The summer months are typically slow for legislative activity. The legislature adjourned at the beginning of June and does not return until October 28th. Governor JB Pritzker quickly signed into law the bills that established the Fiscal Year 2020 State budget, and now is acting upon other pieces of legislation. The last three Fridays, the Governor has signed into law dozens of bills.
All bills that have been approved by the legislature have been sent to the Governor. The Governor has 60 days to act on those measures. Expect gubernatorial action to sign or veto legislation until August 27 when the 60 day clock runs out for the latest bills sent. School business officials and administrators are encouraged to review the Digest of Bills Passed and contact the Governor about pending legislation affecting your schools, students, staff, and community.
It is expected that this week the Governor will sign into law SB 1932 which will create the Property Tax Relief Task Force.
The following are education-related bills signed recently by the Governor:
HB 355 (Batinick, R-Plainfield) provides that a provider of professional development activities for educator license renewal may make available training on inclusive practices in the classroom that examine instructional and behavioral strategies that improve academic and social-emotional outcomes for all students, with or without disabilities, in a general education setting. The bill becomes Public Act 101-0085.
HB 424 (Hernandez, E., D-Aurora) requires the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to adopt rules to establish the criteria, standards, and competencies for a bilingual language interpreter who attends an individualized education program (IEP) meeting to assist a parent who has limited English proficiency. The bill becomes Public Act 101-0124.
HB 921 (Stuart, D-Collinsville) provides that if an educational support personnel (ESP) employee is dismissed as a result of a Reduction in Force (RIF), and the employee accepts reemployment with the same district, the employee maintains any rights accrued during the previous service with the school district. The bill becomes Public Act 101-0046.
HB 1472 (Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville) extends from June 30, 2019, to June 30, 2021 the flexibility to allow a teacher to return to teaching in subject shortage areas without impairing his or her retirement status. The bill becomes Public Act 101-0049.
HB 1475 (Bryant, R-Mt. Vernon) provides that the definition of “school employee” may not be interpreted to require a school district, charter school, or nonpublic school to hire additional personnel for the sole purpose of the personnel to serve as a delegated care aide for students that have epilepsy or seizure-related occurrences. The student’s parent or guardian is responsible for creating a “seizure action plan” with the student’s school. The bill becomes Public Act 101-0050.
HB 2177 (Unes, R-Pekin) provides that a school board may posthumously award a diploma to any service member who was killed in action while performing active military duty in the armed forces. The bill becomes Public Act 101-0131.
HB 2605 (Morrison, T., R-Palatine) adds licensure and training requirements for teachers who hold school support personnel endorsement for non-teaching speech-language pathology. The bill becomes Public Act 101-0094.
HB 2802 (Welch, D-Westchester) extends the time for the filling of school board member vacancies from 45 to 60 days. The bill becomes Public Act 101-0067.
HB 2822 (West, D-Rockford) provides that ISBE school report cards must include the most current data on the percentage of students who participated in job shadowing, the percentage of students who have completed an internship, and whether a school offered its students vocational training opportunities. The bill becomes Public Act 101-0068.
HB 2982 (Swanson, R-Woodhull) provides that if a criminal history records check or check of other offender databases is performed by a regional superintendent for an applicant seeking employment as a substitute teacher with a school district, the regional superintendent may disclose to the ISBE whether the applicant has been issued a certificate based on those checks. The bill becomes Public Act 101-0072.
HB 3462 (Bristow, D-Alton) allows a school district to offer its students a course on hunting safety as part of its curriculum during the school day or as part of an after-school program. It provides that ISBE may prepare and make available to school boards resources on hunting safety that may be used as guidelines for the development of the course. The bill becomes Public Act 101-0152.
SB 117 (Barickman, R-Bloomington), for destruction of student records, the bill transfers parental rights to students after graduation and provides that notice of destruction of records must be given to the student before they can be destroyed. The bill also expands the notice options. The bill becomes Public Act 101-0161.
SB 209 (Bertino-Tarrant, D-Plainfield) provides that under no circumstances may a petition for withdrawal from a joint special education agreement be presented to other member districts less than 12 months from the date of the proposed withdrawal. Upon approval by school board written resolution of all remaining member districts, the petitioning member district must submit its comprehensive plan to ISBE for review. The bill provides that, in the event of a hearing conducted by a hearing panel, the with-drawing district must, prior to the hearing and among other requirements, hold a public hearing to allow for the opportunity to review the plan for educating students after the withdrawal and prepare and provide a comprehensive plan. The bill becomes Public Act 101-0164.