Pritzker set to consider signing more than 500 bills in the next three
months
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[June 06, 2023]
By JERRY NOWICKI
Capitol News Illinois
jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers passed 566 bills through both chambers
of the General Assembly in the recently concluded legislative session –
all but one of them in May.
It sets the table for an approximate three-month bill-signing season for
Gov. JB Pritzker. That’s because the state’s constitution gives
legislative leaders 30 days from a bill’s passage to send it to the
governor, who then has 60 days to sign or veto it.
If the governor takes no action in that time frame, the bill would
become law automatically. Historically, the legislature has sent bills
to the governor in batches, allowing his staff ample time to review the
proposals.
Below are some of the bills that Pritzker will consider signing in the
coming months.
Noncitizen licenses: A measure backed by Democratic Secretary of State
Alexi Giannoulias would allow residents of Illinois to obtain a standard
driver’s license, rather than the “temporary visitor driver’s license”
that is currently allowed under law. An applicant would be required to
show their U.S. immigration documentation or, if they don’t have that, a
passport or consular card. They would also have to prove they have car
insurance.
A standard license can be used as identification, whereas a TVDL cannot.
Advocates said that has made tasks such as buying alcohol or picking up
a prescription challenging for many TVDL holders. Under House Bill 3882,
noncitizens would still be ineligible to receive a federal Real ID
certified license.
According to the secretary of state’s office, more than 300,000 people
currently have a TVDL. Those would still be valid until their expiration
date, but the state would not issue any new ones.
It passed the House 67-35 and the Senate 33-18.
Noncitizen law enforcement: House Bill 3751 provides that noncitizens
can become law enforcement officers in Illinois if they’re authorized by
federal law to work in the country or if action on their immigration
status has been deferred under the federal Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals process.
Those individuals must meet all other state qualifications for being in
law enforcement and must be authorized to possess a firearm under
federal law.
The measure passed 37-20 in the Senate and 100-7 in the House.
License plate readers: Another measure backed by Giannoulias would
prohibit any “user” of an automated license plate reader from sharing
data collected by the device with out-of-state law enforcement officers
who are investigating activities related to abortion care or someone’s
immigration status.
Prior to sharing any data, an ALPR user – which includes law-enforcement
agencies and other entities if they share the data with law enforcement
– would first need a written declaration that the law enforcement agency
would not use the data contrary to the bill’s language. If no such
declaration exists, the user would be prohibited from sharing the data.
House Bill 3326 passed 39-15 in the Senate and 69-34 in the House.
Native American repatriation: House Bill 3413 would streamline the
process through which Illinois returns Native American remains and
materials to their communities. In part, it would create a procedure in
which the Illinois Department of Natural Resources would consult with
affiliated tribal nations when returning remains.
The measure was spurred by reporting from ProPublica which showed the
Illinois State Museum has the second-largest collection of unrepatriated
Native American remains in the U.S. As of 2022, the state museum had
only returned 2 percent of the 7,700 remains it reported to the U.S.
government.
HB 3413 allows IDNR to establish burial sites for Native American human
remains and other artifacts that are closed to the public and protected
by the state.
Additionally, it creates a fund in the state treasury that would be paid
into by violators of the act and subject to appropriation to cover costs
including reinterment, repatriation, repair or restoration of human
remains.
It passed both houses unanimously. One lawmaker voted “present” in the
House.
Probation drug testing: Senate Bill 1886 would limit the circumstances
under which a judge could order a person to refrain from cannabis and
alcohol use and submit to testing while on probation. A judge could
still mandate testing if the person is under 21 or was sentenced for an
offense that included use of an “intoxicating compound.”
Testing could also still be required if the person is in problem-solving
court or if the person has undergone a clinical assessment that includes
alcohol or cannabis testing. Courts could also still require a person to
abstain from cannabis and alcohol for 30 days between sentencing and the
person’s participation in a clinical assessment.
The measure would also prohibit a court from banning cannabis use if it
is prescribed by a medical professional and from assessing fees for
mandatory drug or alcohol testing if the person is indigent as defined
in state law.
It passed 75-40 in the House and 31-18 in the Senate.
