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A pair of competing bills in the House would, for the first time in Illinois, offer state-funded stipends for student teachers. […]
Both bills call for paying stipends of $10,000 for a semester, the rough equivalent of $15 per-hour for 40 hours per week – even though most student teachers say they work much more than that. Assuming an average of 5,400 student teachers per year, that would work out to $54 million in state funding needed to support the program.
The major difference between the two bills is how the program would work in years when lawmakers don’t fully fund the program.
House Bill 4652, by Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, does not account for underfunding the program. An initiative of the Illinois Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, it assumes lawmakers would fully fund the stipends each year. […]
House Bill 5414, an initiative of the advocacy group Advance Illinois, calls for paying the same $10,000 stipend to student teachers, plus another $1,500 to cooperating teachers, raising its total price tag to an estimated $67 million per year. But in years of underfunding, it would prioritize recipients on the basis of financial need, then focus on hard-to-fill subjects and areas of the state with the highest teacher vacancy rates.
* WICS…
Senate Bill 3203 limits the cost an individual with health insurance pays for an inhaler to $25 for a 30-day supply.
Under [Sen. Mattie Hunter’s] proposal, health insurance providers would be prohibited from denying or limiting coverage for prescription inhalers beginning Jan. 1, 2026. […]
Despite insurance coverage, many individuals still face out-of-pocket expenses ranging from $180 to $300 per month for inhalers. This legislation aims to alleviate this financial burden on asthma patients.
Senate Bill 3203 passed the Senate Insurance Committee on Wednesday.
* WCIA…
“The AI-generated material is often indistinguishable from reality, where maybe several years ago, if you saw a video or saw an image that was meant to portray a candidate, you can kind of tell most people would be able to say, ‘I know that’s fake, or that’s photoshopped,’” State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, (D-Bridgeview) said. […]
Rashid is pushing for a bill to stop people from distributing or working with someone else to knowingly distribute deceptive political media, including the intent to harm a candidate’s electoral chances and to influence voting behavior. […]
The bill does carve out an exception for political media that includes a disclaimer informing people that the content was manipulated with the help of technology, or by disclosing what was said or what occurred in the content didn’t actually happen. […]
If the bill becomes law, anyone who violates it could be charged with a Class C misdemeanor. If someone violates it again, it would be considered a Class 3 felony.
* H/T Chicago Bars…
As a tool to help revitalize commercial corridors across the state, Buckner is pushing for the creation of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs). Similar to Special Service Areas, which exist in Chicago, BIDs impose a specific local tax on property owners in commercial corridors.
This tax revenue is invested in the area through efforts usually overseen by chambers of commerce, such as business retention, beautification efforts and security.
“SSAs work, but in certain areas like the Mag Mile, which I represent, and State Street Corridor, there really is a need for more targeted investment and resources in these spaces to allow businesses to grow, thrive and flourish,” Buckner said.
Initially filed last February by Rep. Robyn Gabel (D-18th), Buckner became the chief sponsor of HB 3303 the following month. The bill is awaiting committee assignment in the General Assembly.
State Senator Rachel Ventura held a press conference on Thursday, joined by mental health advocates and professionals, to advocate for the legalization of psilocybin, commonly known as ” magic mushrooms.” […]
Senate Bill 3695, named the CURE ACT (Compassionate Use and Research of Entheogens Act), targets treatment-resistant conditions such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, substance abuse, eating disorders, and other mental health ailments. Additionally, it aims to facilitate research into the safety and efficacy of psilocybin through medicinal, psychological, and scientific studies. […]
“Law Enforcement Action Partnership recognizes this bill as nothing short of life saving. Providing a proven means for people to work through their traumas and live happier, healthier, and more productive lives, stated Dave Franco, retired police officer and speaker for the Law Enforcement Action Partnership. “The benefits for mental and behavioral health can also have a sizable impact on community and public safety.”
Under Senate Bill 3695, psychedelic therapies would be administered in controlled, supervised settings to ensure safety and treatment effectiveness. Retail sales of these medicines would be prohibited, and they could only be used under supervision at designated service centers. […]
Senate Bill 3695 has been assigned to the Senate Executive Committee for further consideration.
