* AP…

CLAIM: An Illinois bill would change how individuals who committed criminal offenses are referred to under state law, replacing “offender” with “justice-impacted individual.”

AP’S ASSESSMENT: Missing context. The bill, HB 4409, would not relabel all people who commit crimes as justice-impacted individuals — just those in the state’s Adult Redeploy Illinois program. Adult Redeploy Illinois is intended to reduce incarceration, in part, by placing individuals with any probation-eligible offense in community corrections programs rather than in prison. […]

“HB4409 represents a small change to an incredibly successful diversion program that simply seeks to better reflect the program’s intention,” State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Democrat who co-sponsored the bill, wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “Those who choose to fan the flames of misinformation and fearmongering do all of us a disservice. Focusing on semantics rather than substance is an insult to everyone’s intelligence.” […]

HB 4409 was passed by the Illinois state Senate on Tuesday after passing the House on April 16. In addition to the name change, it stipulates that an oversight board for Adult Redeploy Illinois will include two individuals who participated in programs funded by the initiative and adjusts how funding for Adult Redeploy Illinois is allocated.

* WGN…

Illinois could soon join a handful of states with digital IDs and driver’s licenses.

House Bill 4592, introduced by Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago), passed by a unanimous vote in the state senate Friday. The bill cleared the state House of Representatives earlier this week and now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker for his signature.

The legislation would not eliminate physical driver’s licenses but would allow the state to offer them as a companion to a physical card. […]

Some Transportation Security Administration security checkpoints are equipped to accept digital IDs, with support expanding.

* WAND…

State lawmakers are sending a plan to the governor’s office to create new funeral home regulations in response to the mishandling of human remains at the Heinz Funeral Home in Carlinville.

The Integrity in Death Care Act would create an identification system for all human remains to ensure funeral homes never mishandle human remains again.

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. […]

Senate Bill 2643 passed unanimously out of the Senate Friday and previously gained unanimous support in the House.

* WAND…

A bill heading to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk could help make schools safer through new student discipline procedures.

The Illinois House passed legislation Friday to require the Illinois State Board of Education to draft and publish guidance for development of reciprocal reporting systems between schools and law enforcement.

This measure also calls on ISBE to publish guidance for re-engagement of students suspended, expelled or returning from an alternative school setting. […]

Senate Bill 1400 passed out of the House on a 106-5 vote. It previously passed out of the Senate on a 54-2 vote.

* Rep. Angie Guerrero-Cuellar…

State Rep. Angie Guerrero-Cuellar, D-Chicago, is expanding career opportunities for mental health professionals by passing legislation eliminating non-compete agreements for those who serve veterans and first responders.

Guerrero-Cuellar championed Senate Bill 2737 which prohibits non-compete and non-solicitation agreements for mental health services that support veterans and first responders. Current agreements would be void if they result in an undue burden on veterans or first responders seeking mental health services from licensed mental health professionals.

“Ensuring our communities have the personnel ready to aid and save lives is critical, but often you have competing organizations cornering the market and preventing employed personnel from doing their jobs. This puts everyday Illinoisans in danger,” Guerrero-Cuellar said. “Barring non-compete, non-solicitation agreements means more of our professionals can remain in the field, responding to emergencies and protecting us. While it’s unfortunate that some organizations have stifled emergency response, this legislation will make sure these personnel are there when we need them.”

* WTVO…

The Illinois State Senate passed a bill to phase out fluorescent lighting on May 24th.

The switch to LEDs will save Illinois consumers more than $1.5 billion on utility bills, avoid 2.2M metric tons of CO2 emissions by cutting energy waste and prevent 419 pounds of mercury pollution by 2050, according to the Appliance Standards Awareness Project. […]

Illinois will become the 10th state to pass clean lighting policies after Minnesota passed similar legislation last week.

“Energy efficiency is the foundation of the clean energy transition. The cheapest, cleanest energy is the energy we don’t use,” said Illinois PIRG State Director Abe Scarr. “We thank Senator Johnson and Representative Nicholas Smith for their leadership on this important policy.”

* Sen. Rachel Ventura…

State Senator Rachel Ventura advanced legislation that passed both chambers on Friday to address surplus state-owned properties by curating a report on its condition.

“We have an obligation to address the numerous state-owned properties that have either been vacant or unused, which in turn wastes taxpayer dollars through maintenance and security costs,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “This legislation will give us insight into each property’s maintenance and demolition costs to consider what to do with them in the future.”

Senate Bill 381 would require the Director of the Department of Central Management Services to assess surplus real property held by the State and determine whether or not the property is unsellable in its current condition.

Additionally, the director is required to submit a report, beginning on Feb. 1, 2025 and every other year, detailing the assessment to the governor and General Assembly. The report will include the annual state maintenance costs for said properties and attempts to sell the properties as well as the estimated demolition and remediation costs at the time of the last attempted sale. […]

The Senate concurred to Senate Bill 381 on Friday. It now heads to the governor for further consideration.

* WAND…

The Illinois House voted unanimously Friday to pass a plan requiring DCFS caseworkers to develop hair care plans with youth in care and their foster parents.

Members of the DCFS Youth Advisory Board worked with lawmakers to make this recommendation into legislation. They stressed that Black children are often placed with families or in residential settings where they aren’t allowed to wear their hair in ways that represent their cultural background. […]

The plan would allow DCFS to adopt rules to facilitate implementation of the changes, including responsibilities of caseworkers and placement plan specialists in developing the hair care plan, engaging parents regarding the hair care needs of youth and procedures to follow if the parents cannot be contacted, and factors to consider in granting children increased autonomy over hair care decisions.

House Bill 5097 passed unanimously out of the House Friday. It previously passed out of the Senate on a 49-9 vote. The proposal now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk for his signature of approval.

* Sen. Mike Porfirio And Rep. Stephanie Kifowit…

To protect our nation’s veterans from predatory business practices, State Senator Mike Porfirio and State Representative Stephanie Kifowit championed legislation through the General Assembly aimed at combating unaccredited companies that target veterans by offering benefits in exchange for financial compensation. […]

Common predatory practices include guaranteeing an increased disability rating or percentage increase, advertising expedited VA claims decisions, requesting login credentials to access a veteran’s personal information through secure VA websites and more. Senate Bill 3479 would combat deceptive business practices by ensuring transparency regarding these businesses’ lack of VA accreditation. To offer better consumer transparency, Porfirio’s legislation requires these entities to disclose that their businesses are neither endorsed by nor affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Under the measure, which is a legislative priority of Veterans of Foreign Wars at both the state and federal level, veterans would be better informed about the services offered to them, reducing the risk of misleading or fraudulent advice. The goal is to protect veterans from these deceptive practices and establish a more secure environment when they are seeking assistance related to their veteran or military benefits. […]

Senate Bill 3479 heads to the governor for final approval.