* WCIA…

Lawmakers passed the Governor’s plan for health insurance reform out of the Senate Insurance Committee Tuesday.

The measures passed on partisan lines and now heads to the Senate floor. Pritzker’s plan would make a list of changes to the health insurance industry that his office says will put “power back into the hands of patients and their doctors.” […]

The Healthcare Protection Act bans prior authorization for mental health treatments, which is a requirement from health insurance companies that the patient get the permission of their provider for a treatment their doctor already prescribed.

It would also ban step therapies for private insurance and Medicaid. Step therapy is the practice of requiring patients to try cheaper forms of treatments prior to trying more expensive options.

* WBBM…

The state of Illinois is one step closer to allowing people to store digital versions of their driver’s licenses and state ID cards on their smartphones. The Illinois House has passed a bill that would allow the Secretary of State’s Office to issue them.

State Representative Kam Buckner of Chicago, assistant majority leader in the Illinois House, sponsored the legislation.

He says if people can securely store digital versions of credit cards on their smartphones, they should be allowed to do the same with driver’s licenses and state ID cards. […]

The legislation is now before the Illinois Senate.

* SJ-R…

While some disabled and tipped workers have called for improved pay this session, obstacles remain in passing legislation this session despite progress being made.

Two bills now held in the Illinois House would prohibit businesses from paying employees a subminimum wage and instead have them paid the minimum wage, rising to $15 an hour starting next year. Both, however, have encountered resistance from lawmakers and business groups alike who claim it will force them to rise prices to cover the higher wages.

[Rep. Lisa Hernandez] stands by her legislation that would end the tipped wage of $8.40 per hour and replace it with the full minimum wage plus tips. The bill passed out of committee in April despite some opposition within her party, hoping that increased conversation would allow for an agreement to be reached. On Tuesday, she told reporters those negotiations on House Bill 5345 will continue this summer.

“I believe that we made great strides toward a bill that is good for everyone, bridging the interests of restaurant workers and restaurant owners,” she during a press conference. The Illinois Restaurant Association has been staunchly opposed to the measure.

* Tribune…

Legislation to eliminate the subminimum wage for tipped workers statewide appears unlikely to pass before lawmakers adjourn this week, but the coalition pushing the measure vowed Tuesday to continue efforts to bring the rest of Illinois in line with the city of Chicago.

“We have more work to do. We’re going to do that over the summer. We’re going to do it in good faith,” state Sen. Lakesia Collins, a Chicago Democrat, said, standing alongside members of the coalition One Fair Wage at a Springfield news conference.

With the spring legislative session scheduled to adjourn Friday, the bill has not been called to a vote in either chamber, underscoring the difficulty of making the policy statewide after Chicago eliminated the subminimum wage last year.

State Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez noted that the measure “made more progress than ever” and did receive a favorable vote in the House Labor and Commerce Committee.

* KFVS…

he Illinois House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday cracking down on threats against libraries. […]

The bill is an initiative of Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, a Democrat. It would make violent threats against libraries a class 4 felony. It comes after a wave of threats against libraries, which includes 22 bomb threats between July and Sept. 2023 according to the Secretary of State’s office. […]

The bill passed with broad bipartisan support on an 89-20 vote. All 20 votes against the bill came from Republican representatives. The bill now heads to the state Senate.

Before heading to the floor Tuesday afternoon, the bill passed out of the House Judiciary-Criminal Tuesday morning.

The committee previously passed the bill on April 4 but it was amended Tuesday. The previous version included threats against library employees in addition to the entire library. There were concerns by some civil liberties groups that disagreements could be misinterpreted as threats. The amendment also creates a library security grant program.

* WAND…

State representatives passed a plan Tuesday to create new funeral home regulations in response to the mishandling of human remains at the Heinz Funeral Home in Carlinville.

The legislation could create an identification system for all human remains to ensure funeral homes never mishandle remains again.

Under this proposal, anyone intentionally violating preparation room procedures and rules could face a Class 4 felony. People engaging in funeral directing or embalming without a license would be charged with a Class A misdemeanor. […]

The measure passed unanimously out of the House Tuesday. Senate Bill 2643 now moves back to the Senate on concurrence due to a technical amendment.

* Capitol News Illinois…

A bill that would help the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation expand their newly established reservation in DeKalb County advanced out of a state House committee Tuesday, despite concerns about the tribe’s long-term plans for the property.

House Bill 4718 would authorize the state to hand over what is now Shabbona Lake and State Park to the tribe for $1. It also allows the tribe and the Department of Natural Resources to enter into a land management agreement under which the land would remain open to the public for recreational use for an unspecified period. […]

The Prairie Band Potawatomi currently operate a hotel and casino complex on their reservation just north of Topeka, Kansas. But tribal chairman Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick assured the House committee the tribe has no such plans for the property in Illinois. […]

Rupnick insisted the tribe’s immediate plans are to work with IDNR to keep the property open for public recreation. But some Republicans on the committee questioned why, if the bill becomes law, the state should continue to pay for operation of park land that it would no longer own.

The bill passed out of the committee on an 8-4 partisan vote. It now awaits final action in the House and Senate.