* WGEM…
State Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, is sponsoring a bill allowing minors in juvenile court to petition the court to immediately seal or expunge their records if the crime they committed was a direct result of human trafficking. […]
State Rep. Nicole La Ha, R-Homer Glen, introduced three pieces of legislation. One bill would remove the affirmative defense of mistake of age for someone soliciting a minor engaged in prostitution. Another bill would remove the statute of limitations for prosecutions of involuntary servitude, involuntary sexual servitude of a minor and trafficking in persons and related offenses when the victim is a minor at the time of the offense. Her third bill requires those convicted of trafficking in persons, involuntary servitude or involuntary sexual servitude of a minor register as a sex offender.
State Rep. Jennifer Sanalitro, R-Hanover Park, is sponsoring two pieces of legislation. One bill creates an affirmative defense for victims of human trafficking who commit the offense as a result of being trafficked. Her other bill creates the Human Trafficking Order of Protection Act, which would allow victims of human trafficking to obtain orders of protection against their traffickers.
State Rep. Brad Stephens, R-Rosemont, is also sponsoring a bill adding “patronize” to involuntary sexual servitude of a minor. This would mean people soliciting underage prostitutes are held accountable as sex trafficking offenders.
* WTTW…
Illinois law has no explicit restriction on guns in polling places.
State Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Deerfield) is working to change that with a proposal (House Bill 5178) that would forbid firearms at “any building, real property or parking area of a polling place.” […]
Gun rights advocates said Morgan’s proposal is an answer in search of a problem.
“Show me the data that there is a problem, and if there is a problem, then great, let’s see it,” Illinois State Rifle Association lobbyist Ed Sullivan said. “I can almost guarantee you, there’s not.” […]
“This is something we saw in Wisconsin and Michigan in 2020, where polling locations were literally under threat and people were showing up with extensive amounts of firearms to intimidate and scare people,” Morgan said. “We’re not going to let that happen in Illinois. We’re going to make sure that polling locations are a safe place to go.”
* WJBD…
Senate Bill 3077, by Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, would establish a $2 million per-year grant program within the Illinois Department of Agriculture to help fund projects to enhance local food processing, aggregation and distribution within the state. Those could include projects such as food hubs, canneries, mills, livestock processing and other kinds of infrastructure that help move food from a farm to communities.
“And this is important because while we have some of the best farmland in the world, we don’t actually have the infrastructure in place to feed ourselves,”said Molly Pickering, deputy director of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance. “Ninety-five percent of the food that we eat here in Illinois is imported from out of state. That means every dollar that anyone spends on food is not going into our local communities. It’s being exported.”
Senate Bill 3219, by Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, would establish another kind of grant program through the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to help fund equipment upgrades at farmer-owned grocery stores. […]
Both bills advanced out of the Senate Agriculture Committee Thursday and could be taken up soon by the full Senate.
* Sen. Laura Fine…
One family’s tragic loss will help others in the future. Last fall, an Evanston family lost their son, Jordan while he was seeking treatment in a substance abuse treatment facility. Working with the family, the state and mental health care providers, State Senator Laura Fine is leading a measure to require substance abuse programs and mental health facilities to better communicate and give a patient’s family or caretaker timely notice of the patient’s passing.
“No parent or caretaker should have to wait days to be notified that their loved one has died while under the care of a treatment facility,” said Fine (D-Glenview). “It is essential that these facilities and programs have clear standards in place for sharing information with a patient’s loved ones. No one should ever have to go through what Jordan’s family experienced.”
Under current law, a facility must provide verbal notice regarding a significant incident to the Department of Human Services within 24 hours. However, there is no mandate that requires a family member to be notified of a patient’s death within a specific timeframe.
Jordan’s Law is named in honor of an Evanston family who shared their story about their son, Jordan, who passed away while in a rehab facility. The family was not notified of their son’s death until at least a week later and wanted to ensure other families never experience this kind of tragedy. This bill requires substance abuse disorder programs and mental health and developmental disability facilities to notify a patient’s personal representative of their death within 24 hours and provide a written notice within five days. […]
Senate Bill 3137 passed the Senate Behavioral and Mental Health Committee on Wednesday and heads to the full Senate for consideration.
posted by Isabel Miller
Friday, Mar 8, 24 @ 9:33 am
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The AI generated bill is interesting to me. First Amendment jurisprudence really needs to catch up with the changing nature of the world we live in. I think under current case law it is probably unconstitutional, but really I think that shows that current case law is the problem.