Child influencers: Senate Bill 1782 aims to protect “child influencers”
who are under the age of 16 and featured in at least 30 percent of
money-making internet videos, or vlogs, published by a family member in
a 30-day period.
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The Illinois State Capitol is pictured
in Springfield. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jerry Nowicki)
Vloggers who feature children under the age of 16 would be required to
keep records of the children’s inclusion in vlogs, proof of age and
other documents. If they don’t, the child would have a right to sue in
civil court.
If the vlog reaches a platform’s money-making threshold or generates at
least 10 cents per view, the vlogger would be required to put a
percentage of earnings into a trust fund for the child that is equal to
half of the percentage of content that features the child. Percentages
differ if multiple children are featured.
It passed the House 98-17 and the Senate 57-0.
Hotel worker protections: House Bill 2220 would give hotel managers
greater authority to remove disruptive visitors from their premises.
That includes individuals who refuse to pay, threaten employees, violate
laws or posted hotel rules, or use “verbally abusive language.”
The hotel industry pushed for the changes, which also state the removed
guest must be refunded for unused portions of their stay. It also states
the language can’t be used to evict long-term residents or if the area
is under a severe weather warning. It also may not be used to
discriminate against a guest based on characteristics protected under
federal, state or local law.
Hotel managers would be allowed to refuse accommodation to anyone who
destroys or threatens to destroy hotel property or who is on the
premises for the purpose of providing alcohol to an underage person or
possessing a controlled substance.
It passed 108-3 in the House and 51-2 in the Senate.
Full-day kindergarten: House Bill 2396 would require Illinois elementary
and unit public school districts to offer full-day kindergarten by the
2027-2028 school year. After that time, offering half-day kindergarten
would be optional. Some districts would be able to apply for a two-year
waiver based on their level of state funding.
The measure would also create a task force to study the number of
districts offering kindergarten, the number of students enrolled and
several other factors. The task force is to be named by October, with an
interim report due to lawmakers by June 30, 2024, and a final report by
Jan. 31, 2025.
It passed 52-1 in the Senate and 85-24 in the House.
New state flag commission: Senate Bill 1818 – numbered for the year
Illinois entered the union – would create a commission to consider new
state flag designs and make recommendations to the General Assembly as
to whether the current flag should be replaced.
Members would be appointed by the governor and legislative leaders of
both parties, as well as the secretary of state, the state board of
education and the state museum. They would be unpaid other than a per
diem reimbursement.
The commission would set “guiding principles” for a new flag, raise
awareness for the effort and create a submission process for new
designs. By Sept. 1, 2024, they would select 10 of those designs, and by
Dec. 3, 2024, they would report to lawmakers with their recommendations.
It passed 39-16 in the Senate and 72-40 in the House.
Teacher licensure: Senate Bill 1488 will temporarily suspend and create
a task force to review one of the tests prospective teachers must pass
to be licensed in Illinois. The test is known as the Teacher Performance
Assessment, or “edTPA,” which would be suspended through Aug. 31, 2025,
under the measure.
The edTPA is a performance-based assessment that requires applicants to
submit a portfolio including lesson plans and tests they’ve administered
while student teaching, along with examples of student work and other
material. The portfolios are scored by outside teachers and teacher
educators. It has been a requirement in Illinois since 2015 but was
temporarily stalled by Pritzker’s executive orders related to the
COVID-19 pandemic, which expired May 11.
SB 1488 would also establish a task force to evaluate teacher
performance assessment systems and make recommendations to the State
Board of Education and the General Assembly by Aug. 1, 2024.
It passed the House 84-19 and the Senate 55-2.
School district cash reserves: Senate Bill 1994, which passed both
chambers unanimously, would require school districts to report their
annual cash reserves and average three-year operating expenditures to
the state. When reserves exceed 2.5 times the average three-year
expenditures, the school district would be required to file a plan to
the state board detailing how they plan to spend reserves down to 2.5
times their average expenditures or less.
Districts would not be required to spend reserves, but only to submit
the plan detailing how they intend to do so over three years.
Editor’s note: Capitol News Illinois reporters Peter
Hancock and Nika Schoonover contributed to this report.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan
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