessment teams. Additionally, it allows receipts from county wide sales tax for school facilities and health/life safety funds to be used for personnel such as school resource officers or mental health professionals.
HB 2124 (Welch, D-Westchester) provides that a public body may hold a closed meeting to consider the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of specific employees, specific independent contractors, or specific volunteers of the public body or legal counsel for the public body.
HB 2165 (Murphy, R-Springfield), for the high school graduation requirement of three years of math, requires one year to be Algebra I and one year to include geometry content that may be an Advanced Placement computer science course. It further allows the geometry content to be integrated, applied, interdisciplinary, or career and technical education that prepares a student for career readiness.
HB 3550 (Williams, D-Chicago) requires a sex education course provided in grades 6-12 to include an age-appropriate discussion on the meaning of consent to sexual activity.
HB 3606 (Martwick, D-Chicago), regarding student data privacy, contains a myriad of unfunded and/or unworkable mandates on school districts that would place enormous and expensive burdens on districts.
SB 459 (Ellman, D-Naperville) amends the Critical Health Problems and Comprehensive Health Education Act to require the instruction on mental health and illness to evaluate the multiple dimensions of health by reviewing the relationship between physical and mental health so as to enhance student understanding, attitudes, and behaviors that promote health, well-being, and human dignity.
SB 1798 (Rose, R-Champaign) requires each school district to create, maintain, and implement an age-appropriate policy on sexual harassment that must be posted on the school district's website.
SB 1952 (Manar) would permanently eliminate the test of basic skills and allow student teachers to be paid.