* Sun-Times…

Jails largely act independently so it’s up to each to set and enforce policies and procedures, she said. While the Illinois Department of Corrections has a jail and detention standards unit, which oversees county jails, the department does not have policies on reproductive health, the report said. […]

Illinois does have some standards for how pregnant people should be treated in detention. In 2000, Illinois became the first state to ban shackling an incarcerated person while they’re in labor.

Then in 2012, the state banned shackling throughout the entire term of a person’s pregnancy, but only in Cook County. The Illinois Reproductive Health Act does extend protections to people who are incarcerated. […]

A bill to ban the use of leg irons and shackles on pregnant people inside Illinois’ county jails passed a state House committee Friday. The bill would also require that pregnant and lactating people incarcerated in jails get extra rations of food, and it would allow for electronic ankle bracelets to be removed from them during labor and delivery.

* Rep. Kelly Cassidy is HB5431’s sponsor…

Amends the County Department of Corrections Law. In provisions about pregnant prisoners, modifies the definitions of “post-partum” and “correctional institution”, including that “correctional institution” includes institutions in all counties (rather than only in counties more than 3,000,000 inhabitants). Modifies and removes provisions relating to security restraints on a prisoner who is pregnant or in postpartum recovery. Adds provisions relating to annual reports by sheriffs documenting the number of pregnant prisoners in custody each year and the number of people who deliver or miscarry while in custody, relating to county department of corrections providing informational materials concerning the laws pertaining to pregnant prisoners to any pregnant or postpartum prisoner, and relating to supplemental nutrition for prisoners who are pregnant or lactating. Amends the Unified Code of Corrections and the County Jail Act making similar changes. In the Unified Code of Corrections, also adds language relating to restraints of committed persons who are pregnant. Amends the Health Care Violence Prevention Act. In provisions relating to pregnant prisoners, removes a limitation on the provisions to pregnant prisoners in the custody of the Cook County. Provides that restraint of a pregnant prisoner shall comply with specified provisions of the Counties Code, the Unified Code of Corrections, and the County Jail Act (rather than only the Counties Code provisions).

* Chicago Crusader…

Representative La Shawn Ford (D-8th) is opposed to HB 4045, which will allow non-citizens to apply to become Chicago firemen if they have a work permit. Ford says the bill fails to rectify the discrimination he says still exists within the Chicago Fire Department. […]

Standing his ground and making his position clear, Ford said, “Passing this bill without addressing the underlying issues of discrimination and inequity within our Fire Department will only exacerbate the problem. It would ignore the ongoing struggle of marginalized communities who have been systematically excluded from fair employment practices. […]

The bill amends the Illinois Municipal Code and the Fire Protection District Act. It provides that an individual who is not a citizen but is legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law is authorized to apply for the position of firefighter, subject to all requirements and limitations, other than citizenship, to which other applicants are subject. The bill became effective January 1, 2024.

The controversial HB 4045 was introduced by Rep. Barbara Hernandez (D-50th) and supported by and sponsored by Reps. Edgar Gonzalez, Jr. (D-23rd), John M. Cabello (R-90th), Travis Weaver (R-93rd) and Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar (D-22nd).

…Adding…Republican Reps. John Cabello, Bradley Fritts, Jeff Keicher and Brad Stephens were removed as sponsors in early March. Rep Travis Weaver was removed as a sponsor last year.

* Center Square…

As originally filed, House Bill 4045 would amend the Illinois Municipal Code and the Fire Protection District Act by establishing that non-citizens legally authorized to work in the country under federal law are eligible to apply for the position of firefighter subject to all other requirements and limitations.

“I hope that the sponsor pulls the bill and we have a bill that deals with hiring practices and also makes sure that we have some type of standards in place because these are taxpayer dollars,” Ford told The Center Square. “You can’t have racism and discrimination in your hiring and promotion practices and everyone should have equal opportunity to be hired in these positions.” […]

Ford added one change he would like to see is fire department doing more recruitment on the campuses of high schools, city colleges and trade schools along with the pools of unemployed people “to create a pipeline of diverse candidates.”

