* The House Democrats have just advised reporters that three noteworthy bills are expected to be advanced today or tomorrow…

HB75 — Paid sick leave, Rep. Flowers
HB1739 — Sexual assault evidence track, Rep. Hirschauer
HB3498 — Telehealth services, Rep. Conroy

* Rent control advocates have come up with new proposal…

A coalition of affordable housing advocates that is pushing to repeal a law banning rent-control measures by Illinois local governments is moving forward with a new bill that would give local jurisdictions the right to lift the ban by passing a binding referendum. If passed, local governments could then debate and potentially enact rent-control measures for their communities. Rep. Lakesia Collins, architect of the new bill, stated, “People who are impacted the most should have some say so on how best to solve their housing problems. HB116 will give constituents the right to decide if rent control is a good solution to help stabilize their community. Let’s let democracy decide.”

The statewide Lift the Ban Coalition of Black and Latinx community organizations, unions and mobile-home associations is holding a news conference Tuesday morning regarding HB116, the Democracy in Rental Housing Act, which would amend the 1997 law that bans rent control. This week, Rep. Will Guzzardi (39th) chief sponsor of HB116, submitted the AMENDED bill allowing local governments to opt out of the ban by passing a binding referendum.

“Throughout this fight, we’ve said that communities should have the autonomy to decide if and how to keep rent increases in check,” Guzzardi said. “This amendment goes even further, allowing voters to decide whether or not to lift the ban. It’s a reasonable measure, and I’m eager to get it passed.”

* Rep. Sonia Harper said during last week’s debate on this bill that the township supervisor, whom she knows, opposed it. What Rep. Harper didn’t mention was that this issue was part of the reason the supervisor lost her reelection bid…

Legislation to bring natural gas to Pembroke Township and Hopkins Park is moving on to the Illinois Senate.

HB 3404, which is sponsored by State Rep. Jackie Haas, R-Kankakee, was approved 88-14 Thursday with a bipartisan vote. […]

Pembroke Township Supervisor-elect Sam Payton said ensuring the pipeline becomes a reality was one reason he ran against current supervisor Brenda Miles.

“I can see the bill [passing] and see the future of Pembroke, the Nestlé plant and the jobs it will bring,” Payton said. “I’m excited.”

* Via Politico, here’s a draft version of the cannabis cleanup bill. Some changes are expected…

1. Creates a new Qualifying Applicant lottery of 110 licenses to be conducted for current social equity applicants. The lottery is only open to applicants that scored over 85% of available points. The definiFon of social equity for purposes of this lottery applies to applicants that have lived in a disproportionally impacted area for 5 of the past 10 years OR have been convicted of a cannabis offense eligible for expungement or have a close family member that has been convicted of a cannabis offense eligible for expungement. No applicant may be awarded more than 3 licenses in this lottery. This is in addition to the 75 dispensary licenses intended for Social Equity applicants provided for in the current law which has been delayed and takes the place of the 110 licenses set to be awarded in 2021 and must be conducted by December 21, 2021.
2. Allows for relocation of exising Early Approval Adult Use Dispensaries within the same zip code or within 1⁄2 mile of the existing dispensary 90 days after the issuance of the 185 social equity licenses
3. Creates a Social Equity Justice Involved Medical Lottery to issue 5 medical cannabis dispensary licenses to social equity applicants, defines social equity applicant as 51% owned and controlled by an individual who lives in a disproportionally impacted area for 5 of last 10 years OR who has been convicted of a cannabis offense eligible for expungement under the CRTA or a close family member has been convicted of a cannabis offense. This license would also allow the dispensary to hold an adult use license at the location of the medical dispensary and allows an additional adult use dispensary at a second site.
4. Allows medical cannabis patients to purchase cannabis at any medical cannabis dispensary instead of registering with a single dispensary
5. Allows cannabis business employees to begin working while waiting for the required background check needed for obtaining a cannabis business ID card
6. Clarifies that the Cannabis Regulation and Oversight Officer serves a coordinating role between the various cannabis regulatory agencies and adjusts the timing of the required disparity study until after each round of licenses are awarded
7. Removes requirement that IDFPR inspect location prior to receiving authorization to build out the location
8. Removes cap on the number of cannabis Community College programs, currently a cap of 8 programs
9. Matches FOIA requirements in Medical Cannabis Act with the CRTA to allow for more transparency on the ownership of license holders. Adds disclosure requirements to the sections governing each cannabis business license type.

*** UPDATE *** The amendment has surfaced. Click here.

* The House’s Third Reading deadline is Friday, so a bill introduced on Monday is probably gonna have to be grafted onto an existing piece of legislation. But it did get a press pop…

A state lawmaker who represents the city’s West Side introduced legislation Monday that would require all police officers in Illinois to be schooled on the intersection of law, race and racism in the hopes of teaching officers “the culture and the lifestyles of different communities and people.”

“If we want to change the behavior of police, we have to educate them,” state Rep. La Shawn Ford said.

* And this bill is stuck in Rules Committee…

State Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, has introduced House Bill 1872, which would repeal a law that prohibits people in prison from voting.

John Jackson, visiting professor at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, said this bill is part of a shift away from the strict mentality concerning law and order that started in the 1970s.

When reporters call for comment about a bill, check its status first.