It’s just a bill
Thursday, Mar 13, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Capitol News Illinois…
A House committee advanced a bill Wednesday that would give high school student athletes the right to participate in both school-sponsored teams and nonschool teams in the same sport at the same time, despite concerns that such a policy could create friction between coaches and jeopardize students’ safety.
House Bill 3037 would create the “Right to Play Act” in Illinois and override existing rules of the Illinois High School Association, which sets eligibility rules for student athletes and strictly regulates their ability to participate in nonschool programs. […]
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said in an interview that currently students may participate in as many as three outside contests or tournaments during the season, but only if those events are sanctioned by the sport’s national governing body and the student receives permission from both their school and IHSA.
Rep. Janet Yang-Rohr, D-Naperville, the lead sponsor of the bill, told the committee that the rules have resulted in students being disqualified from competition over seemingly minor infractions.
“We have cross country runners who are running a charity race during the cross country season. IHSA found out and disqualified that runner for the rest of the season,” she told the House Education Policy Committee. “We have members of a high school pom squad in Will County. Members of that pom squad went to a dance competition, and IHSA found out and disqualified those dancers for the rest of the season.”
* The Sun-Times…
The motor fuel tax helps pay for road, bridge and public transit improvements throughout Illinois. Now, though, vehicles require less gas — or no gas at all — so funding for infrastructure has taken a hit.
Legislation proposed by state Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, and Christopher Belt, D-East St. Louis, takes aims at that problem by creating a pilot program to explore the viability of establishing a “road usage charge,” essentially a tax on miles driven.
“We need to ensure there’s sustained funding to ensure the safety of our roads, bridges and mass transit,” Villivalam told the Sun-Times.
Under the current tax structure, vehicles that don’t rely on gasoline, such as electric vehicles, do not pay the gas tax that helps maintain state infrastructure, said Marc Poulos, executive director of Operating Engineers Local 150, which strongly supports the proposed legislation.
* WAND…
The Illinois House Education Policy Committee approved a bill Wednesday to help guide the use of artificial intelligence in schools. […]
Sponsors and advocates are calling for an Instructional Technology Advisory Board to provide guidance, oversight, and evaluation of AI technology for education.
“A year and a half after I had to start making my own decisions about AI in the classroom, I still have no official guidance to turn to,” said math teacher Sarah Murmann. “I believe at this point 25 other states have official guidance. CPS recently issued its own, but smaller districts like mine don’t have the same resources.”
The advisory board would work the Illinois State Board of Education to develop standards for safety, transparency, and data privacy for any AI that may be used in schools.
* WTTW…
Illinois has bet big on gambling by legalizing online sports betting and sports books at horse racetracks and casinos. The state has also permitted 16 casinos, in addition to authorizing slots machines at bars, restaurants and truck stops — collectively bringing in $1.76 billion in tax revenue last year.
Now state lawmakers are considering giving residents another legal way to take their chances: mobile gambling.
Instead of going to a casino to play poker or a bar to play the slots, so-called iGaming participants could play on their tablets or phones, a change that backers told lawmakers at a Springfield hearing on Wednesday could bring in another $1 billion annually.
“We cannot ignore the tremendous boon this bill would have for our state’s coffers,” said state Rep. Edgar Gonzalez Jr. (D-Chicago), sponsor of House Bill 3080. “Illinois is gambling with its future by delaying the adoption of iGaming.”
…Adding… Casino Reports…
The path to legalizing online casino gaming in Illinois appears to be a steep one, as local-based opposition to the vertical made their voices heard during Wednesday’s informational hearing held by the House’s Gaming Committee.
This is the second consecutive General Assembly during which Rep. Edgar Gonzalez submitted an iGaming bill. While there was support for HB 3080, only one local witness provided oral testimony among a group that included representatives from FanDuel, Caesars, and the Sports Betting Alliance. […]
n his remarks to open the hearing, Gonzalez gamely addressed the two largest issues that normally accompany discussion around internet casino gaming: the unregulated illegal market and the risk of cannibalization of other gaming verticals.
In a direct appeal to the bars, restaurants, and VFW halls, Gonzalez offered the possibility of adding an amendment to his bill that would include a “hold harmless provision that will ensure that small businesses and fraternal organizations that depend on VGT revenue will not suffer any financial loss.”
* WAND…
A bill filed in Springfield would allow doctors to prescribe some HIV medication without needing prior authorization.
Prior authorization is when doctors need the approval of insurance companies before they can prescribe drugs. The American Medical Association says insurance companies use prior authorization to save money.
The plan would allow doctors to prescribe some drugs that have been shown to reduce deaths from HIV. State Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) said she doesn’t want to return to the deadliest days of the disease.
“My experience in the eighties I became somebody who has been to as many funerals as most peoples grandparents have at this point,” Cassidy said. “I don’t want to go back there. I want us to go to zero and we can.”
* More…
* WAND | Illinois House Violence Prevention Committee approves violent crime reporting bill: State representatives could soon vote on a plan to require law enforcement submit quarterly reports on the number of homicides and violent crimes in their communities. The legislation calls for the Illinois State Police to send the number of homicides and aggravated assaults with a firearm to the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. Law enforcement would also be required to document when the crime occurred and the status of each violent crime case.
