Distributed via Email: May 3, 2013
NEW PENSION BILL APPROVED
House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) gutted a pension bill sent over to the House by Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) and inserted his own pension reform proposal. SB 1 passed the House on Thursday with a vote of 62-51-2. The bill had contained a pension reform proposal that required participants in a state retirement system to “elect” between collecting certain pension benefits or receiving health insurance coverage after retirement (see bill summary at: https://www.iasb.com/govrel/alr9810.cfm)
House Amendment #1 & #3, sponsored by Madigan, deleted those provisions and inserted provisions that more closely mirrored pension legislation discussed earlier this spring on the House floor. There is no “election” provision in the new version, which includes the following components:
Senate President Cullerton was reportedly close to making a deal with the various labor unions on a pension reform measure. Details of this proposal are not yet available. The stalemate between the differing versions of the pension reform legislation, and that of the leaders of the respective legislative chambers still has many questioning yesterday’s action by the House. It is still unclear whether the Senate will choose to concur in the House version. However, if the Senate finds the will to act on SB 1 on Monday when they are scheduled to return, the bill may see quick action by the Governor making it law.
SENATE PASSES GAMING EXPANSION
The Senate sent SB 1739 (Link, D-Waukegan) a bill making numerous changes to the gaming industry in Illinois including adding five new casinos to be located in Chicago, Danville, Lake County, Rockford and the South Cook County suburbs. In addition, the bill provided that certain revenues would be directed to the Education Assistance Fund. It is estimated that those funds from various sources could amount to an increase of $128.7 million for the Fund, however it may take several years to reach full implementation.
COMMITTEES CONTINUE WITH BILL ACTION THIS WEEK
After a week break for the House and a previous week’s deadline for bills in the Senate, House and Senate members got to work on bills sent to committees from across the rotunda. Bills that were acted upon in committees will now be heard for final passage unless they’ve been amended in the 2 nd chamber.
HB 3 (Chapa La Via, D-Aurora) extends the “sunset provision” by three years (from 2013 to 2016) that allows school districts to transfer monies from one fund to another. The bill, supported by the Alliance, was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for further consideration.
HB 160 ( Osmond, R-Gurnee) gives more flexibility regarding interfund transfers to school districts who are under the limitations of PTELL and contains provisions that only apply to Zion Elementary School District. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for further consideration.
HB 496 (Chapa La Via) , as amended, makes various changes regarding teacher licensure renewal. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for further consideration.
HB 923 (Hoffman, D-Belleville) requires contractors for which construction services are performed by an individual, sole proprietor, or partnership to report to the Department of Labor all payments made to those entities if the recipient of the payment is not classified as an employee. The bill was approved by the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for further consideration.
HB 1288 (Gabel, D-Evanston) establishes new procedures for written complaints regarding student rights. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for further consideration.
HB 1868 ( Unes, R- Pekin) makes changes regarding a provisional career and technical educator endorsement. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for further consideration.
HB 2768 (Welch, D-Westchester) requires principals to utilize resources of proper law enforcement agencies when the safety and welfare of students and teachers are threatened by illegal use or possession of weapons or illegal gang activity. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for further consideration.
HB 3070 ( Farnham, D-Elgin) requires administrators, teachers and counselors to receive in-service training on mental illness. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for further consideration.
HB 3236 (Lilly, D-Chicago) provides that the Eradicate Domestic Violence Task Force shall submit a report to the General Assembly on or before April 1, 2014 (instead of on or before April 1, 2013). The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for further consideration.
HJR 1 (Chapa LaVia) creates the Truancy in Chicago Public Schools Task Force. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for further consideration.
HJR 5 (Kay, R-Edwardsville) urges an emphasis on physical fitness and health in schools. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for further consideration.
HJR 30 (Kay) encourages a discussion of childhood obesity and suggests topics for discussion during fitness awareness week in schools; acknowledges Columbus Elementary School in Edwardsville for their commitment to physical fitness. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for further consideration.
SB 84 ( Luechtefeld, R- Okawville) makes changes in how a school district deposits and accounts for teacher certification registration costs and back fees. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for further consideration.
SB 1221 ( Martinez, D-Chicago) establishes the State Seal of Biliteracy program to recognize public high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in one or more languages in addition to English. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for further consideration.
SB 1550 ( Radogno, R-Lemont) amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code with respect to transition services. It provides that the first individualized education plan for a student turning age 14 1/2 must include measurable post-secondary goals based upon age-appropriate transition assessments and other information including independent living skills (instead of independent living skills where appropriate). The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for further consideration.
SB 1703 ( Haine, D-Alton) adds October 7 ( Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Remembrance Day) as a commemorative holiday. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for further consideration.
SB 1845 ( Mulroe, D-Chicago) allows for school social work to include services for establishing and delivering anti-bullying programs. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for further consideration.
SB 1950 ( Althoff, R-McHenry) allows school districts to invest public funds in interest bearing bonds of any local government. The bill, supported by the Alliance, was approved by the House Counties and Townships Committee and was sent to the House floor for further consideration.
SB 2157 (Cunningham, D-Chicago) provides that, if requested, a school board is authorized to excuse a pupil from engaging in a physical education course if the pupil has an intellectual or physical disability, is participating in an athletic program outside of the school setting, and documents such participation as determined by the school board. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for further consideration.
SB 2199 ( Frerichs, D-Champaign) removes a provision that prohibits a candidate for licensure from beginning an internship or residency required for licensure until he or she has passed the applicable content area test. House Amendment #1 addresses requirements for school service personnel trained in out-of-state programs. The bill was approved by the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee and was sent to the House floor for further consideration.