* Rep. Dagmara Avelar…

A bill passed by state Rep. Dagmara ‘Dee’ Avelar, D-Bolingbrook, passed out of the House proactively protects women’s right to life-saving care from any further attacks on women’s health by the conservative majority on the US Supreme Court.

“In Illinois, we believe that every woman deserves the right to safe, compassionate care. No one should be denied the care that could protect them from severe injury or death, which is why it is so important we safeguard the legal protections women in Illinois have long taken for granted. Unfortunately, we are being forced to take action as the recent actions taken by the extremist anti-choice majority on the Supreme Court has put the lives and wellbeing of millions of women at risk,” said Avelar. “As an Illinoisian and as a woman, I will not back down until we honor the humanity of every patient. Providing medically necessary services, like life-saving abortions, is a baseline commitment to safeguarding the well-being and inalienable rights of women across the state.”

Although currently protected by federal law, the Supreme Court’s anti-choice majority is expected to rule as early as this June in Moyle v. Idaho, a case that would exempt Idaho’s total abortion ban from the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA). Idaho has presented the Court with an argument that, if accepted, would dismantle critical patient protections in cases involving severe pregnancy complications.

Should the Supreme Court again strike down federal protections for patient health, House Bill 581 would ensure these protections remain in place in Illinois and would impose civil penalties on hospitals that refuse to provide lifesaving abortion procedures.

The bill now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to advance.

* Center Square…

House Bill 4409 would add Illinois Department of Corrections representation to the Adult Redeploy Illinois oversight board, but it also changes the word “offender” to “justice-impacted individuals.” Republicans on the Senate floor said the name change could cost taxpayers thousands of dollars. […]

The ARI program, through community services as an alternative to prison, aims to reduce crime and recidivism at a lower cost to taxpayers. […]

[Sen. Steve McClure] asked [Sen. Robert Peters], the bill’s sponsor, if the bill also sought to change the word “victims.” McClure also asked what the term justice-impacted individual meant.

“That means someone who has been impacted by the criminal justice system and is an individual,” Peters said. “We [in this bill] don’t mess with anything in regards to the term ‘victim,’ we just change the word ‘offender’ to ‘justice-impacted individual.’” […]

The bill passed both the House and Senate and can be sent to the governor for further action.

Sen. Robert Peters…

As a crucial step toward fostering inclusivity and effectiveness, State Senator Robert Peters is leading legislation to expand representation and funding flexibility within the Adult Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board.

“This expansion marks a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to promote equity and effectiveness within the Adult Redeploy Illinois program,” said Peters (D-Chicago) “By diversifying the board and enhancing funding flexibility, the board can better address challenges faced within the ARI system.”

Under House Bill 4409, the ARI board would include representatives from the Department of Corrections, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Sangamon and Cook County Adult Probation departments, along with two members who have former, firsthand experience with the ARI system. This diversification of ARI’s board aims to ensure that all voices affected by the ARI process are heard, enhancing its ability to address systemic challenges and implement equitable solutions.

Furthermore, the legislation would increase flexibility in funding allocation through grant awards, enabling the board to swiftly adapt to emerging needs and support initiatives aimed at improving outcomes within the ARI framework.

House Bill 4409 passed the Senate on Tuesday and now heads to the governor for further consideration.

* WBBM…

Concern is brewing in Illinois’ beer community over new legislation involving the production and sale of beverages that contain hemp-derived THC.

“The people who are already making these beverages and have already stepped into this space are completely shell shocked,” said Ray Stout, executive director of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild.

Stout was talking to WBBM about Senate Bill 3926 and 0776 Senate Amendment 1. The two measures were proposed earlier this year and are part of an ongoing effort in Springfield to give the state more oversight over the creation of products that use THC derived from hemp. The proposals would, in part, make it illegal to make or sell THC-infused beverages without proper licenses. […]

Lightford’s measures would see hemp-derived THC products regulated in a way that’s similar to how the state already regulates cannabis. Leaving the current market unregulated, she added, would undermine “social equity license holders who have long worked to establish a legal, well-regulated business.”

* Sen. Rachel Ventura…

State Senator Rachel Ventura advanced an initiative through the House that would allow local government to apply for loans through the Illinois Finance Authority Climate Bank in an effort to expand clean energy infrastructure across Illinois.

“By offering low-rate loans to local government, the state will not only save taxpayers money in the long run, but also address and tackle the effects of climate change head on,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “We need every level of government to do their part and make drastic improvements to mitigate the effects of climate change.”

Senate Bill 3597 would allow units of local government to apply and obtain a loan from the Illinois Finance Authority Climate Bank to build, purchase, remodel or improve clean energy infrastructure.

Currently, units of local government borrow from the bond market, but by borrowing from the Climate Bank, they will receive a lower interest rate, saving all taxpayers money.

After the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act passed in 2021, cities in Illinois were allowed to borrow funds from the Climate Bank. In 2023, the first full year of IFA’s designation as the Climate Bank, it mobilized $256 million for climate finance purposes. To date, they have received $60 million in federal funding awards, with more anticipated. […]

Senate Bill 3597 passed the House on Tuesday and awaits further action.