* Sun-Times…

A bill filed Friday known as the Community Safety Through Stable Homes Act calls for the repeal of local laws that penalize tenants for having contact with police and often require landlords to initiate eviction procedures.

The measure comes months after the mom, Diamond Jones, filed a federal lawsuit against Richton Park, alleging she was forced out of the home she rented because of the village’s crime-free ordinance. […]

The bill would prohibit local governments from requiring landlords to evict a tenant for having contact with police, a criminal conviction or if another person in the household or guest had contact with police. The bill also eliminates local requirements that landlords do criminal background checks.

The bill doesn’t prohibit landlords from doing criminal background checks or prevent them from tenant evictions, Alvarez said.

* Here’s the synopsis of HB5314 from Rep. La Shawn Ford…

Amends the Counties Code and the Illinois Municipal Code. Repeals provisions prohibiting ordinances penalizing tenants who contact the police or other emergency services. Adds provisions prohibiting a county or municipality from enacting a program, ordinance, resolution, or other regulation that: (1) penalizes landlords or tenants, guests, or others for contact with a law enforcement agency; (2) requires or encourages landlords to evict or penalize tenants or household members for contact with a law enforcement agency, a criminal conviction, or alleged unlawful conduct, including through cooperating agreements with law enforcement agencies; (3) requires or promotes the use of criminal background checks of prospective and current tenants; (4) defines nuisance behavior to include contact with a law enforcement agency; (5) requires tenants to secure certificates of occupancy as a condition of leasing rental housing or turning on utilities; (6) creates or promotes the use of a registry of individual tenants for the purpose of discouraging landlords from renting to those tenants or otherwise excluding such individuals from rental housing within the subject jurisdiction; (7) penalizes tenants, guests, or others for contact made to police or other emergency services; or (8) requires or promotes the use of a lease addendum that penalizes tenants, guests or others for any of the above-listed conditions or is contrary to or inconsistent with requirements under federal law. Provides that a program, ordinance, resolution, or other regulation that violates the provisions is void and must be repealed no later than one year after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Allows for legal action to enforce the provisions. Limits the concurrent exercise of home rule powers. Amends the Housing Authorities Act to make similar changes for housing authorities. Effective immediately.

* HB5660 from Rep. Nicholas Smith…

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that, whenever a person fails to appear in court and the court continues the case, if the clerk of the court elects to establish a system to send text, email, and telephone notifications, the clerk of the court may send notifications to an email address, may send a text message to the person’s last known cellular telephone number, and if the person does not have a cellular telephone number, may reach the person at the person’s last known landline telephone number regarding the continued court date. Deletes a provision that requires a court to enter an order of failure to appear if a person does not appear in court on or before the continued court date or satisfy the court that the person’s appearance in and surrender to the court is impossible for no fault of the person. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections. Deletes language that allowed the court use mitigating factors when deciding on contempt or imprisonment for nonpayment of a fine.

* Sun-Times…

A week after Mayor Brandon Johnson sent Illinois Senate President Don Harmon a letter urging him to support the election of only 10 of 21 school board seats this November, the Oak Park Democrat on Friday filed legislation with the mayor’s preferred plan.

The new Senate measure, sponsored by Harmon, includes ethics provisions the Senate president requested last year, including who can serve as a board member. Harmon had publicly said he looked forward to getting “clear direction” from Johnson after an unresolved dispute over how many seats would be elected this fall.

That direction came last week in a letter Johnson sent to Harmon — putting his full support behind the Chicago Teachers Union-backed plan of electing 10 seats in November and letting the mayor appoint the other 11. That would leave Johnson in control of Chicago Public Schools nearly through the end of his term.

The Senate measure was filed on Friday afternoon.

“I appreciate Mayor Johnson’s clear direction as to his vision for an elected, representative school board for Chicago,” Harmon said in a statement. “We have drafted and now filed Mayor Johnson’s plan so that it can be reviewed by lawmakers and the public in the weeks ahead.”

* Rep. Jennifer Sanalitro filed HB5435 Friday…

Amends the Illinois Vehicle Code. Provides that a unit of local government, including a home rule unit, may not enact an ordinance providing for a noise monitoring system upon any portion of its roadways (removing language allowing the City of Chicago to enact an ordinance providing for a noise monitoring system upon any portion of the roadway known as Lake Shore Drive). Makes changes to the definition of “noise monitoring system”.

* WICS…

A State Senator filed legislation in Illinois that would legalize psilocybin for adult-supervised use in a licensed service center.

The legislation, known as the CURE ACT (Compassionate Use and Research of Entheogens Act), aims to tackle treatment-resistant conditions such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, substance abuse, eating disorders, and other mental health conditions. […]

Senate Bill 3695 would not allow for the sale, use, or personal possession of psilocybin in Illinois. […]

The bill would also establish the Illinois Psilocybin Advisory Board under the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation which would create a training program, ethical standards, and licensing requirements.

* KHQA…

A statewide push to provide healthy school meals for all children across Illinois may soon become a reality. Coalitions across Illinois are calling on the General Assemble to provide funding in the 2025 state budget.

Last year in the spring 2023 session, Illinois passed the ‘Healthy School Meals for All’ bill which provides free breakfast and lunches to all students who want it, but the bill did not receive the appropriation it needed and that has now left lawmakers in Springfield asking for the proper funding to finally kick-start this movement. […]

Championing House Bill 4785, Representative Maurice West said that this movement was historic for the state, but with no funding from the last session, things would have to change over at the capitol. […]

Like many bills this time of year, House Bill 4785 is still in the initial stages. The hope is to get the funding announced in the Governor’s State of the State Address on February 21st, 2024.

* Sen. Jason Plummer filed SB3508 last week…

Creates the End Organ Harvesting Act. Provides that a health benefit plan issuer may not cover a human organ transplant or post-transplant care if: (1) the transplant operation is performed in the People’s Republic of China or another country known to have participated in forced organ harvesting, as designated by the Director of Public Health; or (2) the human organ to be transplanted was procured by sale or donation originating in the People’s Republic of China or another country known to have participated in forced organ harvesting, as designated by the Director of Public Health. Provides that the Director of Public Health may designate additional countries with governments that fund, sponsor, or otherwise facilitate forced organ harvesting and shall provide written notice to the Secretary of Human Services and the Director of Insurance when the Director of Public Health designates an additional country. Defines “forced organ harvesting”. Sets forth provisions concerning applicability and severability.