Distributed via Email: October 23, 2009

LEGISLATURE SET TO WRAP UP VETO SESSION

The Illinois General Assembly will return to the Capitol next week for the final scheduled legislative days of the year. Members will meet next Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to wrap up the fall Veto Session. No serious budget talk is expected next week as legislative leaders and Governor Pat Quinn announced previously that no push would be made this month to find new revenues for the current fiscal year.

The most significant action from last week’s legislative session was the passage of an appropriation bill to fully fund the Monetary Assistance Program (MAP grants) for college students. The Governor signed the bill into law last Sunday. It is now Public Act 96-0792.

Governor Quinn officially announced Thursday, in a statewide fly-around, that he is running for election as Governor next year. Quinn, of course, was appointed Governor in January after former Governor Rod Blagojevich was impeached and removed from office.

COMMITTEES SCHEDULED FOR NEXT WEEK

SB 2188 (Clayborne, D-E. St. Louis) states that if a taxing body cannot issue bonds because of a court action, this delay does not count against the time limits for bond issuance set forth in the law.

HOUSE ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMITTEE

SB 277 (Demuzio, D-Carlinville) currently contains provisions regarding community college electronic bidding. This could be amended with language containing the "military compact" provisions (see the summary here)

SB 315 (Holmes, D-Aurora) currently is a "shell bill" amending the section of the School Code regarding Charter Schools. It is reportedly postured to be used for the provisions contained in HB 363 if HB 363 is defeated on its veto override motion.

HOUSE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

SB 616 (Koehler, D-Peoria) makes changes regarding school construction funds received through a Public Building Commission.

HOUSE REVENUE & FINANCE COMMITTEE

HB 4613 (Sullivan, R-Mundelein) provides that, in Lake, DuPage, McHenry, and Kane Counties, the chairman of the county board may appoint qualified residents of directly adjacent counties to serve on the board of review if the board of review is expanded for emergency purposes.

SB 595 (Koehler) extends the Tax Increment Financing District in the Village of Bellevue to 35 years.

SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE

House Joint Resolution 77 (Smith, D-Canton) will deny the following mandate waiver requests: the Lake Park CHSD 108 request regarding content of evaluation plans; the Hononegah CHSD 207 request regarding content of evaluation plans; and the Wheaton CUSD 200 request regarding behind-the-wheel drivers’ education.

HOUSE ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMITTEE

Subject Matter: "Race to the Top"

VETOED BILLS UP FOR CONSIDERATION

The Senate voted to override the Governor’s veto on the following bills. The House of Representatives will now consider the measures.

SB 1391 (Clayborne) allows school districts to hire marital and family therapists if they meet the certification standards contained in rules adopted by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

SB 1882 (Cronin, R-Elmhurst) establishes a task force to explore and examine all duties of the Illinois State Board of Education and regional offices of education in order to determine which duties and responsibilities a regional office of education could more appropriately and efficiently deliver to school districts.

The House voted to override the Governor’s veto on the following bills. The Senate will now consider the measures.

HB 363 (Soto, D-Chicago) establishes a Chicago Educational Facilities Task Force in order to ensure that school facility related decisions are made with the input of the community and reflect educationally sound and fiscally responsible criteria.

HB 557 (Chapa La Via, D-Aurora) places elementary and secondary education facilities under the Interference with a Public Institution of Higher Education Act. A person commits interference with a public institution of education by denying school personnel or visitors freedom of movement at the institution or by interfering in other ways.

HB 547 (Pihos, R-Glen Ellyn) creates the Identity Protection Act and prohibits – with certain exceptions – local government agencies (including school districts) from publicly displaying or printing an individual’s social security number. The bill also requires each local governmental agency to draft and approve an identity-protection policy within 12 months.

HB 2445 (Chapa La Via) makes changes concerning Illinois Education Labor Relations Board attorneys and investigators, choice of employee organization, unit clarification petitions, and arbitration procedures.

HB 2547 (Fritchey, D-Chicago) provides that, with respect to a non-sectarian school, the exercise of free speech shall not be a civil rights violation and the jurisdiction of the Department of Human Rights is limited. The limitations include: the failure to enroll an individual; the denial of access to facilities, goods, or services; harassment, bullying, or similar acts against an individual; or the failure of a covered entity to take corrective action to stop harassment.

The House voted to accept the Governor’s amendatory veto on the following bills. The Senate will now consider the measures.

HB 613 (Eddy, R-Hutsonville), in provisions requiring contracts to be awarded by competitive bid, provides that the acceptance of bids sealed by a bidder and the opening of these bids at a public bid opening may be permitted by an electronic process for communicating, accepting, and opening competitive bids.

HB 725 (Watson, R-Jacksonville) encourages school boards to implement American Sign Language (ASL) courses into school foreign language curriculum.

OTHER LEGISLATION FOR CONSIDERATION

The following bills will likely be considered in the Senate this week:

SB 227 (Dahl, R-Granville) extends to 35 years the Tax Increment Financing districts for Mendota, Cahokia, and Belleville.

SB 1371 (Crotty, D-Oak Forest) makes clarifications to the law that requires school districts and other entities to have access to Automated External Defibrillators (AED) at all outdoor physical fitness facilities. It more clearly states that school districts only must provide the AED and trained AED user at outside athletic facilities if the activity is directly supervised by an employee (not maintenance or security personnel) of the school district and specifically exempts any activity or program that is organized by a private or not-for-profit organization and supervised by a person who is not employed by the school district.

The House could consider the following bills:

SB 226 (Martinez, D-Chicago) provides that the State Board of Education (instead of the school board of the affected district) shall handle all matters related to detachment, annexation, division, dissolution, or any combination of those methods if the regional board of school trustees is abolished and the trustees of school of the township in which the school district resides does not exist. If the House approves the bill, it would go back to the Senate where a simple concurrence motion would send the bill to the Governor.

HB 806 (Fortner, R-West Chicago), based upon an assessment of a child's readiness, allows children 6 years of age due to be 7 years by December 31, who have attended a state-certified, private preschool through kindergarten to be enrolled in the first grade. An amendment was added to allow the Department of Human Services to operate a "Gateways to Opportunity" program, a comprehensive professional development system the goal of which is to support a diverse, stable, and quality workforce for settings serving children and youth.

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 Illinois Statewide School Management Alliance.

General Assembly Bill Text/Status

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