* Rep. Robert Rita’s HB3257…

Amends the Humane Care for Animals Act. Provides that no person may sell, offer for sale, barter, or give away as a pet or novelty any hermit crab or goldfish that has been dyed, colored, or otherwise treated to impart an artificial color. Provides that a violation is a Class B misdemeanor.

The bill has the look of being inspired by a constituent. Background on the topic is here.

* From my favorite group chat…

I prefer to imagine that Bob was visited in the middle of the night by the ghost of a crab that told him he had to do this, Jacob Marley-style.

Accompanying AI pics with the command: “An oil painting of an Illinois state Representative being visited in the middle of the night by the ghost of a tie-dyed hermit crab”…

ChatGPT…

Please write a short story about Illinois state Representative Bob Rita being visited in the middle of the night by the ghost of a tie-dyed hermit crab who wants him to introduce legislation banning the sale of dyed hermit crabs and goldfish.

Illinois State Representative Bob Rita had just settled into bed after a long day of legislative meetings when he heard a strange noise coming from his living room.

He sat up in bed, straining to listen, and heard a faint rustling sound. He quickly grabbed his phone and turned on the flashlight app, tiptoeing his way out of the bedroom and into the living room.

There, he saw a strange sight: a small, tie-dyed hermit crab was shuffling around on his coffee table. The crab looked up at Bob with beady eyes and began to speak.

“Representative Rita,” said the crab, “I am the ghost of a hermit crab who was dyed in unnatural colors by a pet store. I died a slow and painful death because of the dye. I have come to you to ask for your help.”

Bob Rita was understandably shocked at this unexpected visitor. “How can I help you?” he asked.

“I want you to introduce legislation that would ban the sale of dyed hermit crabs and goldfish in Illinois,” said the hermit crab. “These practices are cruel and inhumane, and they cause countless animals to suffer and die needlessly. Please, will you help me?”

Bob Rita thought for a moment. He was known for his advocacy for animal rights, but this was a unique request. Nevertheless, he knew it was the right thing to do. “I will do everything in my power to make this happen,” he said.

With those words, the hermit crab vanished, leaving Bob Rita alone in his living room. The representative knew that this was a sign that he needed to take action. Over the coming weeks and months, he worked tirelessly to draft and pass legislation that would prohibit the sale of dyed hermit crabs and goldfish in Illinois.

The law passed with overwhelming support, and soon pet stores across the state stopped selling these animals. Bob Rita was hailed as a hero by animal rights activists, and he knew that he had made a real difference in the lives of countless creatures. He never forgot the strange encounter with the tie-dyed hermit crab, and he felt a sense of gratitude for the ghost that had inspired him to take action.

That was fun.

* The rest of this post was compiled by Isabel. Press release…

Legislation introduced today in the Illinois General Assembly by State Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-17) will give victims of doxing the ability to seek civil recourse from their attacker, something doxing victims are unable to currently do in Illinois. Doxing is the act of sharing an individual’s personal information with the intent to cause the individual harm. Senator Julie Morrison (D-29) will carry the legislation in the Illinois State Senate.

Supported by a diverse coalition of civil rights, domestic violence and anti-hate groups, the legislation creates an important deterrent to doxing and gives victims a voice in the aftermath of immense harm. Similar civil anti-doxing bills were recently signed into law in Maryland, Nevada, and Oregon, and the Washington State Legislature recently advanced a similar bill during its current legislative session.

“Doxing is a form of harassment used to threaten and intimidate vulnerable people by maliciously broadcasting their personal information, often including home and work address. Doxing can have a devastating impact on victims, exemplified by a tragic case in which a Jewish woman was subjected to months of harassment and abuse by Neo-Nazis after being doxed on a white supremacist publication,” said Representative Gong-Gershowitz. “This legislation is an important step toward ensuring our laws and regulations are keeping up with new and changing technologies to preserve the safety and privacy of everyone in Illinois – especially marginalized and vulnerable people that are all-too-frequently victims of doxing.”

ADL (Anti-Defamation League) Midwest has been working with Representative Gong-Gershowitz and coalition members on the bill for the last six months in response to a dramatic increase in online hate in recent years. The effort is part of ADL’s Backspace HateTM initiative supporting victims and targets of online hate and harassment by raising awareness and passing legislation to better hold perpetrators accountable for their actions online. […]

Full text of HB2954 can be found here.

* Rep. Stephanie A. Kifowit, HB3364…

Amends the Freedom of Information Act. Provides that a public body may require (rather than may not require) that a request be submitted on a standard form or require the requester to specify the purpose for a request. Provides that a person making a request may not make a request for any other individual, but may make a request for an organization if the person discloses the organization for whom the request is being made.

