* Block Club Chicago…

State lawmakers proposed new legislation on Monday that would overhaul public transportation in northeastern Illinois by merging CTA, Metra and Pace under a single agency.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) and Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado (D-Chicago), is part of a package that also creates an additional $1.5 billion in annual transit operational funding. […]

The bill, backed by the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, essentially erases each of the independent transit agencies and establishes a regional entity called the Metropolitan Mobility Authority. That new agency would eliminate the Regional Transportation Authority, which currently oversees the three transit agencies. […]

The Metropolitan Mobility Authority’s governing board would include 19 directors with voting power. Three are appointed by the governor, five are appointed by Chicago’s mayor and five are appointed by the Cook County Board president.

* Rep. Kam Buckner introduced HB5823 yesterday…

Creates the Metropolitan Mobility Authority Act, and establishes the Metropolitan Mobility Authority. Provides that the Chicago Transit Authority, the Commuter Rail Division and the Suburban Bus Division of the Regional Transportation Authority, and the Regional Transportation Authority are consolidated into the Metropolitan Mobility Authority and the Service Boards are abolished, instead creating the Suburban Bus Operating Division, Commuter Rail Operating Division, and the Chicago Transit Operating Division. Reinserts, reorganizes, and changes some provisions from the Metropolitan Transit Authority Act and the Regional Transportation Authority Act into the new Act. Includes provisions about the operation of the Metropolitan Mobility Authority. Repeals the Metropolitan Transit Authority Act and the Regional Transportation Authority Act. Amends various Acts, Laws, and Codes to make conforming changes. Creates the Equitable Transit-Supportive Development Act. Establishes the Office of Transit-Oriented Development and the Transit-Supportive Development Fund. Provides that the Office and the Fund are to aid transit-supportive development near high-quality transit by providing specified funding to municipalities that have adopted the standards in the transit support overlay district for that area or that have adopted zoning and other changes that the Office determines have benefits greater than or equal to such a District, including transit support overlay districts. Includes provisions relating to Office standards, procedures, and reports. Amends the State Finance Act to make a conforming change. Amends the Department of Transportation Law of the Civil Administrative Code. Requires the Department to establish, staff, and support an Office of Public Transportation Support for the purpose of optimizing the operation of public transportation vehicles and the delivery of public transportation services on highways under the Department’s jurisdiction in the Metropolitan Mobility Authority’s metropolitan region. Describes the duties and operations of the Office. Amends the Toll Highway Act. Provides that the Chair of the Metropolitan Mobility Authority is a nonvoting member of the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority.

A great thread from Metropolitan Planning Council Senior Advisor Thomas Bamonte…

Much of the rest of the bill is routine stuff, but note new 20 ILCS 2705/2705-594 on pg. 268, which requires @IDOTDistrict1 to establish an Office of Public Transit Support and affirmatively work to make its roadways, many of which host public transit, more supportive of transit.

— Thomas Bamonte (@TomBamonte) April 29, 2024

To read the rest of his thread click here.

* Rep. Maura Hirschauer…

State Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-Batavia, issued the following statement regarding the tragic homicide that took place over the weekend in Villa Park:

“The murder of Julie Elguezabal is a tragedy and another unacceptable loss resulting from the intersection of domestic violence and firearms. While we collectively condemn this horrific act of violence, we must also collectively take action to right this wrong. Legislation that would remove firearms from the hands of domestic abusers remains stalled in the Illinois State Senate. Karina’s Bill (SB 2633) would allow judges to issue search warrants along with orders of protection so that law enforcement can search homes and immediately remove firearms from domestic abusers. Compared to this time last year, there is a 65% increase in the number of victims killed in firearm-related incidents across Illinois, according to The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence. We cannot let this trend continue and must pass this lifesaving bill this session. […]

“Each day that passes without action on Karina’s Bill means more lives shattered and more futures stolen. We owe it to every victim and their families to ensure that they have the protection they need to reclaim their safety. My heart is with the family of Julie Elguezabal, and for hopefully the last time, I say: enough is enough. It is time that we pass Karina’s Bill and end the cycle of firearm-involved domestic violence homicides.”

* The Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Alliance…

The Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Alliance (IGGVA) today urged Illinois lawmakers to support House Bill 2864 to provide parity for wineries at a time when they are facing an inability to grow under current law.

