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IASB Legislative Report 104-25

Delivered via email: March 6
 

This Week at the Capitol

Only the Illinois Senate was in session this past week. Senators moved several bills through committee in anticipation of next week’s March 13 deadline. With the committee deadline approaching, negotiations on key legislation have intensified as lawmakers work to advance their bills before that date. There are ways for bills to proceed after the deadline, including through bill extensions, shell bills, and amending language to bills that have passed out of committee. However, this deadline is important because it signals which bills will advance this session and allows the Governmental Relations Team to focus on certain bills.
 
Next week, once again, only the Senate will be in session. The House is off until after the March 17 primary, with its committee deadline set for March 27.
 

5 Issues to Watch

With committee activity picking up, IASB wants to focus on a few impactful pieces of legislation that we continue to negotiate and may be introduced in committee in the coming weeks.
  • Unemployment Insurance for ESPs – These bills (HB4416, Evans) (SB3286, Villivalam) would allow educational support personnel (ESPs) to collect unemployment benefits during the summer and other school breaks. The IASB Governmental Relations staff met with the bill’s sponsor to emphasize the significant fiscal impact this bill would have on districts. This is an unfunded mandate. IASB is working with other school management organizations to share the fiscal impact of this issue with members and legislators. A fact sheet is available on this issue. Additionally, more information will be provided next week on how to determine the potential impact to your district.
  • Cell Phone Policy (HA3 to SB2427, Mussman) – A key initiative of Governor Pritzker, an amendment to this bill was filed last week which includes a requirement that districts establish a policy that prohibits cell phones for the entire school day, with the exception of lunch time for high school students only. IASB continues to have implementation concerns and is working with the Governor’s office, sponsor, and other stakeholders.
  • Notice to Remedy – This bill (SB2914, Cappel) was first introduced last year and makes changes to the Notice to Remedy Process. A Notice to Remedy is a formal written warning stating the causes that, if not removed, may result in charges and is issued prior the dismissal of a tenured teacher for remedial causes. Concerns with the bill include the requirement to remove the Notice to Remedy after four years and allowing the Notice of Remedy to be grieved. IASB is working with the sponsor and stakeholders to address these issues.
  • Food Service Contracts (HB5417, Mussman) (SB3503, Porfirio) – These bills would make all districts subject to the requirements of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) even those that do not participate in NSLP. The bill would also put additional requirements on the bid review process for both NSLP and non-NSLP contracts. IASB has concerns with the additional requirements. Additionally, recent changes were made to this Act just a few years ago through the Better School Lunches Act, which allows schools to choose higher quality products to ensure healthier lunches. It is important that districts maintain that flexibility. IASB is working with the sponsors to address those concerns.
  • 504 Plans (HB4068, Crawford) (HB5488, Faver Dias) – Two bills have been introduced in the House this session that make significant changes to school district responsibilities related to students’ Section 504 plans. Both bills add additional restrictions and create new processes for these plans. The first bill, HB4068, puts a 14-day time limit on school districts to evaluate the initial Section 504 request and, in some instances, requires the creation of an interim Section 504 plan. HB5488 creates a new Section 504 due process hearing at the district level and would require the school district to appoint a hearing officer to conduct these hearings. IASB is concerned with the administrative, fiscal, and legal impact of these new requirements on districts.

Bills That Passed Out of Committee

The following bills impact K-12 education and were passed out of legislative committees this week.
 
Senate Education Committee
Service Animal Training (SB2761, D. Turner)
Teacher Advisory Committee (SB2918, Preston)
Undesignated Glucagon (SB3051, Morrison)
Ag Education Program Report (SB3226, D. Turner)
Direct Support Professional Pilot Program (SB3255, Murphy)
Educator Prep Program (SB3331, Bryant)
Religious Hairstyles (SB3361, Simmons)
Day Care Criminal Background Checks (SB3641, Morrison)
Administratively Withdrawn for Truancy (SB3774, Belt)
License Endorsement (SB3913, Koehler)
 

Advocacy Ambassador Program

Advocacy Ambassadors have received a first look and provided feedback on videos that the IASB team will be testing this session. If you have not already, join the Advocacy Ambassadors to receive timely legislative updates and new resources to support your advocacy efforts. The next meeting will be on March 20 and will include legislative updates and final logistics for those joining us for the IASB Advocacy Day in Springfield.
 

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
Insurance
OMA and FOIA
Personnel
Regional Office of Education
School Finance
School Safety and Health
State Board of Education
Students
Taxation