* Capitol News Illinois…

The Illinois House on Wednesday passed a bill that would expand the scope of the Firearms Restraining Order Act and spread awareness of the law in law enforcement and the general public.

Skokie Democratic Rep. Denyse Stoneback, a freshman legislator, introduced House Bill 1092 last month in response to high profile mass shootings that took place in the U.S. earlier this year, including a shooting at an Indiana FedEx facility. […]

Under the Illinois’ Firearm Restraining Order Act, family members of an individual and law enforcement can petition the courts to remove that individual’s guns and prevent them from purchasing or borrowing guns if it is determined that the individual would pose a threat to themself or others if they were in possession of a firearm.

Stoneback’s legislation would expand the list of family members who can file such a petition to include former spouses and people who have or allegedly have a child with the subject of the restraining order.

HB 1092 would also apply the firearm restraining order to more than just guns. If courts grant the order, under Stoneback’s bill, the individual would also be banned from purchasing or owning ammunition and weapon parts that could be assembled into a usable gun.

* WGEM…

Congress banned states from installing new lead water lines in 1986. Yet, most of the older pipes still haven’t been removed. Illinois state lawmakers hope to finally address that issue this year to make sure everyone has clean water.

Experts say Illinois has one-eighth of all lead service lines in the United States. Lawmakers argue it’s past time to replace those pipes.

Their plan could also create a state grant program to fund the project and technical assistance for utility workers. Research from the Metropolitan Planning Council shows Black and Latinx people in Illinois are twice as likely to live in areas with lead pipes than their white counterparts.

Sen. Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) says her proposal is a reasonable and equitable path forward to ensure every community eliminates this issue. She also feels this plan is a significant long-term economic engine for Illinois.

* I’ve received several not quite literate emails from this group, so I’m glad somebody stepped in to make some sense out of it…

A group of Illinois county clerks opposing a hike in a document fee has coincided with an audit of the Housing Development Authority that found repeated instances of inaccurate financial reporting involving millions of dollars.

Lawmakers are considering legislation that would double the fee for documents obtained through Recorder of Deeds offices from $9 to $18, and the money is supposed to be distributed to the Rental Housing Support Program throughout the state.

Tazewell County Clerk John Ackerman said his county hasn’t received any grants from the program in the last decade despite contributing nearly $1 million in fees. Two of the 10 clerks opposed to the fee hike say their county has received grants from the program.

“Our research found this grant revenue rarely leaves the Chicago Metro Area and not all the expenses could be accounted for, leaving many of us wondering just where is all this already existing revenue going?” according to a statement from the clerks.

* Another from Center Square…

The Illinois House has passed House Bill 3498, a bill aimed at removing barriers to telehealth services.

COVID-19 sped up the adoption telehealth, in which patients attend doctors’ visits remotely via video call, but not all have access under existing law.

Charles James, the Illinois Rural Health Association’s president-elect, said the bill addresses at the state level a problem “cooked in” to how providers get paid for telehealth services.

The reimbursement structures for rural health clinics and community health centers meant they weren’t getting paid for remote patient visits.

“There were restrictions on providers being able to be paid in certain circumstances, and there was a hard restriction on patients being able to be at their home,” James said.