* Capitol News Illinois…

Several measures signed on Friday outline changes to higher education.

Senate Bill 462 bans public colleges and universities in the state from considering an applicant’s relation to any past, current or prospective donors during the application process. It also bars those schools from considering an applicant’s “legacy status,” or whether they are related to former students.

Senate Bill 3081 requires public universities to provide information about transfer fee waivers to students transferring in from a public community college. It also encourages those universities to automatically waive transfer fees for low-income students.

A third measure is aimed at lowering tuition costs for noncitizen Illinois residents. Senate Bill 461 requires public universities to charge in-state tuition for Illinois residents who attended an Illinois high school for at least 2 years or who graduated from an Illinois high school. It also would require universities to offer in-state tuition rates to some students who attended a high school, any college or university or a combination thereof for a combined three years.

* Sen. Cristina Castro…

Easier and more efficient ways for Illinois businesses and diverse contractors to do business with the state are coming soon, thanks to a new law sponsored by State Senator Cristina Castro.

“Navigating the procurement process can be a daunting task for small firms. These are the businesses we should be lifting up – not making their jobs more difficult,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “Improving efficiency in government contracting not only helps minority-owned businesses get their foot in the door, but also promotes competition and allows state dollars to go further in supporting these projects.”

To eliminate long-standing obstacles and increase diversity in state contracting, the law – previously House Bill 5511 – takes steps to modernize the procurement process, improve transparency, encourage responsible competition and safeguard taxpayer dollars in infrastructure projects.

Supplier diversity improves access to government contracting for businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans and people with disabilities. The new law drives Illinois’ supplier diversity goals forward by requiring benchmarks to be set for minority business development programs and tasking the Commission on Equity and Inclusion with oversight to ensure the programs are implemented effectively.

To address the slow pace of the procurement process, the measure enables contractors to fix procurement violations while the procurement process moves forward, and allows bids to be posted or accepted online.

Further, the law prioritizes local competition and control by ensuring counties follow competitive bidding requirements that apply to other units of local government. It also eases the joint purchasing process to make it easier for towns, villages and counties to utilize existing state contracts – reducing the need for duplicative contracts for similar needs. Under the law, more businesses can qualify as small businesses so they can more easily access contracting opportunities with the Illinois Tollway.

A priority of Castro’s, one provision aims to move the state toward contracting with more Illinois companies on construction projects by expanding the definition of an Illinois business. Under the law, a business operating and headquartered in Illinois for at least one year is eligible to receive a 4% bid preference on state projects.

House Bill 5511 was signed into law Friday and goes into effect immediately.

* WCIA…

The Shelby County Rescue Squad is officially authorized to work under state law.

Their dive team all resigned at a Shelby County Board meeting due to problems with their insurance coverage last year. […]

A new law cracks down on the single, small-sized plastic bottles inside hotels. All hotels with 50 or more rooms will not be allowed to offer those small hygiene products in individual rooms and public bathrooms starting on July 1, 2025, with smaller hotels expected to follow suit by 2026. Advocates hope the bill lessens the amount of plastic waste. […]

Gyms and fitness businesses in the state will be required to offer contracts that can be cancelled online or by email, instead of by letter or in person. Advocates believe the law protects consumers from financial strain of forgotten and unused subscription fees.

* Attorney General Kwame Raoul…

Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced that legislation amending the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA) to clarify and strengthen its protections was signed into law.

“The Illinois Human Rights Act is an important tool for combating discrimination,” Raoul said. “I want to thank Gov. JB Pritzker for signing this legislation, which will help my office enhance our efforts protecting the people of Illinois by strengthening enforcement against bad actors and improving processes for taking action. I remain committed to defending the civil rights of all Illinois residents.”

House Bill (HB) 5371 is the result of the collaborative efforts of the Attorney General’s office and the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR), which enforce the state’s Human Rights Act. […]

The new law will enhance civil rights protections for people in Illinois and provide important clarifications to the law. Specifically, it will:

- Continue to bring the IHRA into substantial compliance with federal fair housing law.
- Strengthen relief in discriminatory pattern-and-practice determinations by clarifying the term “per violation.” For example, a business that repeatedly discriminates against multiple employees could be held accountable for each instance of a violation. Repeated harassment and discrimination should not constitute a single violation of the act, and relief should be proportionate to the amount of harassment and discrimination victims had to endure. The law also increases the maximum penalty amounts that a court may award in the Attorney General’s pattern-and-practice determinations and fair housing lawsuits.
- Clarify that aggrieved parties have the right to take action to collect judgments, even if they do not intervene in the state’s enforcement action.
- Codifies criteria language from the Illinois Civil Rights Act of 2003 to expressly prohibit unjustified disparate impacts in real estate transactions.
- Ensure confidential reporting of discrimination and hate incidents to helplines administered by IDHR and the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes.
- Reduce redundancies and improve enforcement processes.