* Press release…

The Illinois State Dental Society joined House and Senate legislators to announce support for key, consumer-centered legislation that will help protect patients by increasing transparency and accountability for dental insurers while ensuring more patient dollars go to patient care.

“Illinois dentists care about their patients and understand the critical role the mouth-body connection plays in their overall physical health. Today, more than half of Americans delay getting medical care — or avoid it altogether — because of burdensome costs, and the most frequently skipped is dental care. This legislation is a significant and necessary step to ensure more access to care, more transparency and more value for dental care in Illinois,” said Eric Larson, Executive Director Illinois State Dental Society.

Sponsored by Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview) and Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview), the More for Your Smile legislative package would require dental insurance companies to spend 80 percent of premiums on dental benefits and quality improvement instead of administrative expenses. Other dental reform bills being introduced include regulations related to virtual credit cards, and network leasing.

The More for Your Smile legislative package accomplishes the following:

- Ensures Patient Dollars Directed to Patient Care: Protects patient dollars by requiring dental insurance carriers to spend at least 80 percent of premium dollars on patient care rather than administrative costs, salaries, and profits. Carriers that do not meet this minimum standard would have to refund the difference to covered individuals and groups. Carriers would be required to disclose administrative costs and other financial information annually to the Department of Insurance. This policy has demonstrated broad public support. In 2022, 72 percent of Massachusetts voters approved a similar language at the ballot box. HB 2070/SB 1287.

- Requires Safeguards for Network Leasing: Establishes safeguards for patients and dentists by requiring dental plans to be more transparent when leasing their dental networks and gives dentists certain negotiating capabilities while ensuring no provider is canceled for declining to participate in the new leased network. HB 2072/ SB 1288.

- Bans Fees from “Virtual Credit Cards”: Protects dentists from incurring increased costs associated with Virtual Credit Card transaction fees. Currently, these transaction fees make reimbursement amounts lower than the negotiated rate and can be implemented without a dentist’s consent. HB 2071/SB 1289.

* The Hill…

Democratic state lawmakers are mobilizing against a tidal wave of proposed legislation to heavily restrict access to gender-affirming health care, combating stringent measures that can carry prison sentences as long as a decade with bills that plan to establish sanctuary states to shield doctors, transgender youth and their families in all 50 states from potential legal retribution. […]

In January, nearby Illinois became the first midwestern state to enact a law explicitly protecting access to gender-affirming health care and abortion, promising that “the treatment of gender dysphoria or the affirmation of an individual’s gender identity or gender expression” is lawful health care in Illinois, “whether such activity may constitute a violation of another state’s law.”

A second Illinois bill introduced by Sen. Mike Simmons (D), who in 2021 became the first openly LGBTQ person elected to the state Senate, would build on that law by establishing the Gender-Affirming Health Care Protection Act that would similarly protect doctors and individuals seeking gender-affirming care in Illinois from being charged or subpoenaed based on the laws of another state.

It would also prohibit the governor from complying with extradition requests from other states for individuals in Illinois that have administered, authorized or “otherwise allowed” a child to receive gender-affirming health care, regardless of the state where care was provided.

* Press release…

State Senator Celina Villanueva championed a measure that prohibits students from changing their guardianship in efforts to qualify for need-based financial aid for college.

“Students that are experiencing financial hardships should not feel pressured to change their guardianship in order to receive need-based financial aid,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “It is imperative that legislation is put in place to ensure that students who are seeking need-based financial receive the resources they need without being penalized due to of their financial hardships.”

Senate Bill 195 is a direct response to previous public reports that Illinois students became eligible for need-based education financial assistance through the practice of “Opportunity Hoarding.” Opportunity hoarding is the practice of exploiting a loophole in the Probate Act by transferring legal guardianship from a parent to a relative or friend in lower income brackets or by declaring financial independence.

According to ProPublica Illinois, the cost of tuition, fees and housing for full-time students at public universities in Illinois has doubled within the past 15 years. […]

Senate Bill 195 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and moves to the Senate floor for full consideration.

* Sen. Jil Tracy, SB2036…

Amends the Tobacco Products Tax Act of 1995. Provides that, beginning January 1, 2024, the tax per cigar sold or otherwise disposed of shall not exceed $0.50 per cigar, excluding little cigars. Provides that distributors are allowed a discount in the amount of 2% of the distributor’s tax liability but not more than $2,000 per return.