Delivered via email: February 27, 2026
Advocacy Day Agenda for March 24 in Springfield
8:30-9:30 a.m. | Check-in, networking, and breakfast at the BOS Center
9:30-11:45 a.m. | Discussions and Q &A Sessions - Legislator and education leader confirmations include:
12:30-3:30 p.m. | Meet with legislators and attend committee hearings at the Capitol
3:30-5 p.m. | Networking reception at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel
Additional Information
The Senate will return to Springfield the next two weeks with March 13 being the Senate deadline to vote substantive bills out of committees. The House however, adjourned until March 18, and will not be back until after the March 17 primary election with its deadline to get bills out of House committees set for March 27.
Chicago Bears Legislation
The primary focus of the week was the megaproject bill (HB910, Buckner), which would provide special considerations for construction projects of over $500 million, $250 million with 50 new, full-time jobs, or $100 million with 100 new, full-time jobs and would offer even further incentives for megaprojects over $2 billion. HB910 applies to any megaproject statewide but has commonly been referred to as the Chicago Bears Bill because of its potential impact on the team’s move to Arlington Heights.
A portion of the committee’s discussion centered on the composition and authority of the local review board that have the authority to approve the Incentive agreement, the use of a weighted voting structure for the local review board, and the potential impact on school districts and other taxing bodies. While only three school districts would be impacted by the Chicago Bears stadium, members noted that this legislation is not specific to that project and the General Assembly needs to ensure that this legislation would benefit all taxpayers and taxing bodies throughout Illinois given that these agreements could extend up to 40 years. Members also raised questions about how Incentive agreements could impact local school districts under the state’s Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula.
The bill passed out of committee on a 13–7 vote but was not called for a floor vote on Thursday. As a result, the soonest it could advance is March 18, when the House returns.
Cell Phone Legislation
This week, an amendment to the Wireless Communication Device Policy legislation (HA3 to SB2427, Mussman) was filed. An initiative of Governor Pritzker last session, SB2427 was heavily negotiated in the Senate and IASB was ultimately neutral on that agreed bill. However, the bill stalled in the House during the final days of session due to concerns over the potential disproportionate impact on students of color.
In his Budget Address, Governor Pritzker reaffirmed his commitment to passing this legislation this session. Two days later, the Governor held a press conference at a suburban high school to again advocate for his proposed cell phone legislation, specifically highlighting the negative impact of excess reliance on screens and social media and the need to ensure a healthy learning environment.
The most recent amendment contains significant changes from last year’s bill, including:
Requiring that districts adopt a “bell to bell” policy which would prohibit cellphones during the entire school day, including off-campus learning opportunities (the previous language only required a prohibition during “instructional time”). At the discretion of the school district, a high school district may allow cell phones during lunch period.
Senate Education
In an effort to ensure that IASB members can monitor all bills the Governmental Relations team is tracking, legislation has been broken down into ten different topics:
Boards of Education(Opens in a new window)
Insurance(Opens in a new window)
OMA and FOIA(Opens in a new window)
Personnel(Opens in a new window)
Regional Office of Education(Opens in a new window)
School Finance(Opens in a new window)
School Safety and Health(Opens in a new window)
State Board of Education(Opens in a new window)
Students(Opens in a new window)
Taxation
Last Chance to Register for IASB Advocacy Day – March 24
Registration for IASB Advocacy Day has been extended to Wednesday, March 4. We are excited to announce our confirmed speakers and some additional information to prepare you for this exciting day.Advocacy Day Agenda for March 24 in Springfield
8:30-9:30 a.m. | Check-in, networking, and breakfast at the BOS Center
9:30-11:45 a.m. | Discussions and Q &A Sessions - Legislator and education leader confirmations include:
- Deputy Governor for Education Martin Torres
- House Leader Jay Hoffman
- House Minority Leader Tony McCombie
- Senate Education Chair Senator Meg Loughran Cappel
- House Education Chair Representative Michelle Mussman
- Others to be confirmed
12:30-3:30 p.m. | Meet with legislators and attend committee hearings at the Capitol
3:30-5 p.m. | Networking reception at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel
Additional Information
- Prep Sessions — The first of our three prep sessions for Advocacy Day will start virtually on Friday, March 6, from noon until 1 p.m. Make sure you are registered for Advocacy Day to access all the information needed to make this a successful visit to Springfield. Once registered, an email invite to the webinar will be sent.
- Bus Option — For $25/person, a charter bus is leaving from the IASB Lombard office at 6:30 a.m. the morning of the event. Please complete the Bus Interest Form if you would like to take the bus or contact Alie Lomeli for more information.
- Hotel Option — The room block at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel closes on February 27.
This Week at the Capitol
Both the House and the Senate were in session this week with committee work beginning to pick up. In the Senate Education Committee, Chair Cappel announced that three subcommittees would be created: Mandates, Safety, and Special Issues. Given the dozens of bills containing mandates that have been filed already this year, this is a positive step forward on this issue. Subcommittee hearings will provide IASB with additional opportunities to highlight the impact of these mandates on students and the districts’ financial and administrative resources, as well as the work the newly created Mandates Reduction Council is currently doing to address the issue.The Senate will return to Springfield the next two weeks with March 13 being the Senate deadline to vote substantive bills out of committees. The House however, adjourned until March 18, and will not be back until after the March 17 primary election with its deadline to get bills out of House committees set for March 27.
