Delivered via email: March 20, 2026
This Week at the Capitol
Representatives returned to the Capitol after spending the previous two weeks in their districts preparing for the primary election. Now that the election has concluded, lawmakers are shifting their focus back to Springfield. Representatives moved several bills through committee with next week’s March 27 deadline looming. With that 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, both the House and the Senate will return on March 24. Almost 75 IASB school board members will be there as well participating in IASB’s Advocacy Day.
State Primary Election Recap
On March 17, Illinois held its primary election. A few important races from around Illinois include:
Governor’s Race
For a second consecutive gubernatorial primary election, former Republican Senator Darren Bailey received over 53% of the primary vote for the Republican party and will be facing Democratic nominee JB Pritzker. He beat challengers, including Ted Dabrowski, Rick Heidner, and James Mendrick.
Democratic Primary for Comptroller
Governor JB Pritzker-backed candidate State Representative Margaret Croke, defeated State Senator Villa. Although the vote was close and not immediately called, the contest was officially called by the Associated Press on March 19.
House of Representatives
94th District: Josh Higgins defeated Representative Norrine Hammond in the 94th District Republican primary. Representative Hammond was the second-ranking Republican in the House and has been serving in this position for 14 years. Higgins has already said he will join the Illinois Freedom Caucus and this could potentially shift House leadership in the 105th General Assembly.
40th District: In Chicago, State Representative Jaime Andrade lost to Miguel Alvelo-Rivera. Representative Andrade was first appointed in 2013. Alvelo-Rivera was supported by the Chicago Teachers Union and several progressive groups.
4 Issues to Watch
With committee activity picking up, IASB will focus on a few impactful pieces of legislation, including:
- Unemployment Insurance for ESPs – HB4416, sponsored by Assistant Leader Marcus Evans, would allow educational support personnel (ESPs) to collect unemployment benefits during summer and other scheduled breaks, creating one of the most significant unfunded mandates proposed this session. This bill has been posted to the House Labor Committee, but it is still unclear whether it will be called next week. IASB and other school management organizations are working to determine the potential costs for school districts. To support these efforts, school business officials and superintendents received a brief survey from the Illinois Association of School Business Officials (Illinois ASBO) and the Illinois Association of School Administrators (IASA). The survey requests some employment and financial data needed to estimate the potential annual cost to local districts. IASB encourages each district to complete the survey to help determine the potential financial impact statewide.
- Cell Phone Policy – After over a year of negotiations, House Amendment 4 to SB2427, sponsored by Representative Mussman and Senator Castro, was filed this week and represents an agreement between all stakeholders. The amendment will require districts to establish a policy that prohibits wireless devices for the entire school day, while allowing districts to provide limited exceptions. One of those exceptions includes allowing high school students to use their wireless device during lunch and passing periods. The policy may also allow students to use a wireless device for educational purposes and emergencies. The adopted policies must allow cell phones to be use for health-related reasons, to fulfill an individualized education plan or Section 504 plan, English learners, and situations where a student is a full-time caregiver. The agreement also allows flexibility for districts to determine how to store devices.
- Adult Changing Station – (HB4379, Briel) This bill would require each school to install at least one adult changing station. The estimated cost is roughly $10,000 per changing station. The IASB Governmental Relations team has met with the sponsor on numerous occasions to express our opposition. The Governmental Relations team and other management groups will meet with the sponsor to discuss excluding school districts from this requirement before it moves to the floor.
- Property Tax Relief Grants – (HB9, Ugaste) (HB5611 and HB5612 Weaver) There are a number of proposals for various property tax relief grants for school districts. They are unlikely to move this session, given that the current and proposed budget have each paused the $50 million Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) property tax relief grant. IASB is working with legislative staff to determine whether these proposals are intended to replace the property tax relief grants currently included, but paused, in the EBF formula or are being proposed as an additional programs.
Bills That Passed Out of Committee
The following bills impact K-12 education and were passed out of legislative committees this week.
Appropriations-Elementary & Secondary Education Committee
House Education Policy Committee
- Language Assessment (HB1783, Mussman)
- Private/Vocational School (HB4264, Hoffman)
- IASB Opposed - Twice Exceptional Student (HB4582, Mussman)
- Agricultural Education Program Report (HB5207, Gill)
- School Code Various Funding (HB5551, Mussman)
- ISBE Clean-up (HB5552, Mussman)
House Human Services Committee
- IASB Opposed - Adult Changing Stations (HB4379, Briel)
House Education Elementary and Secondary Committee
- 504 Timelines (HB4068, Crawford)
- Asthma Medication (HB4247, Mayfield)
- ASL License Endorsement (HB4423, Chung)
- Fingerprint Background Check - Officials (HB4553, Mason)
- Unused Food Sharing (HB4859, Yang Rohr)
- Teacher Salary - Continued Education (HB5321, Stuart)
Advocacy Day in Springfield
Thank you to the board members who have signed up for IASB Advocacy Day on March 24. Your participation ensures a strong presence at the Capitol. IASB is looking forward to a full day of hearing from influential policy makers, meeting with legislators, and watching committees and floor action. If you were unable to join this year, we hope to see even more of you next year.
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.
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)