Illinois Legislature Awakens for the 103rd General Assembly's Second Year
Happy Friday!
The Illinois legislative chambers have sprung to life once again as the second year of the 103rd General Assembly began committee work this week! With a buzz of activity, lawmakers returned to Springfield, eager to dive into the business of governance. This week, the committee rooms hummed with discussions and deliberations, as legislators embarked on the task of shaping policies and laws they believe will contribute to the betterment of our state.
Despite an initial flurry of scheduled hearings, the week gradually settled into a rhythm, marked by numerous postponed sessions. However, any perceived lull in committee action was quickly overshadowed by a surge in bill-filing activity! Today marks the bill filing deadline, and true to tradition, the General Assembly has not disappointed with the volume of legislative ideas they have filed for consideration.
This week in the Senate, members have filed 348 bills, while their counterparts in the House have exceeded that number with 508 bills filed since Monday. The cumulative bill-filing count for the 103rd General Assembly as of the end of business on Thursday stands at 5,246 for the House and 3,484 for the Senate. That is a whopping 8,730 bills — and it is worth noting that bills continue to pour in even as this communication is being dispatched, so final tallies will have to wait until the end of the day today when the filing deadline officially passes! We are diligently reviewing the bills that have been filed this week, eagerly anticipating any surprises that may await us in the spring session.
Committee Assignments
While this week may have concluded without much fanfare in terms of committee activities, it was far from insignificant. Although the legislative proposals listed below have not cleared their first hurdle of a committee vote due to a multitude of hearings being canceled this week, we have been given some insight as to which proposals legislators are hoping to move through the legislative process this year.
House Adoption & Child Welfare was set to hear HB 4350 (Davis-R; Yorkville) before Tuesday's scheduled hearing was canceled. The bill would require schools and other entities to post information in restrooms on what constitutes physical and sexual abuse, and how to report such abuse. Our team expressed concerns to the sponsor of the bill regarding the developmental appropriateness of such signage, and he has agreed to remove school districts from the mandate should the bill be called at a later date.
The House Judiciary committee was scheduled to hear HB 4241 (Elik-R; Alton), which would change the criminal code to provide that educators and other authority figures who engage in inappropriate relationships with students, even when they are 18 years old, can be criminally prosecuted. There are similar measures being carried by other General Assembly members, and this is an idea that has gained momentum in recent years as the conversation about grooming and sexual abuse by adults in positions of influence have grown louder.
House Curriculum and Administration was set to hear HB 4265 (Yednock-D; Ottawa), which would roll back elements of the accelerated placement policy requirements. Specifically, it would allow for the school district to make the determination around accelerated placements, instead of it being an automatic enrollment. Additionally, it would also only apply to students who “exceed” standards on state assessments, rather than for students who “meet” and “exceed” standards. Prior to the committee’s cancellation, over 150 opposition witness slips were filed by parents and members of the Illinois Association for Gifted Children.
The House Personnel and Pensions committee was also scheduled and canceled for this week. Posted for hearing in that committee were the Tier 2 bills that have been filed by Representative Kifowit (D; Aurora). HB 4098 was posted to the committee hearing, and although it remains unlikely that there will be any formal movement of the measure this session, the early posting to committee signals that the conversations surrounding a fix will be at the top of legislators’ priority lists. Rep. Kifowit has also filed HB 4873, which is another version of a Tier 2 pension change, as well as HB 5211, which proposes changes to IMRFs Tier 2 benefit structure. Those bills have not yet been assigned to a committee.
Update on Educator Preparation Time Bills
HB 3907 (Stuart-D; Collinsville) and SB 2721 (Cappel-D; Crest Hill) which aim to mandate at least 45 minutes of daily, continuous, uninterrupted preparation time for all educators, have received some media attention recently. We have been working to collect feedback from school district leaders across the state to share with the sponsors related to the significant impact a mandate of this magnitude may have on our school districts. As of the end of this week, neither bill has been assigned to a committee, and we have been able to connect with both sponsors to share the significant concerns that have been raised by our members.
Update on $20 Minimum Wage for Educational Support Personnel
HB 2784 (Hirschauer-D; West Chicago) has not yet resurfaced with any activity since the spring session has begun. Although there is always that possibility, we are encouraged by the recent filing of HR 585 (Davis-D; East Hazel Crest). Representative Davis’ resolution would charge the Professional Review Panel with studying the impact of a $20 minimum wage mandate on the Evidence-Based Funding formula. The Representative was the lone Democratic “No” vote when the bill was voted on in committee last spring due to his concerns with how it would impact school funding. We know that maintaining the integrity of the formula is of the utmost importance to our members, and we continue to watch the evolution of this legislative proposal closely.
As we navigate the legislative session ahead, one thing remains certain: the ideas and determination of our elected officials will continue to shape the course of our state's education landscape. We will be working to update our online bill tracker over the weekend and into next week as we review all of the bills filed and weed out the ones that will have an impact on the K-12 educational environment.
Thank you for reading, and we hope you have a great weekend!