Chicago Bears Legislation
The primary focus of the week was the megaproject bill (HB910, Buckner), which would provide special considerations for construction projects of over $500 million, $250 million with 50 new, full-time jobs, or $100 million with 100 new, full-time jobs and would offer even further incentives for megaprojects over $2 billion. HB910 applies to any megaproject statewide but has commonly been referred to as the Chicago Bears Bill because of its potential impact on the team’s move to Arlington Heights.
A portion of the committee’s discussion centered on the composition and authority of the local review board that have the authority to approve the Incentive agreement, the use of a weighted voting structure for the local review board, and the potential impact on school districts and other taxing bodies. While only three school districts would be impacted by the Chicago Bears stadium, members noted that this legislation is not specific to that project and the General Assembly needs to ensure that this legislation would benefit all taxpayers and taxing bodies throughout Illinois given that these agreements could extend up to 40 years. Members also raised questions about how Incentive agreements could impact local school districts under the state’s Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula.
The bill passed out of committee on a 13–7 vote but was not called for a floor vote on Thursday. As a result, the soonest it could advance is March 18, when the House returns.
Cell Phone Legislation
This week, an amendment to the Wireless Communication Device Policy legislation (HA3 to SB2427, Mussman) was filed. An initiative of Governor Pritzker last session, SB2427 was heavily negotiated in the Senate and IASB was ultimately neutral on that agreed bill. However, the bill stalled in the House during the final days of session due to concerns over the potential disproportionate impact on students of color.
In his Budget Address, Governor Pritzker reaffirmed his commitment to passing this legislation this session. Two days later, the Governor held a press conference at a suburban high school to again advocate for his proposed cell phone legislation, specifically highlighting the negative impact of excess reliance on screens and social media and the need to ensure a healthy learning environment.
The most recent amendment contains significant changes from last year’s bill, including:
Requiring that districts adopt a “bell to bell” policy which would prohibit cellphones during the entire school day, including off-campus learning opportunities (the previous language only required a prohibition during “instructional time”). At the discretion of the school district, a high school district may allow cell phones during lunch period.
- Clarifying that a district cannot enforce the policy through suspensions, expulsions, or the deployment of a school resource officer or local law enforcement officer.
- Requiring the cell phone policy to be distributed annually to all parents, guardians, and school personnel.
- Allowing existing cell phone policies to remain in place until the 2030-2031 school year, so long as the current policy limits wireless devices during a majority of or the entirety of the school day.
Bills That Passed Out of Committee
The following bills impact K-12 education and passed out of legislative committees this week. For bills that are “Held on Second,” that means that the sponsor has committed to continuing to work on the legislation and will bring it back to committee with an amendment.Senate Education
- TRS Extension of 120 workdays for retirees (SB2953, Halpin)
- Head Start participation on Early Learning Council (SB2984, Collins) - Held on Second
- Early Childhood (SB3320, Collins)
- Homeless Child Extended Motel Stay (HB4137, Mussman)
- High School Course Credit for Middle Schoolers (HB4239, Yang Rohr)
- Asthma Medication Availability (HB4247, Mayfield) - Held on Second
- Extend Interfund Transfers (HB4375, Hoffman) - IASB supported
- E-Learning Day on Election Day (HB4535, Hirschauer) - IASB supported
- Trauma-Informed Instruction (HB4536, Mussman)
- Define Play-Based Learning (HB4577, Faver Dias)
- Dissemination of Special Ed Transition Plans (HB4581, Mussman)
- Additional Exemptions to 6% TRS caps (HB2654, Vella) - IASB supported
- Property Tax Sale/Energy Community Reinvestment Act (HB598, Tarver)
- Assessment Records Availability (HB1818, Tarver)
- “Megaproject”/Chicago Bears (HB910, Buckner)
Advocacy Ambassador Program
The Government Relations Team has started to share timely video updates from Springfield and Washington, D.C. via our Advocacy Ambassador Online Community. Join IASB Advocacy Ambassadors to gain access to monthly webinars on the third Friday of each month, along with new resources to stay up to date with what is happening during legislative sessions. The next meeting is scheduled for March 20 at noon.Legislative Tracking List
The IASB Governmental Relations team tracks all legislation that may impact K-12 public education and makes regular updates to that list. As a reminder, although a bill may be filed, many factors influence whether it makes its way through the legislative process. Some of those factors include whether the bill gets assigned by leadership to a committee, the extent of any opposition, and the priorities of the sponsor.In an effort to ensure that IASB members can monitor all bills the Governmental Relations team is tracking, legislation has been broken down into ten different topics:
Boards of Education(Opens in a new window)
Insurance(Opens in a new window)
OMA and FOIA(Opens in a new window)
Personnel(Opens in a new window)
Regional Office of Education(Opens in a new window)
School Finance(Opens in a new window)
School Safety and Health(Opens in a new window)
State Board of Education(Opens in a new window)
Students(Opens in a new window)
Taxation