* WAND…

State senators unanimously passed legislation Thursday to ensure people in the Illinois Department of Corrections are not charged unreasonable fees for sending mail.

Sponsors said it’s important that families stay connected with their loved ones, and the state should not make that process harder.

The bill ensures committed people and their correspondents are not charged any fee for mail and scanning services exceeding the standard postage rate […]

IDOC will be banned from generating revenue from communication between families and loved ones. This plan could also require annual reporting on rates paid for mail and how the department spends the money.

House Bill 4235 now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk for final approval.

* WGLT…

Illinois lawmakers want to expand due process rights for teachers when they face an accusation of misconduct, but there are concerns this could erase documented patterns of abuse.

The bill, which passed in the Illinois Senate last month and which passed the Illinois House on Thursday, would allow teachers to challenge what’s called a notice of remedy [a warning to fix a behavior that goes against school policy] by going to arbitration to potentially overturn the warning.

Once an administrator writes such a warning, according to the bill, it goes to the school board for a final decision. Teachers who wish to contest the warning can either write to the school board or go before the board ahead of its final vote.

Teachers then have 10 days to start the arbitration process, if the board upholds the warning. […]

Teachers currently do not have any way to challenge a warning from school administration.

* Rep. Nicole La Ha…

State Representative Nicole La Ha (R-Homer Glen) and State Senator Don DeWitte (R-St. Charles) are honored to announce the passage of Senate Bill 3016 through the Illinois House this week. For Rep. La Ha, this was far more than a legislative victory. The bill is deeply rooted in the experiences that first inspired her to step into public service.

“As a mother, this moment is incredibly emotional for me,” said Rep. La Ha. “Long before I ever held public office, I was simply a mom trying to navigate a world that was not always built with children like my daughter in mind. The challenges our family faced opened my eyes to how many families feel overlooked, isolated, or left out of spaces that should welcome everyone. That journey changed my life and ultimately led me to public service.”

SB3016 encourages communities across Illinois to prioritize accessibility and universal design in park and recreation projects, helping create spaces where children, families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities can fully participate together.

Sen. DeWitte carried the legislation in the Senate. “It was a privilege to carry SB 3016, a bill that will make a meaningful difference for children of all ability levels,” he said. “This legislation was born from Representative La Ha’s vision and personal passion for ensuring every child has access to safe, inclusive play opportunities. I was proud to help lead her effort in the Senate and support a measure that will bring more joy, dignity, and accessibility to families across Illinois.”

Rep. La Ha’s advocacy has always been personal. Her daughter, Ashlynn, lives with cerebral palsy, and that experience reshaped how La Ha viewed accessibility, mobility, and inclusion in everyday life. She experienced firsthand the struggles of inaccessible playgrounds, public spaces that created barriers, and the emotional weight families carry when their children cannot fully participate alongside others.

Instead of remaining silent, Rep. La Ha turned that pain into purpose. In 2021, while serving on the Homer Glen Board of Trustees, she became a founding committee member and the first chairperson of Homer Glen’s Ability Awareness Committee, the community’s first recommending body dedicated to advocating for residents with disabilities and improving quality of life for individuals of all abilities.

* The Illinois Education Association…

The Illinois Education Association’s legislation on Notice to Remedy, Senate Bill 2914, today passed out of the Illinois House of Representatives. It passed the Illinois Senate in April, and both chambers passed the bill with veto-proof majorities. It now awaits Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature to become law.

The following statement is attributable to IEA President Karl Goeke:

“The bill came about through a direct request from our membership, and is a huge win for educators all over Illinois. As soon as this bill becomes law, teachers and school staff who are wrongfully accused, will no longer have to worry about false accusations following them throughout their careers. Our school workers will now be ensured a fair, due process when accused of any wrongdoing. We are so grateful to the bill’s sponsors, Sen. Meg Loughran Cappell and Rep. Anna Moeller, who have been working with us on this legislation for years. We are looking forward to Gov. JB Pritzker signing this bill into law.”

For more information and background on the bill, click here.

* WCIA…

A bill protecting editorial independence for public media at state universities is on its way to the governor’s desk after passing Senate this week.

State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) has advanced this legislation which aims aim strengthening press protections for public media produced at state-supported colleges and universities across Illinois. […]

Specifically, House Bill 4420 would modify the College Campus Press Act to define public media produced at a state-supported institution of “higher learning.”

This measure states that public media at these institutions would not be subject to prior review by the university’s public officials, and expression by employees or agents producing the media would not be considered speech attributable to the institution itself.

* Rep. Margaret DeLaRosa…

Fighting to restore affordability for Illinois households, state Rep. Margaret DeLaRosa, D-Lombard, is advancing a series of bills to the governor’s desk cutting costs on everyday purchases and utilities, banning gimmicks that raise prices, and requiring businesses to fairly compensate consumers. […]

While federal policies and international instability are making everything more expensive, DeLaRosa is taking charge of what Illinois can control, and championing policy to provide some immediate relief.

