* Capitol News Illinois…
Changes to primary election fundraising, the electoral college and the state’s voter registration database are now law after Gov. JB Pritzker signed a wide-ranging bill on Monday.
The legislation, containing several unrelated election measures, passed near the end of the legislature’s spring session on a vote of 68-38 in the House and 51-3 in the Senate.
A measure loosening restrictions on political parties’ spending during primary campaigns sparked pushback from some House Republicans during debate of the bill.
Under the new law, parties will be allowed to transfer an unlimited amount of funds to candidates during primary elections. In previous elections, parties were limited in the amount of money they could give candidates based on the office they sought. That provision was put in place in 2009 as part of a reform campaign by then-Gov. Pat Quinn, who took office after his predecessor, Rod Blagojevich, was removed from office following a corruption scandal.
* The governor signed 59 bills last Monday. Press release…
Bill Number: HB4621
Description: Creates the Office of Statewide Pretrial Services within the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts.
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately, except that Sections 10 and 15 take effect on July 1, 2025 […]
Bill Number: SB2862
Description: Provides that the Board of Higher Education shall compile, on an annual basis, a list of the most in-demand jobs in this State, along with the starting salary, the median salary, and the typical education level for those jobs.
Action: Signed
Effective: July 1, 2024 […]
Bill Number: SB3414
Description: Requires private insurance to cover continuous glucose monitors without cost-sharing and prohibits prior authorization for continuous glucose monitors.
Action: Signed
Effective: July 1, 2024 […]
Bill Number: HB5559
Description: Requires auto insurance companies to explain in detail how they decided a car was a total loss, including repair costs, salvage value, and market value.
Action: Signed
Effective: January 1, 2025
Click here for the full list.
* Crain’s…
A bill recently signed by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker allows property owners along North Michigan Avenue and other commercial corridors in Chicago to impose a small tax on themselves to fund area improvements, but a new district won’t be in place along the Magnificent Mile until at least 2026.
Backed by Mayor Brandon Johnson and pushed through Springfield by Chicago Democrats, state Rep. Kam Buckner and state Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, the legislation creates business improvement districts, or BIDs, in the city.
A BID allows commercial property owners to self-impose a fee on themselves that would then be spent within the boundaries of the district to attract businesses, update storefronts, add security, and fund infrastructure projects and beautification efforts. Residential properties would be excluded.
The districts are similar to the dozens of special service areas, or SSAs, already in place in Chicago, but proponents argue they provide more control to those being taxed over how the money is spent. They also provide more flexibility in how the tax is assessed, who sits on the board overseeing the funds and whether they could potentially bring in much greater revenue. […]
The initial term of a BID would be five years, with renewals lasting up to 10 years.
* Variety…
Illinois is hoping to lure more talk show and game show productions to the state now that Gov. JB Pritzker has signed a bill that removes some restrictions that kept unscripted shows from participating in the state’s production tax credit program.
The Illinois Production Alliance announced Monday that Pritzker has signed bill HB 5005 into law, which allows national talk shows, contest-based shows and game shows to participate in the state’s Film Production Services Tax Credit program. The expansion of production tax credits was part of an omnibus economic development bill also includes incentives for quantum computing development and redevelopment zones across Illinois. […]
Illinois leaders have made the case that production tax credits handed out by the state more than pay for themselves. According to an economic impact study commissioned by the Illinois Production Alliance, the state’s program brings a $6.81 return on investment for every dollar given out in tax credits. Illinois generated more than $3.6 billion in economic activity from 2017 to 2022. About 94% of film and television production that lensed in Illinois took part in the program.
* WGEM…
Tuesday, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed two bills to try and ease the burden for people who owe medical debt.
One new law will allow the state to establish a fund to purchase and forgive medical debt. The state is spending $10 million this year to start the fund.
“This low-cost program to eliminate medical debt will alleviate a major burden on families across Illinois,” said Pritzker, a Democrat. […]
The other new law Pritzker signed Tuesday will help everyone who racks up medical debt in Illinois starting Jan. 1, 2025. It will bar credit agencies from using medical debt accrued in the state when creating someone’s credit report.
