Distributed via Email: February 15, 2013
The Illinois House of Representatives will convene in session next week, Tuesday through Thursday, Feb. 19-21, to continue with the work of considering bills in committees. The Senate is not scheduled for session next week, but will return on Wednesday, Feb. 27.
Today (Feb. 15) is the deadline to introduce a bill in the Senate; there are already over 2,400 Senate bills submitted. The House has another couple of weeks to introduce legislation; more than 2,200 bills have already been filed in that chamber.
Legislation on pension reform and a myriad of bills amending the School Code – including dozens of proposed new mandates – have already been filed. The Alliance legislative package is being introduced as well; a full report of Alliance bills and sponsors will be available soon. A few bills are still being drafted and have not yet been submitted.
STATE “TAKE-OVER” LEGISLATION INTRODUCED
Today Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago), on behalf of the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), introduced a bill to allow for state take-over of local school districts with the authority to remove the elected school board members and indefinitely remove the ability for the local community to hold school board elections. The bill contains no stated criteria that would be used by the ISBE to warrant removal of school board members nor any standards or criteria for a community to reestablish an elected school board.
The bill number is SB 2340. The full text is available at HERE
A few provisions of the bill:
The bill has not yet been assigned to a committee for a hearing.
BILLS SCHEDULED FOR COMMITTEE NEXT WEEK
HOUSE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Wednesday, Feb. 20, 8:30 a.m., Room D-1, Stratton Office Building
HB 192 (Jackson, Sr., D-East St. Louis) provides that, in addition to all other authority to issue bonds, Smithton Community Consolidated School District 130 may issue bonds with an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $15 million if certain conditions are met.
HB 194 (Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora) allows the city councils of Rockford, Aurora and East St. Louis to each create a promise zone which p rovides private funds sufficient to provide each eligible student who resides within the promise zone and who graduates from a public high school located within that promise zone with the tuition necessary to obtain an associate degree or its equivalent at the local community college.
HB 197 (Mayfield, D-Waukegan) provides that three years after a redevelopment project area is established, the portion of taxes levied by a school district located in the redevelopment project area shall be allocated and paid to the school district in the manner required by law in the absence of the adoption of tax increment allocation financing.
HB 946 ( Yingling, D- Hainesville) creates the Young Adults Heroin Use Task Force to address the growing problem of heroin use in high schools across this State.
HB 1002 (Chapa LaVia) adds a school service personnel certificate holder as a member of the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board.
HB 1058 (Dunkin, D-Chicago) requires school boards to re-define “zero tolerance” discipline policies so that “petty acts of misconduct” are treated differently than more serious, threatening acts and adds new requirements regarding reciprocal reporting between school districts and law enforcement agencies.
HB 1205 ( Sente, D-Lincolnshire) requires school boards to adopt a policy limiting tackling in football practice to once a week.
HB 1213 (Walsh, Jr., D-Joliet) provides that a school board shall prohibit the use of tobacco at school bus stops by any school personnel, student, or other person when such property is being used for any school purposes.
HB 1225 (Burke, D-Chicago) requires the Department of Public Health and ISBE to develop and post on their publicly accessible Internet websites guidelines and other relevant materials to inform and educate students participating in an athletic activity, their parents, and their coaches about the nature and warning signs of sudden cardiac arrest.
HB 1268 (Fortner, R-West Chicago) regarding the Advisory Council on Bilingual Education, a school district may require teachers of English Language Learner students, who are participating in English Language Learner courses not taught by English Language Learner-certified teachers, to participate in a one-day training session regarding the challenges for such students.
HB 1279 ( Senger, R-Naperville) and HB 1337 ( Sosnowski, R-Rockford) provide that a school board shall provide free transportation for pupils residing at a distance of 2 miles (instead of one and one-half miles) or more from school.
HB 1288 (Gabel, D-Evanston) requires ISBE to adopt procedures that allow for written complaints with ISBE alleging that a school district has violated the rights of one or more children with disabilities.
HB 1324 (Flowers, D-Chicago) requires the Chicago Board of Education to establish a school nurse pilot program.
HB 1326 (Flowers) provides that the Chicago Board of Education shall require that schools provide daily recess for all students in kindergarten through grade 8.
HB 1373 (Chapa LaVia) provides that a medical review done as part of a special education evaluation may be performed by a certified or licensed school nurse, a physician, or a registered nurse, provided that only a certified or licensed school nurse may make recommendations regarding educational interventions, accommodations, or modifications based on the findings of a child's medical review.