DeLaRosa worked to pass the following cost-cutting measures:

- House Bill 45: Expands access to savings by requiring retailers to honor all advertised sales or coupons, even if customers cannot access an app or operate digital coupons.
- House Bill 228: Cracks down on junk fees and hidden costs by requiring businesses to disclose all mandatory fees and charges added on top of an advertised purchase price.
- House Bill 4044: Strengthening consumer rights by banning no-return policies that limit customers to store credit for unused, unopened items for most purchases.
- House Bill 4514: Allowing residents to voice opposition to general rate increases by requiring public utility companies fully inform residents of their rights prior to a rate proposal.

All four measures successfully advanced through House and Senate chambers. They await governor consideration before being signed into law.

* Rep. Diane Blair-Sherlock…

State Rep. Diane Blair-Sherlock, D-Villa Park, introduced, sponsored and passed a bill ensuring overpayments made to a government entity are included in the Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act (RUUPA), increasing government transparency and accountability. […]

RUUPA was established in the 1960s, allowing Illinoisans access to unclaimed property. Under the current law, “property” includes checks, credit balances, bonds and even customer overpayments. Overpayments made to government entities, however, are not explicitly defined as “property” that can be claimed. House Bill 4541 ensures that overpayments to government entities are subject to RUUPA and that monetary returns can and will be made available to the payer, where necessary.

“Affordability is a major issue across our state and across the country. People are struggling to make ends meet. No one can afford to pay any more than is absolutely necessary. Overpayments happen; mistakes happen. But if those mistakes can be reversed, they should be. And that’s what I’m trying to do with this bill. Your money is just that: yours. It belongs in your pocket,” said Blair-Sherlock.

House Bill 4541 passed both the House and the Senate, and now heads to the governor’s desk.

* WCIA…

A bill which would require some drivers in Illinois to install speed-limiting technology in their vehicles is heading to Governor JB Pritzker’s desk.

House Bill 4948 would establish the Intelligent Speed Assistance Program, providing an alternative to high-risk speeders and reckless drivers who are facing a license suspension. Convicted drivers would install a device that automatically limits a vehicle’s speed, based on the posted speed limit. […]

The device could use integrated location-based technology, digital mapping data or camera-based sign recognition to determine the speed limit. The Illinois Secretary of State would establish and administer the program, while also supervising device installation and compliance.

Under the legislation, someone convicted of high-speed or reckless driving would have the option to enroll in the program for six months to one year. Participants would pay $30 a month for the program; that money would go into the Intelligent Speed Assistance Permit Fee Fund, the bill says.

For more press releases on legislation and other matters, click here.

* More…

* Press release | Koehler measure to strengthen nursing home mental health reviews advances: House Bill 4509 would require the Illinois Department of Human Services or a designee to visit any individual admitted to a nursing home with a diagnosis of serious mental illness within 60 days of admission. It would also require a resident review within 72 hours when a resident with serious mental illness experiences a significant change in their physical or mental health. The legislation would also require IDHS to ensure there are no conflicts of interest among the employees administering pre-admission screenings. The goal is to give families the confidence that the residents are being evaluated fairly and appropriately.

* Press release | Ellman bill aims to reduce food waste, expand student access to meals: Under current law, school districts participating in federal child nutrition programs must develop food-sharing plans as part of their local wellness policies. House Bill 4859 would clarify that share tables, already used in many schools, can fulfill this requirement, ensuring safe, equitable and efficient redistribution of unopened food items in accordance with guidance from the United States Department of Agriculture. Share tables are designated areas where students can place unopened, uneaten food items for others to take at no cost.

* WAND | Bill requiring businesses to pay employees during jury duty sent to Pritzker’s desk: The bill would require businesses with more than 25 workers to pay their employees the regular pay rate during jury duty. Sponsors said this is an attempt to address the financial disincentives that exist for potential jurors to serve. Federal courts pay jurors $50 per day, but county courts provide a minimal rate for civic duty.

* TSPR | A Naperville student is leading legislation to close CPR gender gaps: The bill was filed in February and assigned to the Education Policy committee. They quickly got feedback from the Illinois Principals Association that it needed amendments. “We pushed back the start date to a year later to give school some more time, and then we removed the ratio of male to female manikins, and we’re just saying you have to have at least one,” said Goldstein. It made the plan cheaper for school districts who’d have to buy additional manikins, or chest covers they can put on the male manikins they already have.

* WAND | IL Senate passes bill increasing fine for drivers ignoring school bus safety arms: Although the school year is ending, safety around school buses is the focus of a proposal heading to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk. The Illinois Senate unanimously passed a bill on Wednesday to increase fines for people driving around school buses using the extended stop arm. Drivers stopped by police for ignoring the safety arms are currently fined a minimum of $300 and have their driver’s license suspended for six months. Illinois school districts can also choose to install stop arm safety technology, but the fine for drivers is capped at $150.

* Press release | Cervantes measure to change developmental disability centers’ administrator qualifications: In order to be an administrator, someone must have a license under the Nursing Home Administrators Licensing and Disciplinary Act, be qualified as an intellectual disabilities professional, completed four semesters of higher education with two years of management experience, or have two years of experience in a position with progressive health care responsibility. However, they would also need to be at least 21 years old. House Bill 4112 passed the Senate Thursday and now heads to the governor’s desk for further consideration.