Illinois General Assembly passes hundreds of bills as session end approaches

Illinois General Assembly passes hundreds of bills as session end approaches

By SARAH MANSUR
Capitol News Illinois
smansur@capitolnewsillinois.com

SPRINGFIELD — The state Senate and House passed more than 750 bills between them last week, addressing isolated timeouts in schools, youth vaping, teaching Muslim history, the commemoration of Juneteenth and automatic voter registration in prisons, among other topics.

Friday was the deadline for the General Assembly to pass bills out of each chamber, for consideration in the other chamber. The General Assembly’s session is scheduled to end May 31.

Capitol News Illinois has summarized below a few of the notable bills that passed one chamber last week. To become law – among other pathways – the bills will still need to receive approval from the other chamber and the governor.

 

Passed the Senate

Senate Bill 512 creates the Youth Vaping Act, which prohibits the use of certain harmful additives in electronic cigarettes — including vitamin E acetate — that are associated with lung illness.

It also would ban the use of deceptive advertising that encourages the use of electronic cigarettes, or vaping, to quit tobacco products, unless the product has U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to market for such use.

It also amends the Prevention of Cigarette Sales to Persons under 21 Years of Age Act to include electronic cigarettes. The bill, sponsored by Lake Forest Democrat Julie Morrison, passed unanimously, 57-0.

 

Senate Bill 134 creates a Local Journalism Task Force to study areas underserved by local journalism in Illinois and review strategies to improve local news access and public policy solutions to develop more sustainable business models for local media outlets.

The task force would consist of members of the General Assembly, a member appointed by the governor, members from local journalism schools and members representing press groups, including the Illinois Legislative Correspondents Association and the Illinois Broadcasters Association. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Steve Stadelman, a Rockford Democrat who was a television reporter and anchor before joining the General Assembly. It passed 57-0.

 

Senate Bill 564 amends the Illinois School Code to require that history education taught in public schools in 8th grade include the study of the contributions made by Muslims and Muslim Americans to society.

It would also establish Jan. 17 as a holiday commemorating the birthday of Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest American boxers and a convert to Islam. The bipartisan bill, sponsored by Naperville Democrat Laura Ellman, passed 46-3.

 

Senate Bill 2129 amends the state criminal code to allow a county state’s attorney to petition the court to have a person’s prison sentence reduced “if the original sentence no longer advances the interests of justice,” according to the bill.

In its decision to resentence, the court can consider the person’s disciplinary record while in prison, and whether age, time served or diminished physical condition have reduced the person’s risk for future violence, among other factors.

It preserves the rights of crime victims, as afforded under the Rights of Crime Victims and Witnesses Act. Sponsored by Chicago Democrat Sen. Robert Peters, the bill passed narrowly by a vote of 31-17.

 

Passed the House

House Bill 219 requires the State Board of Education to create specific benchmarks for schools to reduce the use of timeout, isolated timeout and physical restraints, with the goal of eliminating the practices within three years.

HB 219 and similar bills to reduce and end isolated timeouts in K-12 public schools were filed in the previous General Assembly in response to an investigation by ProPublica and the Chicago Tribune. The investigation found elementary students were being detained in “isolation rooms” for minor infractions, and teachers’ use of these practices often violated the law.

The bill has received bipartisan support and passed out of the House unanimously, 113-0. Rep. Jonathan Carroll, a Northbrook Democrat who sponsored the bill, said HB 219 is the most important bill he has sponsored during his time in the General Assembly. A similar measure passed in the Senate.

 

House Bill 2928 creates the Relieve College Costs Pilot Program Act to establish a pilot program for a new four-year bachelor’s degree pathway called the Fundamental Issues and Texts Humanities Degree that has total tuition costs capped at $20,000.

Under the bill, a program director for the new pilot program would develop the curriculum for one high school, one community college and one university that would include foundational texts from western civilization and the Enlightenment. The bipartisan bill, sponsored by Elmhurst Republican Deanne Mazzochi, passed 112-0.

 

House Bill 3922 would make June 19 an observed state holiday, Juneteenth National Freedom Day, to commemorate the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas, to free more than 250,000 enslaved black people.

A 2003 state law recognized Juneteenth National Freedom Day on the third Saturday in June but did not establish it as a state holiday. The bipartisan bill, sponsored by Chicago Democrat La Shawn Ford, passed 99-0. A similar bill passed in the state Senate.

 

House Bill 3235 would require the Illinois Department of Corrections to provide individuals with information about obtaining a voter identification card and information about voter registration at least 45 days before being released from prison.

It would also allow the Department of Corrections to contract with the state Board of Elections to participate in the automatic voter registration program and be designated as an automatic voter registration agency. The bill, sponsored by Chicago Democrat Camille Lilly, passed by a vote of 72-42.