SJR 32 ( Manar, D-Staunton) creates the General Assembly's Advisory Committee on Education Funding to conduct a thorough review of the existing distribution methods and expenditures of education funding and make recommendations to implement an education funding system. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for further consideration.
BILLS SCHEDULED FOR COMMITTEE NEXT WEEK
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Tuesday, May 7, 1:00 p.m. Room 400 , Capitol
SB 580 (Delgado, D-Chicago) increases the number of enrollment seats a dropout charter school may have.
SB 1702 ( Lightford, D-Maywood) is a MANDATE that sets up a special set of rights, support services, and due processes for students who are parents, expectant parents, or the victims of domestic or sexual violence. Special privileges must be given to such students regarding school placement, student transfers, home instruction, expulsions and suspensions.
SB 1762 ( Lightford) makes agreed changes to clean-up the Education Reform Act.
HB 129 (Welch, D-Westchester) p ermits a school board to designate the first Monday in October of each year "Bring Your Parents to School Day" when parents are allowed to attend class with their children and meet with teachers and administrators during the school day.
HB 490 (Davis, M., D-Chicago) requires applicants seeking a Professional Educator License or an Educator License with Stipulations to pass a basic skills test, if required, before the license is issued (instead of before they may be admitted to an education preparation program).
HB 494 (Chapa LaVia) provides that, from April 1, 2013 through April 1, 2014, there is a moratorium on the establishment of charter schools with virtual-schooling components in school districts other than the Chicago school district.
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 2213 (Ford, D-Chicago) is a MANDATE that sets up a special set of rights, support services, and due processes for students who are parents, expectant parents, or the victims of domestic or sexual violence. Special privileges must be given to such students regarding school placement, student transfers, home instruction, expulsions and suspensions .
HB 2322 (Chapa La Via) allows for School Social Work to include services for establishing and delivering anti-bullying programs.
HB 2420 (Chapa La Via) provides that a person who holds an active license issued by the State as a marriage and family therapist shall be deemed to have satisfied the continuing professional development requirements to renew a school service personnel certificate. In the Educator Licensure Article, includes marriage and family therapist as a school support personnel endorsement area that may be affixed to a Professional Educator License.
HB 2428 (Conroy, D-Villa Park) requires the ISBE to establish a Task Force on Civic Education.
HB 2631 (Chapa LaVia) provides that any two or more school districts that share the same boundaries may combine transportation services.
HB 3063 (Roth, R-Morris) provides that if a first-year principal evaluates teachers where the evaluation plan provides for a teacher in contractual continued service to be evaluated once in the course of every two school years, then a new 2-year evaluation plan must be established.
HB 3133 (Franks, D-Woodstock) is a duplicative MANDATE requiring schools to submit any renovation, addition, change in floor plan, change in emergency crisis response plan or evacuation plan to the local fire department, local law enforcement agency or other emergency responders for review.
HB 3232 (Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria) allows for a local bidder preference when competitively bidding.
HB 3379 ( Tabares, D-Chicago) is a MANDATE that r equires new policies and instruction on teen dating violence.
HOUSE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Wednesday, May 8, 8:00 a.m. Room 115 , Capitol
HJR 30 (Kay) encourages a discussion of childhood obesity and suggests topics for discussion during fitness awareness week in schools; acknowledges Columbus Elementary School in Edwardsville for their commitment to physical fitness.
SB 1221 ( Martinez, D-Chicago) establishes the State Seal of Biliteracy program to recognize public high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in one or more languages in addition to English.
SB 1845 ( Mulroe) allows for school social work to include services for establishing and delivering anti-bullying programs.
SB 1931 ( Bivins, R-Dixon) creates the School Security and Standards Task Force to study the security of schools.
SB 1932 ( Bivins) duplicative MANDATE requiring a school board to consult with law enforcement and security experts in the design and planning stages of the construction of any new school building or additions.
SB 2178 (Harris, D-Harvey) requires public school districts that have a high school to provide catastrophic accident insurance coverage with a maximum of $3 million or 5 years of coverage for student athletes who sustain an accidental injury while participating in school-sponsored athletic events sanctioned by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) that results in medical expenses in excess of $50,000.
SENATE REVENUE COMMITTEE
Tuesday, May 7, 9:00 a.m. Room 409 , Capitol and Wednesday, May 8, 5:00 p.m. Room 409 Capitol
The Senate Revenue Committee did not meet this week and therefore all bills that had been posted to be heard will be on the docket for next week’s committee work. The list below reflects those bills that were added to the committee list to be heard for next week.
HB 1709 ( Sacia, R-Freeport) extends the TIF for the Village of Orangeville to 35 years.
HOUSE REVENUE & FINANCE COMMITTEE
Thursday, May 9, 8:00 a.m. Room 413 , Stratton Building
The House Revenue Committee met this week and heard testimony on Working Cash Bonds only. Bills that were posted for committee action will be acted upon next week. The list below reflects those bills that were added to the committee list to be heard for next week
SB 1657 (Holmes, D-Aurora) removes the requirement that the third member of an appointed board of review be a member of the party with the 2 nd highest vote and adds that the member not be of the same party as the other 2 members. Also makes changes concerning complaints filed with the board of review.
SB 2182 (Harmon, D-Oak Park) , as amended, added school districts to the Comptroller's unit of local governments registry.
SB 2256 (Harmon) provides that the district's aggregate extension base shall be modified by certain recaptured amounts.
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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