HB4045 was amended by dropping the non-citizen language, but keeping language saying firefighters can be any “individual who is legally authorized to work in the United States.” The measure passed the House Police and Fire Committee last month and awaits further floor action.

* Press release…

Advisory: Illinois Senate GOP to unveil legislation to reform Prisoner Review Board

WHO: Illinois Senate Republican Leader John Curran (R-Downers Grove)
State Senator Jason Plummer (R-Edwardsville)
State Senator Steve McClure (R-Springfield)

WHAT: Zoom press conference to discuss deadly agency failings and Senate GOP policy solutions to improve public safety.

WHEN: Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at 10:30 am

WHERE: Zoom and streamed on blueroomstream.com

* River Bender…

State Senator Erica Harriss (56th-Glen Carbon) has filed and passed a bill out of committee to help combat ongoing trash and debris issues from landfills in Madison and St. Clair counties. […]

Senate Bill 3566 would require any landfill in any county with a population over 250,000 to provide facilities at landfill locations for the cleaning of mud, gravel, waste and other material from wheels and undercarriages of trucks and other vehicles leaving the site. […]

Currently, the Illinois Environmental Protection Act only requires landfills in counties with populations over 270,000 (Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, Kane, McHenry and Winnebago counties) to have the wheel washing requirements.

SB 3566 unanimously passed the Environment and Conservation committee and Senator Harriss hopes to present the legislation to the full Senate for a vote upon returning from spring recess.

* Center Square…

House Bill 3239, sponsored by state Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-Batavia, would obligate Illinoisans who want to buy a firearm to go through eight hours of training and other requirements. The bill is in the House Judiciary Criminal Committee, which is scheduled to meet in Springfield Tuesday. Her office said she will not be calling the bill this week. […]

A FOID card is required in Illinois for residents to own or purchase firearms and ammunition. According to numbers from Illinois State Police, over 2.4 million Illinois residents possess FOID cards, nearly 19% of the state’s 12.7 million people. The greatest number of these cards have been issued in Cook County, with over 730,000 active cards at the end of 2023. Champaign County had issued 34,144. […]

HB3239 would require Illinois residents who want to buy a firearm to undergo eight hours of mandatory training approved by the director of the Illinois State Police. […]

Students Demand Action of Illinois are proponents of the bill. There are 15 proponents and nearly 1,800 opponents.

* President of Community Access National Network Jen Laws…

State lawmakers across the country are telling patients they’re working to reduce out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs. However, in response to calls to better serve patients, many states are looking to use an unproven tool that simply is not going to get the job done and could worsen challenges patients face today to access medications.

Billed under names like “Prescription Drug Affordability Board,” legislation that states like Illinois are introducing pulls a bait-and-switch that ultimately threatens equitable access to medications and alters the landscape of health care financing in favor of insurers, not patients. […]

Affordability boards that seek to exclusively rely on these reimbursement limits to lower drug prices have yet to demonstrate meaningful cost savings for patients. Despite payment limits threatening the ability of providers to stock and administer critical treatments, nothing in Illinois’ proposed legislation requires any realized “savings” to be passed on to patients or returned to a plan sponsor, such as state public health programs, or employers in the case of employer-sponsored plans. […]

Policymakers’ goal to tackle barriers to care for patients is right. But if lawmakers in Springfield actually care about helping patients, perhaps starting with patients, rather than any other stakeholders, is the way to go.

* Shaw Local…

State Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford, sponsored House Bill 5617, which would require schools to alter mascots, logos or names with Native American tribes or feature Native American culture. […]

The bill prohibits schools from selling items with banned mascots and removes banned logos from school property. Schools would be able to use uniforms or other materials with Native logos or mascots until Sept. 1, 2027. […]

West said that the issue has been on his desk since 2019, after a group of students from a local student protested the use of a “humongous” Native American face on the wall of their school, sparking the idea of mascot reform.

West said in 2019, his posture was education not elimination and when he filed the original mascot bill it got traction but, members of federally recognized tribes throughout the nation, who originated from Illinois reached out to him to say that’s not what we want. They wanted education reform.

HB5617 is scheduled to be in committee Wednesday.