* Press Release…
Governor JB Pritzker signed SB2930 and HB5507 in advance of the 2024 Chicago Pride Parade. SB2930 requires nonprofits to publicly report the aggregated demographic information about their boards of directors to encourage nonprofits to reflect the diversity of the communities they support. HB5507 removes barriers to the process of changing legal gender on a birth certificate for Illinois residents born in other states. […]
Unlike Illinois, many other states require a court order to change one’s legal gender marker on a birth certificate, creating a significant barrier to access for transgender individuals seeking to affirm their gender identity. HB5507 clarifies that Illinois judges have the authority to issue documentation to support those gender marker corrections, allowing Illinois residents to access this change without the expense of returning to their state of origin.
In Illinois, certain private companies and boards and commissions are already required to report aggregated demographic data about their boards of directors. SB2930 expands that requirement to include the leadership boards of nonprofits that report $1 million or more in annual grants. These statistics, available for at least three years on an organization’s website, are intended to assess each nonprofit’s leadership strengths and opportunities for growth and to implement strategies to recruit qualified individuals from diverse communities for board service.
* WGEM…
Ill. Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, signed a bill Monday into law requiring schools create and implement a cardiac response plan by Jan. 1, 2025.
“Which includes but is not limited to procedures to follow in the event of a cardiac emergency, a listing of every AED and location within the school and information on hands-only CPR and use of AEDs,” said state Rep. Laura Faver Dias, D-Grayslake, the legislation’s House sponsor.
The new law also requires staff to learn hands-on cardiac response training including how to do CPR and use an automated external defibrillator (AED).
Another bill on Pritzker’s desk would make sure schools have AEDs on hand. They’re currently only required to be around during sports. The bill would require schools have AEDs available throughout the school day and during all after-school activities.
* PRO…
Rep. Edgar Gonzalez Jr. (D-Chicago) introduced HB 2239 in February 2023. It took almost a full year to get the bill assigned to the House Gaming Committee, and it was re-referred to the House Rules Committee last April.
Gonzalez’s bill didn’t make it any further before the legislature recessed on May 24. Lawmakers will meet for two weeks in the fall. It’s important to note, however, that the current makeup of the General Assembly can meet at any time until January 11, 2025. The legislature meets biennially, meaning their sessions last over two-year periods.
Speaking to PRO this week, Gonzalez said opposition from businesses invested in video gaming terminals (VGTs) helped dash any hopes that HB 2239 would get a hearing from the House Gaming Committee during the current session.
“Our priority this session was the budget, and although igaming was presented as a potential new revenue stream for the state, members of the House and Senate were wary of its implementation, especially after VGTs expressed opposition to the bill,” Gonzalez told PRO on Monday.
* Rolling Stone…
The Illinois bill, which ensures children under 16 are compensated for social media content, went into effect on July 1
A revolutionary new piece of state legislation protecting child influencers is now in effect in Illinois, ensuring that children under the age of 16 will be compensated for appearing in their parents’ social media content.
On July 1, the state of Illinois officially enacted an amendment to its existing Child Labor Law, which specifically states that children under the age of 16 are entitled to a share of the revenue from their adult guardians’ vlogging content, defined in the bill as “content shared on an online platform in exchange for compensation.”
According to the law, if a child appears in at least 30 percent of a parent or caregiver’s social media content over the course of 30 days, the minor is entitled to monetary compensation. Adults are required to set aside those funds to be put in a trust, which the minor can access when they turn 18. The law also allows child influencers to take action against parents who failed to properly compensate them for their work, according to a statement from the office of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who signed the bill into law in August 2023.
* WGN…
Several new ordinances and laws taking effect in Illinois on Monday, July 1 include enhanced benefits for some workers in Chicago, protections for children of social media influencers, additional protections for independent contractors, changes to school assessment tests and the ability for undocumented immigrants to obtain an Illinois driver’s license.
Beginning July 1st, the minimum wage in Chicago will rise to $16.20, up from $15.80.
Statewide, the minimum wage is currently $14.00 an hour, which will increase to $15 an hour by January 1st, 2025. Tipped workers currently receive a minimum wage of $8.40.
Chicago workers will receive at least 10 days off each year, thanks to the Chicago Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave ordinance.
Under the ordinance, workers who work at least 80 hours within a 120 day period are guaranteed five days of paid leave and five days of sick leave.
