Delivered via email: May 2, 2025
This Week at the Capitol
The Senate returned to Springfield this week following its spring recess, while the House resumed session last week. Despite both chambers being in town, legislative activity remained quiet, with minimal substantive action.
The Senate Transportation Committee heard SB191 (Rep. Bob Morgan), which provides that, beginning July 1, 2031, each designated seating position in any newly purchased school bus shall be equipped with a combination pelvic and upper torso seat safety belt system (also known as a 3-point seat safety belt, Type 2 seat safety belt, or lap and shoulder restraint system) in good operating condition and meeting all applicable federal standards. This would only apply to newly purchased school buses. Leased, Multi-function School Activity Buses (MFSABs), and school-chartered buses will be excluded. The legislation was negotiated between IASB and the sponsor to minimize fiscal impact and allow adequate time to prepare.
The Senate Education Committee heard testimony on HB1861 (Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel) to address student residency for a limited group of students with extreme medical needs. This bill is limited in scope. HB3026 (Sen. Graciela Guzmán) requires the State Board of Education to adopt comprehensive guidance for school districts on starting new dual language education programs and expanding existing programs.
Activity is expected to increase next week. With the second chamber committee deadline approaching on May 9, both the House and Senate are anticipated to accelerate their work. As the General Assembly moves toward its scheduled adjournment on May 31, a surge of legislative activity is likely, with many bills poised to advance quickly through the process.
Bills with Extensions that Passed out of Committee in the First Chamber
SFA2 to SB405 (Sen. Adriane Johnson) makes a technical change to the services that school counseling services may provide. The legislation provides that school counseling services can work to address the needs of all students “without” (instead of “with”) regard to citizenship status. SFA2 passed out of the Senate Education Committee 9-5-0.
House Bills that have Passed Out of Senate Committee
SFA2 to SB405 (Sen. Adriane Johnson) is cleanup legislation to Public Act 103-0790, which dealt with Cook County township trustees of schools. SB405 clarifies that Public Act 103-0790 applies to all townships and school districts within Cook County. SFA2 passed out of the Senate Education Committee 9-5-0.
HB79 (Sen. Neil Anderson) allows a retired sheriff’s employee to return to work for up to 999 hours as a school security guard without affecting their pension benefits. HB79 passed out of the Senate Pensions Committee 7-0-0.
HB1189 (Sen. Chris Belt) amends the Prevailing Wage Act to broaden the definition of “public works.” The bill highlights specific projects that are now classified as public works. This may have a modest impact on school districts as it would require paying prevailing wage only if federal funds are used for the project. HB1189 passed out of the Senate Labor Committee 12-5-0.
HB1316 (Sen. Jil Tracy) requires school officials to notify the principal as soon as they become aware of someone in possession of a gun on school grounds or become aware of any threat of school violence on school grounds. HB1316 passed out of the Senate Executive Committee 11-0-0.
HB1366 (Sen. Willie Preston) requires school districts to provide a notice to parents or guardians of a student with an IEP that they may invite others to an IEP meeting. HB1366 passed out of the Senate Education Committee 13-0-0.
HB1368 (Sen. Mary Edly-Allen) ensures professional development activities align with evidence-based strategies as outlined in the state’s comprehensive literacy plan. HB1368 passed out of the Senate Education Committee 14-0-0.
HB1861 (Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel) addresses student residency for a limited group of students with extreme medical needs. This bill is limited in scope and has been worked on for the past year. The legislation seeks to resolve the current issue of who shall pay tuition for residential facilities if there is a dispute about a student’s resident district or the parent or guardian location is unknown. Children's Habilitation Center cares for the most severely disabled students, and it has happened where the parents move out of state and leave the student at the school. This would allow the school some remedy to help with paying for the students. HB1861 passed out of the Senate Education Committee 14-0-0.
HB2537 (Sen. Adriane Johnson) requires an IEP team to inform a parent or guardian and student with an IEP that the student's IEP services will be terminated after they graduate. HB2537 passed out of the Senate Education Committee 14-0-0.
HB2574 (Sen. Graciela Guzmán) requires, on or before July 1, 2025, ISBE to report specified information for each assessment contract it enters into related to costs and vendors. HB2574 passed out of the Senate Education Committee 14-0-0.