100% certainty it gets challenged immediately by someone if it passes.
Comment by Homebody Friday, Mar 8, 24 @ 9:56 am
I’m all for the state doing borderline anything to make becoming a teacher more financially enticing for potential candidates.
Comment by TJ Friday, Mar 8, 24 @ 10:24 am
I’m a fan of 5414. It prioritizes those who need the funds and targets areas of need. The IEA bill could water down the amount so much that those who don’t need it could get some beer money while those who do need it, like working parents who cannot afford to student teach, wouldn’t get enough to get by.
Comment by Proud Papa Bear Friday, Mar 8, 24 @ 10:39 am
@ TJ
Me too.
If you think about it, student teachers may still have to pay tuition for credit hours, but no longer live on or around campus. That potential disruption suggests a need to help them with room and board while they do their practicum.
In addition, their labor is very real. They are grading assignments and are given presentation, and are serving the children in their schools, as well as assisting administrators.
But even more, if we make teaching more attractive for college students, more are likely to step up and give it a chance.
The issue of funding however is very real. Short of a budget line item, I am not sure how to finance this. Asking local school boards to help will surely meet with resistance. Asking tax payers to pay more will be a difficult conversation.
Comment by H-W Friday, Mar 8, 24 @ 10:43 am
Regarding HB 5414 and HB 4652, I don’t remember when the state passed legislation that allowed schools to pay student teachers, but it has been at least 5 or 6 years so it is nice that they are going to attempt (I am not holding out hope) to fund the initiative. What I suspect is that this money will flow to the student teachers at schools already getting the lion’s share of state funding and not those of us who get little (I am not talking about wealthy suburban schools). Teacher vacancies are a huge issue for rural schools. there should be enough to fund all student teachers. period.
We have moved to a “grow your own” process and have paid all of pour student teachers for the last two years. That has come at a significant cost to us, and caused us to divert some resources we would have used for things like maintaining a full-time district sub.
And even with paying student teachers, offering sign on bonuses, and reimbursing continuing education expenses we still have two open positions in our small district.
Comment by JS Mill Friday, Mar 8, 24 @ 11:35 am
@JS Mill
You are absolutely correct. When working with the group that crafted 5414, we focused on the districts that need teachers, not wealthy suburban schools that get overwhelmed with applicants. We listened to the needs of hard-to-staff schools and developed this. In fact, some of your posts made it into our discussions.
The IEA is focused on giving something to all potential future members, regardless of equity.
4652 does not take hard-to-staff schools, subject shortage areas, or financial need of the candidates into account whereas 5414 does.
Comment by Proud Papa Bear Friday, Mar 8, 24 @ 11:49 am
@Proud Papa bear-
Thank you for the additional info, your efforts are definitely appreciated (banned punctuation)
Comment by JS Mill Friday, Mar 8, 24 @ 12:11 pm
The student teacher pay bill does, however, likely benefit those districts that are very close to universities and colleges. Especially when colleges choose to limit how far they are willing to travel to do observations and such, it means that those outside a certain radius will likely be missed. So for example, does this mean that southeastern Illinois goes underserved because there are no local 4-year granting institutions in the area? (Or are we going to pay for Kentucky students teaching in Illinois)?
Comment by IllinoisCitizen Friday, Mar 8, 24 @ 12:22 pm
“any building, real property or parking area of a polling place.”
In Dupage County, every early voting location would be already a prohibited place - even Stratford Square Mall which is now owned by the Village of Bloomingdale. Can’t be 100 sure but a quick look at the GIS location of election day polling and they all seem p to be prohibited as well.
LOCATION RESTRICTIONS FOR CONCEALED CARRY LICENSEES
•A public or private elementary or secondary school
•A pre-school or child care facility
•Any area under the control of an officer of the executive or legislative branch of government;10
•Any building designated for matters before a circuit court, appellate court, and/or under the control of the Supreme Court;11
•Any building under the control of a unit of local government;
•Any public park, athletic area, or athletic facility under the control of a municipality or park district;19
•Any public or private community college, college, or university
•Any public library;24
Comment by Donnie Elgin Friday, Mar 8, 24 @ 12:45 pm