HOUSE STATE GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE
Wednesday, Feb. 20, 4 p.m., Room C-1, Stratton Office Building
HB 182 (Ives, R-Wheaton) e liminates the open meetings exemption for collective bargaining in the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act.
HB 943 ( Yingling) requires any association of units of local government or any not-for-profit corporation with membership consisting of units of local government to comply under all provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.
HOUSE REVENUE AND FINANCE COMMITTEE
Thursday, Feb. 21, 10 a.m., Room 114, State Capitol
HB 78 (Ford, D-Chicago) creates an “After-School Rescue” lottery scratch-off game for grants to at-risk schools for after-school programs.
HB 82 (Ford) creates the Lottery Supports Schools Fund directing moneys generated by the program to be distributed based upon the school district’s percentage of lottery sales.
HB 88 (Franks, D-Woodstock) increases the income tax credit from 5% to 10% for disabled persons qualifying for the disabled persons’ homestead exemption.
HB 89 (Franks) and HB 95 ( McSweeney, R-Cary), for areas under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL) provides that i f the total equalized assessed value (EAV) of all taxable property in the taxing district for the current levy year is less than the total EAV of all taxable property in the taxing district for the previous levy year, then the extension limitation is (a) 0% or (b) the rate of increase approved by voters.
HB 150 (Morrison, R-Palatine) increases the income eligibility limitation of the Senior Citizen Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption from $55,000 to $75,000.
HB 166 (Mayfield, D-Waukegan) allows schools to levy a tort immunity tax for paying judgments under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act and the Environmental Protection Act until Dec. 31, 2014.
HB 175 (Mitchell, R-Decatur) and HB 972 ( Crespo, D-Streamwood) eliminates the yearly re-application requirement for the senior citizens homestead exemption.
HB 944 ( Yingling) increases the maximum reduction under the Senior Citizens Homestead Exemption from $8,000 to $12,000.
HB 1039 ( Tryon, R-Crystal Lake) provides that the property tax bill shall contain a separate statement for each taxing district showing the amount of tax due that will be used by the taxing district to pay the employees’ contributions to a public pension fund and that this amount must be certified to the county clerk.
HB 1053 (Sullivan, R-Mundelein) provides that land containing hotels, lodging facilities, club houses, banquet facilities, tennis courts, swimming pools, commercial or industrial facilities, retail shops or land and parking areas serving those improvements shall be valued at its fair cash value, not as open space land.
HB 1188 (Burke) provides that a taxing district obtaining referendum approval for an increased limiting rate under PTELL on March 20, 2012, the limiting rate for 2012 shall be the rate that generates the approximate total amount of taxes extendable for that tax year, as set forth in the proposition.
HB 1229 ( Verschoore, D-Rock Island) provides that each property qualifying for a homestead exemption shall have a minimum EAV of $1,000 after each applicable homestead exemption is applied.
HB 1230 (Brady, R-Normal) , under the Senior Citizen Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption, calculates the base amount for a new residence taking into consideration whether the new residence EAV is equal to or less than the prior residence.
HB 1249 (Ford) creates the Lottery Supports Schools Fund directing moneys generated by the program to be distributed to schools based on the district’s percentage of lottery sales and shall be used for computer labs, libraries, playgrounds and science labs.
HB 1278 ( Senger) for levy years beginning in 2014 for taxing districts under PTELL, the aggregate extension base is the greater of either the district’s last preceding aggregate extension limit or the taxing district’s last preceding aggregate extension and defines aggregate extension limit as the district’s last preceding aggregate extension if the taxing district had utilized the maximum limiting rate permitted.
HB 1310 (Franks) for areas under PTELL provides that i f the total equalized assessed value (EAV) of all taxable property in the taxing district for the current levy year (excluding new property, recovered TIF value and property annexed to or disconnected from the district in the current levy year) is less than the total EAV of all taxable property in the taxing district for the previous levy year, then the extension limitation is (a) 0% or (b) the rate of increase approved by voters.
This legislative report is written and edited by the lobbyists of the Illinois Association of School Boards to provide information to the members of the organizations that comprise the Statewide School Management Alliance.
Bill Text/Status: Illinois General Assembly www.ilga.gov
Alliance Legislative Reports are Cosponsored by IASB and:
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