HB2966 (Sen. Julie Morrison) allows ISBE to give school districts grants for the purpose of incentivizing those districts to conduct reorganization feasibility studies. HB2966 passed out of the Senate Education Committee 14-0-0.
HB3000 (Sen. Doris Turner) requires grade 6-12 schools to provide suicide prevention information on school employee ID cards. HB3000 passed out of the Senate Education Committee 14-0-0.
HB3026 (Sen. Graciela Guzmán) requires the State Board of Education to adopt comprehensive guidance for school districts on starting new dual language education programs and expanding existing programs. HB3026 passed out of the Senate Education Committee 14-0-0.
HB3528 (Sen. Adriane Johnson) states that no higher education institution may require a student teaching program to be unpaid. HB3528 passed out of the Senate Higher Education Committee 11-0-0.
Senate Bills that have Passed Out of House Committee
SB1231 (Rep. Maura Hirschauer) increases from five to seven the minimum number of days a school district has to initiate a formal hearing to resolve disputes between a parent and a school regarding special education services. IASB supported this legislation. HB1231 passed the Education Policy Committee 12-0 -0.
SB1560 (Rep. Lindsey LaPointe) provides that, subject to appropriation, beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, ISBE shall provide a mental health screener for districts to offer annually to students enrolled in grades 3-12. Importantly, the legislation will not go into effect unless the state has successfully procured a screener and made it available to school districts at no cost. IASB supported this legislation. SB1560 passed the House Mental Health & Addiction Committee 15-4-0.
HA1 to SB1583 (Rep. Gregg Johnson) is a gut and replace amendment to the bill. This bill now exempts individuals seeking short-term approval for school support personnel from taking the content area knowledge test prior to approval. SB1583 passed the Elementary & Secondary Educ: Admin, Licensing, and Charter Schools Committee 7-0-0.
SB1584 (Rep. Laura Faver Dias) allows ISBE to create a short-term approval for licensures and endorsements which will expire and may not be renewed, unless the teacher has a serious health condition that inhibits them from obtaining a licensure or endorsement. SB1584 passed the Elementary & Secondary Educ: Admin, Licensing, and Charter Schools Committee 8-0-0.
SB2149 (Rep. Daniel Didech) excludes depreciation of assets paid for with federal or donated funds from the calculation of the Per Capita Tuition Charge (PCTC) used to determine tuition for children from orphanages and children’s homes. This change would apply only to North Chicago School District. IASB supported this legislation. SB2149 passed the House Appropriations: Elementary and Secondary Education Committee 6-0-0.
Resolution of Note
HR135 (Rep. Katie Stuart) – This resolution addresses a bill Rep. Stuart introduced last year that would mandate districts to provide a minimum amount of teacher planning time. Acknowledging that each local district’s situation is unique, Rep. Stuart introduced a resolution which urges (not requires) districts to provide adequate planning time, highlighting that because substitute teacher shortages, more teachers are having to give up their planning time. HR135 passed the Elementary & Secondary Educ: Admin, Licensing, and Charter Schools Committee 8-0-0.
Advocacy Opportunities
Advocacy Ambassadors
The next Advocacy Ambassador webinar will be held on Monday, June 9 from noon until 1 p.m. This is an opportunity for all registered Advocacy Ambassadors to get an in-depth look at the bills passed during the current legislative session and the budget implementation bill (BIMP), find out what bills might come back next session, and give members a chance to ask questions and provide feedback to the IASB Governmental Relations team. To become an Advocacy Ambassador member or to register for the webinar, please visit the IASB website.
COSSBA Federal Advocacy
In just a few days, on May 5, registration for the Consortium of State School Boards Associations (COSSBA) Federal Advocacy Conference will open. The 2025 conference takes place in Washington, D.C. September 7-9. This event will give you a chance to have your voice heard by learning better ways to advocate and provide an opportunity to speak with your representatives. There will be school board members from all over the country attending, allowing you to hear from other states about challenges they are facing. Early bird pricing is available until July 18, so don’t wait to sign up for this opportunity.