* Chicago Tribune…

Shreya Nallamothu was scrolling through TikTok the summer before her freshman year of high school when she started to notice how much content featured children performing in professionally produced family videos, or “vlogs.”

The bill, which was passed unanimously by the Senate and is now before the House, would require that a minimum of half a video’s earnings, prorated based on the amount of time the person under 16 appears, be set aside in an account that is accessible only to the child when they turn 18. So, if a video made $100 and a minor was in half of the video, then that minor would be paid at least $25 for their work. If there are multiple children in the program, they would share the money evenly. […]

Jenny LeFlore, a full-time content creator in Chicago who provides online parenting recommendations, is supportive of the bill but sees flaws in some aspects of it.

She takes issue with the bill’s definition of “vlog” as “content shared on an online platform in exchange for compensation” and “vlogger” anyone who produces compensated video content, language she finds overly broad.

But LeFlore’s main problem is a requirement that channel owners closely document the time stamps for which their children are present on a vlog to ensure the children are allotted their proper payment.

* Brownfield Ag News…

Legislation in the Illinois General Assembly would allow students to participate in 4-H and FFA competitions and shows without being counted absent from school.

Pontiac FFA Advisor Jesse Faber chairs the Illinois Ag Education Legislative Committee. He tells Brownfield many schools start the academic year before the Illinois State Fair and DuQuoin State Fair, which has caused conflict for 4-H and FFA members. […]

Faber says it is really no different than a student being excused to compete in a sporting event.

“That is exactly what we are asking for here, just the same recognition and treatment as if they were attending a music competition, a student council convention, or a track meet.” […]

Faber says the bill passed unanimously in the House and is expected to be picked up in the Senate once lawmakers return to session. He says the bill has strong bipartisan support and he is very optimistic that it will pass. Senator Doris Turner and Representative Sonya Harper are the lead sponsors.

* SB1896 is on First Reading in the House. Center Square…

A new Senate bill would allow Illinoisans to purchase a car without ever having to visit a dealership.

In a digital world, a person can buy just about anything from the comfort of home. In the Illinois Senate, state Sen. Patrick Joyce, D-Essex, has Senate Bill 1896. If approved, car buyers in Illinois will be able to buy a car without ever having to visit a dealership.

SB1896 would change the Illinois Vehicle Code to clarify language pertaining to home delivery and electronic signatures. […]

Carvana, the national company that sells used cars online and delivers them directly to the customer’s driveway, is backing Joyce’s legislation because the company believes that it is not necessary to visit a dealer’s office in order to buy a car.

* Library Journal…

A bill that explicitly prohibits Illinois libraries from banning books is speeding its way toward passage by the General Assembly, and the Illinois Secretary of State said he wants “every librarian in the country to know we have their backs.” […]

HB 2789 passed the Illinois House 69–39 on March 22. Not a single Republican voted for the bill. “That’s insane, frankly,” said State Sen. Laura Murphy, a Democrat. In the past, she said, library-related bills in Illinois usually collected some GOP support. House Republicans who voted against the bill did not respond to LJ ’s request for comment.

The bill went to the Senate on March 23, had a first reading, and must now advance through committee before facing a full vote of the 59-member upper chamber. The spring legislative session ends on May 19. Democrats have a supermajority in both chambers of the General Assembly; they don’t require Republican votes to pass any legislation. In the state Senate, Dems hold a 40–19 advantage.

Murphy predicted HB 2789 would pass the Senate with at least a few GOP votes. She described herself as “pretty confident” Pritzker will sign the legislation if it reaches his desk. “He’s very supportive,” Giannoulis added of the governor.

* Illinois Health and Hospital Association…

Illinois hospital and health system leaders are calling on the General Assembly to pass several bills that will increase the Medicaid reimbursement rate for hospitals, help deter violence against healthcare workers, and address staffing challenges to ensure hospitals can continue to provide access to quality healthcare for patients in all Illinois communities.

On Wednesday, April 19, nearly 100 leaders of hospital and health systems from across the state will meet with legislators from their respective districts during Hospital Advocacy Day organized by the Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA).

“We are grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Illinois General Assembly to outline the many challenges hospitals are still facing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, including growing cost pressures, physical and verbal assault against healthcare workers, and staffing shortages,” said A.J. Wilhelmi, IHA President and CEO. “We must work together to address these critical issues to advance health, ensure equity, keep our healthcare workforce strong and safe, and protect access to patient care in all Illinois communities.”

During Hospital Advocacy Day, hospital and health system leaders will urge members of the Illinois General Assembly to vote in support of the following healthcare bills:

-Senate Bill 1763, sponsored by Sen. Ann Gillespie (D – Arlington Heights) and Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford), advances a 20% increase to hospital Medicaid reimbursement rates. Without additional state support, access to care will continue to suffer as hospitals are forced to close units, limit services or, in extreme cases, consider closure. The bipartisan legislation would provide the first General Revenue Fund (GRF) Medicaid base rate increase for hospitals in 28 years.

-To deter the increasingly vicious physical, emotional and verbal attacks, IHA introduced Senate Bill 1863 to make it clear that those who harm healthcare professionals will be held accountable under the law. The commonsense bipartisan legislation, sponsored by Sen. John F. Curran (R-Lemont) and Bill Cunningham (D-Chicago), includes violence against a healthcare worker in a healthcare setting as an aggravating factor a judge can consider during sentencing.

-House Bill 559, sponsored by Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Highwood), allows providers holding temporary out-of-state licenses the opportunity to apply for a permanent Illinois license and to continue to work for up to an additional 12 months until the Illinois Dept. of Financial & Professional Regulation (IDFPR) issues the permanent license or denies the application. The legislation extends similar flexibilities to providers seeking reinstatement of their Illinois license. In light of the state’s well-documented healthcare worker shortage, this legislation offers a commonsense winding down period for healthcare professionals currently working in the state’s hospitals on a temporary COVID-19 out-of-state license. House Bill 559 supports hospital and health systems’ efforts to sustain and grow the state’s healthcare workforce.