* WAND…

Illinois state representatives will soon vote on a plan to provide new materials for K-12 schools to teach about overdose and substance use prevention.

Sponsors hope the bill could improve drug education standards to help students understand current and projected substance use and overdose trends. It also calls for education of the history of drugs and health policy in Illinois and the United States, the impact of zero tolerance, and restorative justice practices. […]

Democrats filed the proposal in memory of Louie Miceli who died from an overdose in 2012. Felicia Miceli, Louie’s mother, said Wednesday that young people are becoming addicted to drugs because they haven’t properly learned about healthy coping mechanisms, the truth about drugs, or the potential risks. Miceli now works as a grief counselor helping families going through the same traumatic experience she did. […]

This plan passed unanimously out of the committee and now heads to the House floor for a full vote. If approved, Senate Bill 2233 will move to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk for his signature of approval.

* Chicago Sky…

Support House Bill 4042, which amends the Sports Wagering Act by lowering the initial license fee for a master sports watering license for a sports facility with a maximum seating capacity of 12,000 for less. Currently, the fee for this license is $10,000,000. HB 4042 would lower the fee to $3,500,000.

BENEFITS OF PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL WOMEN’S SPORTS TEAMS WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECEIVE A SPORTS WAGERING LICENSE
REVENUE:

• Generates additional revenue for the state by providing the opportunity
for another sports book license. Under current terms, marketplace does not support license at higher price

EQUITY:

• Allow women’s professional sports teams to compete in sports betting
space with men’s professional sports teams;

• Promotes racial equality by permitting the only Chicago professional
sports team with substantial ownership by people of color and women
to have a sport’s wagering license;

• Promotes economic equity by providing teams that are not worth
billions of dollars with the opportunity to participate in the sports
wagering industry;

• Aligns with the State’s equity goals

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:

• Furthers economic development on the south side of Chicago where the
sports facility is located

THIS BILL DOES NOT SEEK SPECIAL TREATMENT

• To the contrary, reducing the fee as requested lowers barriers to entry
and levels the competitive playing field to small business with uniquely
diverse ownership;

• The $3,500,000 fee, if applied to the Chicago Sky, would be the highest
fee as a percent of gross revenue for any master sports wagering licensee in the state of Illinois including other major professional sports teams, casinos and racinos;

• The price paid for current sports wagering licenses have averaged approximately $5,400,000.00

* Center Square…

Republican lawmakers formed a public safety working group to address the crime problem in Illinois.

The House GOP Public Safety Group began meeting in January. The group says the its bills fall into three categories, including protecting victims of crime, the real pretrial fairness act, and recruitment and retention of law enforcement officers.

Some of the over 20 measures would change parts of the controversial SAFE-T Act, including reinstating cash bail statewide. […]

House Bill 3209 would prevent victims from being forced to testify at pretrial detention hearings.

House Bill 3352 expands the offenses for which an arrested person must provide a DNA sample to include all forceful felonies and aggravated domestic battery.

* WCCU…

If passed, House Bill 3425 would require the Illinois State Board of Education, ISBE, to create a bullying policy template for schools to follow, and it would include requiring schools to notify parents within 24 hours if their child is involved in bullying.

State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago), the bill’s sponsor, says the legislation comes after a young man in her district committed suicide after being bullied, something his parents didn’t know about.

“In this particular instance with my constituent, it was not reported and it was not reported in a timely fashion. There should be a sense of urgency and a handoff of notification immediately,” said Feigenholtz. […]

The house bill was unanimously passed by the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday, it will now move to the full Senate for a vote.

* SB2243 passed out of the committee and now moves to the House floor. WAND…

Nearly 40% of fourth graders in Illinois read below a basic level. Now, lawmakers want the Illinois State Board of Education to create a comprehensive literacy plan.

Senate Bill 2243 would require ISBE to work with education stakeholders to develop and adopt a plan by January 31, 2024. […]

“I think that we really need to get back to the basics which is reading, writing, and arithmetic,” said Rep. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan). “So, I think the core of a school day should be focused on those three areas.”

Yet, some House Republicans said they were concerned the plan could require students to read 90 minutes each day and possibly shorten time for other subjects.

* Scott Reeder from the Illinois Times…

House Bill 2789 is being pushed by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, whose office oversees the Illinois State Library and administers grants for public and school libraries. It’s a measure whose time has come.

Most of the opposition to the bill came from Republican lawmakers who said it takes control away from local library and school boards.

But my prediction is that in coming years if this bill becomes law, folks on the left as well as the right will be frustrated because they won’t be able to remove books they don’t agree with from library shelves.

It is commendable that parents are monitoring what their children are reading. But it’s deplorable that some adults believe they can use government to keep other people’s children from reading something with which they disagree.

* WICS…

Lawmakers say under current law, substitute teachers may only fill vacancies in an emergency situation for up to 30 days.

“So this bill allows a substitute teacher who has filled a vacancy left by a licensed teacher in an emergency situation for 90 days or until the end of the semester, whichever is greater if the school district files a written request with the appropriate regional office of education,” Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel, (D) Plainfield, said.

The school district would need to file a written request with the appropriate regional office of education.

The bill passed in the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday. The bill now heads to the Senate floor.

* SB2034 is on First Reading. Fox Chicago…

Laura Kane created Marshmallow’s Hope, a nonprofit organization that aides in mental health and suicide prevention after the death of her son, Zachary.

Kane says her son took his own life and less than a week later, she was fired from her job for missing days and underperforming during her time of grief.

A bill introduced on Wednesday in Zachary’s honor would grant parents six to twelve weeks of bereavement leave for the death of a child.

“The bill will give families the job protection they deserve during this type of crisis. I truly hope no one has to use this benefit, but in the event they find themselves in these circumstances, the bill will provide them protection during their darkest hours,” said Kane.

Senate Bill 2034 applies to youth suicide and homicide deaths. Lawmakers hope it will pass swiftly during this legislative session.

* WCBU…

IARF and AFSCME are advocating for full implementation of a Guidehouse recommendation that wage rates for DSPs be funded at 150 percent of the minimum wage. That would accelerate a six-year window outlined by IDHS to comply with the Guidehouse recommended rates.

The $21 rate would be 150 percent of the $14 minimum wage upon its effective date. The increase would take effect halfway through the upcoming fiscal year to give the state time to approve the proposal with the federal government.

AFSCME and IARF, however, are backing two different proposals. AFSCME is supporting two measures – Senate Bill 1600 and House Bill 3398 – that require all $4 of the increase be directly passed through to workers.

“You must ensure that providers are required to pass through the funds for our wages rather than spend that money in other ways,” Christine Rivera, an AFSCME member and DSP at Ray Graham Association told a House committee Tuesday.

Evans said the bills IARF is backing – House Bill 3569 and Senate Bill 2026 – would require that $2 be directly passed through to DSP wages, while the other $2 could be used more “flexibly,” such as for recruitment and retention efforts. It’s an agreement that Evans said was reached between providers, the state and labor in a previous fiscal year.