* WAND | IL Native Americans hope to ban stereotyped school mascot: Native Americans across Illinois headed to Springfield Wednesday to celebrate recent laws and promote a new bill to ban stereotyped school mascots. […] State Rep. Maurice West (D-Rockford) was emotional throughout the whole press conference. He said when he went on a trip with his daughter to see the Potawatomi tribe, he was moved when they acknowledged the American flag. […] The proposal is now in the rules committee where it waits to be assigned to a committee.
* WAND | Illinois bill could require suicide prevention contact info on school employee IDs: It’s good for them to have the same information that the students have just so they know who to refer someone to and to refer them to their own IDs if they need assistance calling 9-8-8 or one of the hotlines,” Rep. Amy Elik (R-Alton). “But also, teachers and staff may use that information for themselves too.” House Bill 3000 passed unanimously out of the House Education Policy Committee Wednesday. Rep. Norine Hammond (R-Macomb) has seven co-sponsors for the legislation as it heads to the House floor.
* WAND | Illinois proposal could expand automatic voter registration system: The legislation would allow anyone to be registered to vote when they apply for a REAL ID or standard driver’s license as long as they show a document confirming US citizenship. Leaders told the House Ethics & Elections Committee Tuesday that Illinoisans would only be able to opt out of the automatic voter registration when they receive a postcard from their local election authority. Residents would have 23 days to return the postcard to election officials if they would like to be removed from the state database.
- Perrid - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 8:48 am:
Instead of taxing the rich we’re taxing people addicted to gambling, while letting corporations get rich off of the gamblers. We’re helping to exploit people who are basically sick, but yeah, it keeps the individual income tax rate and corporate tax rate low so it all works out, right?
- Sir Reel - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 9:02 am:
The MFT issue is a conundrum. Yes electric vehicles don’t pay enough. But road deterioration is more than a simple function of miles driven. Vehicle weight is a big factor. Currently, because heavier vehicles use more gas, and pay more MFT, it sorta works. Miles driven plus vehicle weight would be a better measure.
- Doc - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 9:12 am:
The IHSA is a shady group. They control all sports for schools in Illinois but have zero accountability and since they are private we cannot FOIA anything. That needs to change.
- Amalia - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 9:29 am:
what Doc wrote!
- Cold of Winter - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 9:54 am:
MFT: miles x weight x #of tires x tire footprint size x speed driven…. This needs to be more complicated.
- NoMoreMC - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 10:02 am:
The Right to Play Act is a little scary for baseball players. Too many travel ball coaches are already bad about protecting pitching. I’ve seen kids as young as 9 or 10 throw 200+ pitches in a weekend because coach-daddy thinks they are the next Nolan Ryan. The RTPA says a kid can’t play school sport and non-school sport on same day. I’d be really worried about a kid throwing 80 pitches in a high school game and then the next day having the travel ball coach pitching them another 90. I’d want to see something added that the kids still have to follow the IHSA pitch count restrictions if they are allowed to play travel ball during high school season. This is especially a problem for freshman with summer birthdays. If they are a young freshman, they could be playing on a 14u team full of 8th graders. Middle schoolers play school ball in the fall. Right now, the freshman couldn’t participate on the 14u team until high school ball ends in June. I could see unscrupulous 14u coaches pushing their freshman to pitch in a travel ball tourney on the weekend even if they pitched in a school ball game during the week. If the kid doesn’t have strong parents to put their foot down, we could see even more kids blowing out their arms before graduating HS. We already have too many kids getting Tommy John surgery before college as it is!
- Alice Childress - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 10:04 am:
Tax on miles driven!? So we gonna develop a mechanism to determine which miles are actually driven in Illinois as opposed to out of state miles? Back to the drawing board.
- School Guy - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 10:22 am:
What is shady about the IHSA? Their by-laws and policies are driven by their membership, and each school is a member. Promoting school based athletics is their job. I prefer watching kids participate as part of their school programs over super teams created by AAU or club teams.
- Steve - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 10:46 am:
Taxing cars by miles travelled might encourage a lot of people to register cars outside of Illinois.
- Second Verse - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 10:46 am:
Another “right” I never knew existed. “Club” level athletes get more than enough access to practice and playing time as it is. “Interscholastic” athletics do not exist merely as competitive forums, but also exist as a place for teaching sportsmanship, cooperation, and teamwork. These areas are among the first things sacrificed in most club athletic environments. Then there are meddling parents, win at any cost coaching, and appalling behavior all around. If you want that for your child, you are free to pay for it. Keep it out of the schools.
- Sports Fan - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 10:50 am:
–What is Shady about the IHSA?– Ask the Lemont Volleyball team what is shady? The coach and AD made a mistake and played 1 extra game, and instead of punishing the AD and Head Coach, the whole team gets disqualified for State Playoffs…Mount Carmel plays a JV wrestling match but they consider it a Varsity match, and they try and disqualify them, MC takes them to court and the whole playoff championship is canceled, and no one won a championship that year. As “Doc” said, there is no accountability, no FOIA is able to take place.
