Distributed via Email: March 11, 2016
With the House of Representatives on an extended spring break, the Illinois Senate was in Springfield this week for legislative action. As is typical with this time of year, most of the action took place in committees. The most significant news of the week could turn out to be Senate President John Cullerton’s announcement that he would not pass an education budget until there is education funding reform. Cullerton also requested a district by district breakdown of Governor Bruce Rauner’s plan to fully fund the foundation level at $6,119.
On Tuesday, March 8 th the Senate Education Committee took up Senate Bill 2823 (Koehler, D-Peoria), which provides flexibility in selling student constructed homes. The bill, an Alliance initiative, passed out of the committee unanimously and now awaits a full vote in the Senate. For more on SB 2823 click here
When Governor Rauner gave his Budget Address in February, he laid out two choices for the General Assembly. The first and preferred choice was a budget that was a mix of “Turnaround Agenda” items, cuts, and new revenue. However, the second choice, giving Rauner broad authority to sweep funds and make cuts seems to be getting the most attention right now. The legislation which embodies that idea, Senate Bill 2789 (Radogno, R-Lemont) was discussed at length in the Senate Executive Committee, but no vote was taken.
BILL ACTION FROM THIS WEEK
SB 2469 (Lightford, D-Maywood) creates the State Global Scholar Certification Program to recognize public high school graduates who have attained global competence, sufficient for meaningful use in college and a career. The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for further consideration.
SB 2743 (Harmon, D- Oak Park) provides some regulatory relief for schools focusing on yoga instruction and yoga teacher training. The bill was approved by the Senate Higher Education Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for further consideration.
SB 2889 (McGuire, D-Crest Hill) in a section requiring the board of review to serve a copy of the petition on all taxing districts when a change in assessed valuation of $100,000 or more is sought, provides that the service may be by electronic means if the taxing district consents to electronic service and provides the board of review with a valid e-mail address for the purpose of receiving service. The bill was approved by the Senate Revenue Committee and was sent to the Senate floor for further consideration.
BILLS SCHEDULED FOR HEARING NEXT WEEK
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Wednesday, March 16, 2:00 p.m., Room 212, State Capitol
SB 2264 (Haine, D-Alton) allows resident pupils who are enrolled in nonpublic schools to participate in public school-sponsored athletic or extracurricular activities that are not selective with respect to who may participate.
SB 2440 (Bertino-Tarrant, D- Shorewood) allows for a principal endorsement to be affixed to a Professional Educator License if a person has, among other qualifications, at least four total years of experience teaching or four total years of experience working in the capacity of school support personnel.
SB 2840 (Silverstein, D-Chicago) requires a regional superintendent of schools to waive required fees for GED testing for an applicant who qualifies as a homeless person, child, or youth as defined in the Education for Homeless Children Act, has not attained 25 years of age as of the date of the scheduled test, and can verify his or her status as a homeless person, child, or youth.
SB 2908 (Stadelman, D-Rockford) provides that a registration fee does not need to be paid if the licensee is returning to work as a substitute teacher for less than 50 percent of full-time equivalency for any particular school year.
SB 2912 (Luechtefeld, R- Okawville) a Vision 20/20 initiative, comprehensive licensure reform that would bring flexibility to hiring teachers from out of state and create a new short-term substitute license.
SB 2975 (Cunningham, D-Chicago) provides that, subject to appropriation to the State Board of Education, there is created an agriculture education teacher grant program to fund personal service costs for agriculture education teachers in school districts.
SB 2990 (Bush, D- Grayslake) makes various changes concerning the purpose and applicability of Article 7, school district boundary changes.
SB 3078 (Bennett, D-Champaign) requires the State Board of Education to ( i) annually confer and reach agreement with the Illinois Community College Board, the Department of Employment Security, and the Illinois Career and Technical Administrators Association to identify industries and occupations within this state that face workforce shortages.
SB 3304 (Rose, R-Mahomet) provides that the Educator Licensure Article does not apply to a physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its branches teaching no more than one high school class per school year if the class has been approved by the State Board of Education.
SB 3315 (Bennett) creates the Advisory Committee on Workforce Shortages to conduct a thorough review of existing career and technical education programs in the state and to identify industries and occupations within the state that face workforce shortages.
SB 3319 (Lightford) provides that a student who is already licensed to teach and is enrolled in a course of study leading to an additional teaching endorsement or a master's degree in an academic field in which he or she is teaching or plans to teach may participate in the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship program.
SB 3367 (Barickman, R-Bloomington) allows Paxton-Buckley- Loda Community Unit School District 10 to issue bonds with an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $28,500,000 if the voters of the district approve a proposition.
SENATE REVENUE COMMITTEE
Wednesday, March 16, 5:00 p.m., Room 212, State Capitol
SB 3042 (Link, D-Gurnee) implements and extends the veterans with disabilities homestead exemption to a surviving spouse.
SB 3314 (Bennett) further defines eligible properties for a natural disaster homestead exemption.
SB 3337 (Harmon) changes the calculation for the senior citizens assessment freeze homestead exemption to the greater of ( i) the amount of the exemption calculated under the current statute or (ii) $2000.
SENATE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE
Wednesday, March 16, 6:00 p.m., Room 212, State Capitol
SB 2835 (Manar, D-Bunker Hill) requires vehicles to stop before meeting or overtaking, from either direction, any school bus stopped on a public school highway.
This legislative report was 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.
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Bill Text/Status: Illinois General Assembly www.ilga.gov
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