Distributed via Email: April 24, 2008

LEGISLATURE RETURNS NEXT WEEK

The Illinois General Assembly returns to Springfield next week after taking this week off. According to the schedule, the legislature is now supposed to be in session each week until adjournment on May 29. Of course, we all remember how well the legislature adhered to their deadlines last year.

The official deadline has passed for House bills to be considered by the House and Senate bills to be considered by the Senate. Bills still alive are now supposed to be considered by the opposite chamber. However, the House has extended the deadline for most all House bills; the Senate has been a bit more judicious in extending deadlines for only certain Senate bills. In short, the last deadline was largely meaningless and most all bills are still considered to be "alive".

PROPERTY TAX TASK FORCE

The Property Tax Reform and Relief Task Force was established by Public Act 95-644 to "conduct a study of the property tax system in Illinois and investigate methods of reducing the reliance on property taxes and alternative methods of funding." The nine member Task Force is comprised of three members appointed by the President of the Senate, Sen. Terry Link (D), who is serving as chairman, Cook County Assessor James Houlihan and Roger Goodman of Carlinville; two members appointed by the Speaker of the House, Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie and Tom Johnson, President of the Taxpayers' Federation of Illinois; two members appointed by the Senate Republican Leader, Sen. Christine Radogno (R) and Rae Payne of the Illinois Agricultural Association; and two members appointed by the House Republican Leader, Martin Paulson, Chief County Assessment Official for Lake County, and Aurora Attorney Stuart Whitt. The Alliance requested Mr. Whitt's appointment due to his 30 years of representing school districts throughout Illinois in property tax matters. The Task Force has begun meeting in Springfield. Its findings and any recommendations are due to the General Assembly by January 1, 2010.

COMMITTEES SCHEDULED FOR NEXT WEEK

HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS – ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Tuesday, April 29, 4:00 p.m., Room 114, State Capitol

*Subject Matter: ISBE FY '09 budget request. Testimony will be taken from education advocates.

SENATE PENSIONS & INVESTMENTS COMMITTEE
Tuesday, April 29, 4:00 p.m., Room 400, State Capitol

HB 4536 (Flider, D-Mt. Zion), regarding the expiration date on the provisions in the pension code allowing retired teachers to return to teaching in subject shortage areas without impairing their retirement status or retirement annuity, moves this "sunset date" back to June 30, 2013.

HB 5699 (Schoenberg, D-Evanston) allows a teacher receiving a disability, occupational disability, or disability retirement benefit to engage in limited or part-time employment as a teacher for either a TRS employer or an SURS employer without loss of benefits.

HOUSE ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMITTEE
Wednesday, April 30, 10:00 a.m., Room 114, State Capitol

HB 3139 (Hassert, R-Romeoville) has an amendment filed to require school districts to include a unit of instruction on internet safety.

HR 1093 (Soto, D-Chicago) urges the ISBE to request a one-year extension from the U.S. Department of Education so that the Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English (IMAGE) Test may be administered in 2008, and urges the U.S. Department of Education to grant the extension.

HJR 98 (Pihos, R-Glen Ellyn) encourages the U.S. Department of Education to approve the request made by the ISBE in its letter dated January 8, 2008 with respect to the Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English (IMAGE) reading test.

HJR 106 (Golar, D-Chicago) creates the Probationary School Oversight Committee to work with principals and staff to develop stringent guidelines to address school performance.

HJR 129 (Colvin, D-Chicago) creates the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Go-to-High-School, Go-to-College Task Force to study the causes and effects of the high rate of high school dropouts and the low college retention rates among African-American males.

*This committee is also scheduled to meet at 9:00 a.m. Thursday, May 1.

The 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.

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