 

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

Leave a Comment





Local News

BVball Stagg kill 10 alt

Boys Volleyball | Stagg ends Marist Invite with win over Riverside-Brookfield

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Jason Maholy Sports Editor Stagg outlasted Riverside-Brookfield in a marathon first set, winning 36-34, then followed that with a 25-20 clincher on March 23 to finish seventh in the Silver divison at the 20th Marist RedHawks Invitational. The Chargers went 2-3 in the tournament. They opened pool play on March 22 at…

Shepard senior Jake Klein goes up for the kill against two Lincoln-Way East players during a match on March 22. Photo by Jason Maholy

Boys Volleyball | Shepard finishes 4th in Bronze at Marist Invite

Spread the love

Spread the loveShepard served as one of three host sites for the 20th Marist RedHawks Invitational, and kicked off play in Palos Heights by facing Lincoln-Way East on March 22. The Griffins defeated the Astros, 25-10, 25-15. Marian Catholic beat Shepard, 25-23, 25-9, in the Astros’ second match of the day. The Astros fell to…

The Obbie’s Pizza sign will remain a familiar sight on Archer Avenue. Taking time out for a photo are new owner John Caputi; his son, Giovanni; and Obbie’s longtime managers, Jim Triak and Jeff Twaragowski. --Photo by Cosmo Hadac

Obbie’s Pizza to stay ‘unique and delicious’

Spread the love

Spread the love. New owner vows to serve same popular menu .  By Tim Hadac Archer Avenue’s long-time king of pizzerias will continue to rule. Same recipes at Obbie’s Pizza, 6654 W. Archer. Same pizza and ingredients. Same pasta, broasted chicken, shrimp, perch, Italian beef/sausage/meatball sandwiches, sides and pop. Same seasoned, Middleby Marshall pizza oven…

countryside logo

Countryside City Council tackles long list of items

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch Water leaks, a new truck and abandoned vehicles were among a laundry list of items tackled by the Countryside City Council at its latest meeting. They were all from the infrastructure committee chaired by Ald. Mark Benson (3rd). All of the following were approved by a unanimous 6-0 vote on…

Mahdi Ali (from left), Team AlBary, Ghina Albary, Abla Daoud, Minna Sulieman, Iman Ezzhory, Medinah Yusef,  and Argo Teacher Nadia Elkhatib. (Supplied photos)

Argo High School holds Iftar Dinner for community

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Carol McGowan More than 100 people gathered at Argo Community High School last week for a now annual Ramadan Iftar dinner organized by Argo teacher Nadia Elkhatib. Elkhatib was happy with the turnout for those coming Thursday night to break bread with the school’s Muslim students and their families. “I will continue…

regional palos heights logo

Pool improvements advance in Palos Heights

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Nuha Abdessalam Palos Heights aldermen last week approved contracts advancing improvements at the municipal pool. Alderman Jefry Key motioned for approval of a letter of agreement with the American Institute of Architects between Williams Architect and the City of Palos Heights for the pool improvement project. Since first proposing pool improvements in…

Palos Hills young people sang their hearts out for karaoke night at a neighborhood coffee house. (Photo by Nuha Abdessalam)

Teens enjoy Green Hills karaoke party

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Nuha Abdessalam Palos Hills tweens and teens sang their hearts out for karaoke night at a neighborhood coffee house. Green Hills Library invited all tweens and teens for a karaoke night at Strange Brew Cafe on West 103rd Street and 87th Street on Feb. 22. Organized by Green Hill Library Youth Program…

Luis Garcia, of Oak Forest and the owner and chef of Cervantinos Authentic Mexican Restaurant #2, 12778 S. Harlem Ave., Palos Heights. (Photos by Kelly White)

Cervantinos Authentic Mexican Restaurant opens in Palos Heights

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Kelly White When choosing a location for his second business location, Luis Garcia knew he wanted it to be Palos Heights. “I absolutely love it here,” Luis Garcia, of Oak Forest and the owner and chef of Cervantinos Authentic Mexican Restaurant #2, said. “It’s a great area, nice clientele and I’m happy…

The corner of Crandall and Depot in Worth will be the future site of the Garden Center Services apartment complex. (Photo by Joe Boyle)

Worth Polar Plunge raises record amount

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle The FOP Worth Polar Plunge has been deemed a major success and local officials said the amount raised has set a new record. The annual event, sponsored by the Worth Police Department, took place in a large swimming pool that was put up in the parking lot of the Marrs-Meyer…

Kris Sumner, Youth Programming Librarian at Green Hills Public Library, is responsible for organizing the Eid Clothing Bazaar at the library, 10331 Interlochen Dr., Palos Hills. (Supplied photos)

Green Hills Public Library hosts Eid Clothing Drive

Spread the love

Spread the loveBy Kelly White The Islamic calendar has two major holidays each year: Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan and celebrates an entire month of fasting, and Eid al-Adha, the festival of the sacrifice that occurs during the culmination of the Hajj pilgrimage season. It takes place two lunar months after Ramadan.…

Neighbors

Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.