While Illinois is one of the top wine-drinking states in the country and the state’s wine industry has grown in esteem, current law places inequitable restrictions on production and sales for wineries compared to the beer and spirits sectors. In effect, the law limits the ability to grow and innovate for wineries, many of which are small, family-owned operations and provide significant tourism revenue for Illinois.

The current limitations stem from outdated regulations dating back nearly 90 years that govern wine production, distribution, and sales. The law caps production and self-distribution for Illinois wineries at 25,000 gallons and 5,000 gallons, respectively. Meanwhile, the spirits and beer industries are allowed to produce and self-distribute significantly more under the law – for spirits, 50,000 gallons of production and 5,000 gallons to self-distribute; and for beer, 930,000 gallons of production and 232,500 gallons to self-distribute.  

HB 2864 would:

• Increase caps on winery production to 250,000 gallons and distribution to 25,000 gallons – levels that are on par with Illinois distillers and brewers.
• Allow wineries to grow both sales and employment, increasing their contributions to the Illinois economy.
• Address antiquated laws that prevent wineries from selling their wine in the marketplace, prevent retail stores from diversifying their products, and prevent consumers from buying local wines they enjoy.
 

Many Illinois wineries have reached their limit to self-distribute their wine, so their only option under existing law is to find a distributor to partner with to sell their product. However, this process has been plagued by problems, with most distributors uninterested in working with small business operations like many of the wineries in Illinois. Wineries are left to sell their wine themselves, but the law caps their ability to sell more product and grow as a business.
 
“Our state has one of the most competitive wine markets in the country. For an Illinois winery, the barriers are incredibly tough to succeed,” said Greg Fischer, owner of Chicago’s Wild Blossom Meadery & Winery. “In Chicago, 99 percent of the wine sold comes from out of state, even though homegrown Illinois wine has grown in quality and popularity. Every sip of Illinois wine benefits our state from the ground up. We urge Illinois lawmakers to work with us to reduce barriers and help us become successful.”

HB2864 has been re-referred to the Rules Committee in the House. The House committee deadline has long past and the bill does not have an extension.

* WGN…

If passed into law, the state’s Fuel Gas Detector Act would require gas alarms to be installed inside buildings. […]

The purpose is to protect against gas explosions, which have increased in number and can destroy property and cause serious injuries.

In cities such as Chicago, which has aging infrastructure, proponents of Senate Bill 1161 say this legislation could potentially save lives.

“We treat so many other hazards in our home. Why would we let this one go?” said state Sen. Craig Wilcox, a Republican from Woodstock, who supports the legislation. […]

Last year, there were at least 10 explosions in Illinois.

SB1161 is on Third Reading and has until May 3 to pass through the Senate.

* WAND…

The Pritzker administration and Democratic lawmakers say every woman in Illinois deserves the right to a healthy and safe pregnancy. A plan moving to the Senate could drastically improve maternal healthcare for Black women in Illinois.

The monumental bill in Springfield would require private insurance companies to cover maternal services provided by midwives, doulas and lactation consultants. This comes as the Illinois Department of Public Health reports Black mothers are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related medical issues than white women. […]

Gov. JB Pritzker also hopes to provide $4.4 million to IDPH in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget to address the state’s maternal mortality rate and create an action plan to support community-based full spectrum care. The Democrat wants lawmakers to approve a $5 million expansion of the state’s home visiting program and $1 million for a new diaper distribution program as well. […]

House Bill 5142 passed out of the House on a 72-37 vote on April 18. Senators could discuss the plan when they return to Springfield this week. Meanwhile, Pritzker’s maternal healthcare budget priorities could be approved during the final days of session next month.

* Advantage News…

Bills concerning employers and changes they will have to make passed the House last week.

House Bill 3763 makes a change where an employee’s legal representation can request access to personnel records, not just the employee themselves.

State Rep. Patrick Windhorst, R-Metropolis, asked why the bill was necessary. The sponsor of the bill is state Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago.

“So for instance, if an employee gets laid off in a hostile work environment, they have a right to their personnel records from that employer,” said Guzzardi. “Right now, as the courts have interpreted this law, that employee needs to go present themself and request these records. We think it is better for everybody if their lawyer could just get these records. If there’s tension between the employer and former employee, let’s just have an attorney submit the records request and have them be delivered to that person’s representative.”