- Merica - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 10:57 am:
non-residents can register their vehicles and trailers in Montana. Montana offers a permenant vehicle registration, meaning you pay one fee and never pay again.
- Anyone Remember - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 11:03 am:
“… have zero accountability and since they are private we cannot FOIA anything.”
As set forth in law. They can be audited by the Auditor General if: (1) they charge a membership fee; or (2) a resolution of the General Assembly. The last audit under (1) was 2009
https://www.auditor.illinois.gov/Audit-Reports/Compliance-Agency-List/IHS/FY09-IHSA-Comp-full.pdf
The last audit under #2 was 1996
https://www.auditor.illinois.gov/Audit-Reports/Performance-Special-Multi/Performance-Audits/FY96-IHSA-PGM-full.pdf
- JB13 - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 11:04 am:
Tax on miles driven.
Hmmm… That sounds like a tax on working families.
Especially if that tax goes on top of the already large state gas tax burden, which already grows every July, automatically.
But I can rest easy, knowing our governor would never sign a law that raises taxes on working families.
- OneMan - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 11:05 am:
I started writing a long post about the unstated outcome of HB 3037, but it comes down to this.
I will give an advantage to those schools and athletes where the parents or the schools will have the resources to provide opportunities for their kids to get extra practice, training, and competition during the season. It also has the potential to bypass athlete protections built into the IHSA rules.
- Back to the Future - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 11:09 am:
More gambling?
The harm that this is causing will plague Illinois for decades.
The religious community and general community support groups are having to deal with the harm this causing everyday.
Now the criminal Justice system regularly reports on government or business employees being criminally charged for problems caused by gambling.
- Snowman 61 - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 11:13 am:
I do not see the purpose of allowing the kids to play IHSA at the same time as club sport. A lot of states do not allow it and the non High School organizations have adopted to the scheduling around the IHSA schedule. Yes, I can agree that “charity” events should not be grounds for being disciplined.
We have enough problems with kids having too much going on with school, athletics and other events that we have proposed setting a standard start time for school. Why add more to the kids plate with a club that in most cases disregard and will NOT work with the school regarding practice, games and work load.
- Jerry - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 11:48 am:
Use transponders like it is done on toll roads on all streets and roads. Of course every state would need to cooperate on that one and if that happened then the gas tax could go away. Speed cameras on expressways. Cameras to monitor unsafe drivers.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 11:53 am:
With regard to 3037- This is bad legislation. While I am no fan of the IHSA they are far, far better than the club sports world. Yang-rohr strikes me as the parent who refuses to tell their child no. Participation in tow “leagues” at the same time is not physically healthy for kids and creates numerous conflicts. Make a choice, participate in the club team or the school team.
- OneMan - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 12:44 pm:
==no FOIA is able to take place. ==
Yes, and that in some ways is a very good thing.
If a kid says something they are not supposed to say in a game and gets ejected for it, the official has to file a report with the IHSA. You want some kid’s worst moment FOIA able, but wait, you say, you will not be able to see the kid’s name, perhaps, but you know what kid got ejected from the game between MyHigh and YourHigh.
If every time I ask a rules question or have an email conversation with the IHSA it becomes FOIA material,
I might take a pass on asking the question.
If I could FOIA which coaches give me a good rating or a bad rating, there is a chance that could impact whether some officials are willing to work a game. Coach G always gives bad ratings, so I don’t want to take the hit on my rating, so I will just not officiate his games.
Yes, the IHSA may seem arbitrary at times because that is how rules are in some situations. If you start making exceptions, people will try to keep pushing the envelope.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 12:55 pm:
===Use transponders like it is done on toll roads on all streets and roads.===
The cost of putting up enough transponder/sticker readers to capture every trip would be astronomical. I think a version of this could be made to work where the readers were setup on more travelled routes, and a formula applied to fund municipalities and townships where there are low volume roads. As mentioned, it would take all states and interoperability to capture the out of state users, and maybe a few decades until everyone is on board and the equipment is in place.
- Observer From Afar - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 12:56 pm:
iGaming is a bad idea and it sounded like even the sponsor could tell during the hearing.
- School Guy - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 1:05 pm:
Independent audits of the IHSA are done annually and shared with the membership and posted on their website for those who are interested.
https://www.ihsa.org/Resources/Download-Center#161455-documents
- Mason County - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 1:29 pm:
=a pilot program to explore the viability of establishing a “road usage charge,” essentially a tax on miles driven.=
A little vague. A charge on all vehicles (a non starter) or just EV”S.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 1:31 pm:
===A little vague===
A link to the bill is provided above. Try not demanding you be spoon-fed here.
- H-W (Cardinals fan) - Thursday, Mar 13, 25 @ 1:37 pm:
Yeah, I agree. Mascots ought not offend others and ask all to say “yes” or “no.” Mascots represent America; they do not offend people, they welcome us. Ban offensive mascots. This is a no brainer, except for those who wish to offend going forward.