* Investigate Midwest…

Carbon dioxide pipeline and sequestration projects would face significant new scrutiny and regulations under proposed legislation introduced in April in Illinois.

Advocates who helped draft the proposal (SB 3930, HB 5814) say it is crucial to institute standards and protections, as multiple companies seek to sequester carbon in Illinois’ Mount Simon sandstone geology and reap lucrative federal tax credits. The legislation was formally introduced Monday.

State lawmakers held a hearing earlier this month on separate bills (HB 4835, SB 3441) that would place a moratorium on carbon dioxide pipelines for four years or until new federal safety regulations are adopted by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). […]

Companies seeking to sequester carbon dioxide in Illinois have so far failed to secure county approvals for proposed sites, and two major carbon dioxide pipeline proposals — from the companies Navigator CO2 Ventures and Wolf Carbon Solutions — were withdrawn from consideration by the Illinois Commerce Commission last year. But Wolf is expected to refile its application for a necessary certificate of authority. And the commerce commission is currently considering a proposal from One Earth Energy for a six-mile pipeline that — if built — is expected to spur proposals for longer pipelines that would connect to it and a proposed sequestration site.

* National Center for Science Education…

Illinois’s House Bill 4895, one of three climate change education bills active in the Illinois legislature, was passed by the House of Representatives on a 70-37 vote on April 18, 2024, and is now with the Senate.

The bill was amended before the vote. It now provides that, “Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, every public school shall provide instruction on climate change, which shall include, but not be limited to, identifying the environmental and ecological impacts of climate change on individuals and communities and evaluating solutions for addressing and mitigating the impact of climate change and shall be in alignment with State learning standards, as appropriate. The State Board of Education shall, subject to appropriation, prepare and make available multi-disciplinary instructional resources and professional learning opportunities for educators that may be used to meet the requirements of this subsection.”

The provisions of the bill as passed are thus substantially less ambitious than the bill as introduced. As introduced, the bill would have required every public high school in Illinois to “include in its curriculum a unit of instruction addressing climate change in either a required science class or a required social studies class.” It would also have required instruction on climate change to be included in all high school courses in science, agriculture, social science, and relevant career and technical education courses. The state superintendent of education would have been charged with preparing appropriate instructional materials and professional development training for educators.

The other two climate change education bills active in the Illinois legislature — Senate Bill 3644, which was similar but not identical to House Bill 4895 as introduced, and House Bill 4319 — are still in committee.

* WSPY…

A bill that would change the pension code and allow quicker access to payments for state employee retirees has passed the state’s House of Representatives.

The vote in the House occurred on April 16th and was unanimous. State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit sponsored the bill and commended her colleagues in the House for the bipartisan support.

House Bill 4870 focuses on providing state employees greater flexibility and expedite access to retirement benefits by allowing for an estimated payment, which would occur within 30 days of either the employee’s last day of employment or 30 days after filing for retirement benefits in the state’s system. Kifowit says the bill makes sure that state retirees can get access to the retirement they earned as quickly as possible.

The bill now heads to the Senate. If approved and signed into law, the bill would take immediate effect, providing relief and assistance to state employees navigating the retirement process.

* WGEM…

A proposed Illinois Bill, HB5527, would provide Narcan to those leaving jail or prison who struggle with substance abuse problems to help keep them safe upon release. […]

Pat Tyler is the executive director of the Well House, an organization that helps women who are getting out of prison or jail overcome challenges. She said they help women who deal with substance abuse problems by taking them to clinics to get assessed to see what level of care they need, as well as help them get in contact with programs to help them stay clean. She said it’s important they have support from the community to help keep them clean. She said having NARCAN on hand can help keep them safe if they relapse. […]

[Sheriff Anthony Grootens of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office] said they have NARCAN in the jail and provide treatment for prisoners suffering from substance abuse. However, when they are released, it gets difficult to track them.

Grootens said hospitals don’t have to inform them if a formerly incarcerated prisoner has overdosed. He said there’s been instances where they’ve revived a person who overdosed, taken them to the hospital, only for them to leave and overdose again later. He said while having NARCAN available to help is good, there should be a focus on trying to get people long-term help to have them stay clean.