* Sen. Mary Edly-Allen…

Recording artists will now have more protections from artificial intelligence (AI) replicating their voice or work thanks to a new law championed by State Senator Mary Edly-Allen. […]

As an emerging technological platform, there are no current restrictions on AI models replicating a music artist’s voice. Without regulations, some organizations and even music studios have sought to establish a monopoly of control over their artists’ voices and melodies for AI projects.

To give artists more agency of how their voice or melody may be replicated by AI, House Bill 4762 requires artists to have legal representation or support from a collective bargaining agreement when negotiating an AI project involving their art, and how they will be compensated for the AI replica. This would prevent music studios from profiting off an artist’s likeness or voice by using AI to replicate them without the consent of the artist or without fair compensation. […]

House Bill 4762 was signed into law Friday, Aug. 9, 2024 and goes into effect immediately.

* Ride Apart…

Have you ever had the horrifying experience of opening up an old electronic device and finding a leaky battery inside?

Although those aren’t the same type of batteries found in modern e-bikes, that experience gives you some idea that old batteries can develop harmful problems. Not only can they cause issues for the electronic device that they’ve been sitting inside for far too long; but they can also leak out into the environment if they’re, say, disposed of in a landfill. […]

That’s why it passed the new Portable and Medium-Format Battery Stewardship Act and sent it to Illinois Governor Pritzker’s desk, where he signed it into law on August 9, 2024. This new law will require battery sellers and distributors in the state to develop appropriate recycling stewardship programs by the year 2026. […]

Batteries for e-bikes and e-scooters are covered, and are considered as “medium-format batteries.” It’s worth noting here that this law contains language explicitly excluding batteries for larger electric vehicles, such as cars, trucks, or motorcycles. However, since e-bikes and e-scooters only continue to increase in popularity, it’s important to have solid programs in place to properly dispose of their batteries when they’re no longer usable.

As of August 12, 2024, there are nine states (plus Washington DC) where battery producers are now required to fund battery recycling programs (Illinois is the latest).

* WIFR…

A bill allowing alcohol to be served at an event space in Boone County and another bill designed to improve water infrastructure in Marengo become laws. […]

The North Boone Fire Protection District #3 at 305 W. Grove Road in Poplar Grove will soon be able to rent their hall for occasions with alcohol. There is no other banquet facility in Poplar Grove that allows the sale or delivery of alcohol. The new law takes effect on January 1, 2025. […]

Another law allows the city of Marengo to acquire land needed to extend water and sanitary sewer services for the I-90 Route 23 Corridor. This is made possible through a $26.9 million grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The law takes effect immediately.

* Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton…

In order to make medication more accessible to Illinoisans, State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton’s new law prohibits pharmacists from refusing to fill a written prescription.

“Pharmacies must accept doctors’ prescriptions for approved medication regardless of how the prescription is sent to them,” said Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs). “Every Illinoisan deserves the right to their medication when they need it.”

In response to the opioid epidemic, Illinois passed a law in 2021 requiring prescriptions of controlled substance to be sent electronically. However, some pharmacists have been refusing to fill non-electronic prescriptions despite exceptions under the law. Glowiak Hilton’s new measure will clarify this process by prohibiting pharmacists from refusing to fill paper or non-electronic prescriptions.

“Denying someone of their medication could have serious medical consequences,” said Glowiak Hilton. “These are unnecessary barriers that must be addressed in our pharmacies to prevent potential harm.”

House Bill 4874 was signed into law Friday and takes effect immediately.

* WSIU…

House Bill 4925, sponsored by State Senator Dale Fowler (R-Harrisburg), has been signed into law, providing significant protections for local motorcycle dealerships across Illinois. The new legislation amends the Motor Vehicle Franchise Act, specifically targeting burdensome mandates that could impose substantial costs on dealerships.

Under the new law, vehicle manufacturers, distributors, or wholesalers are prohibited from requiring motorcycle dealers to make expensive upgrades or improvements to their facilities. These mandates, which could previously be enforced without consideration for the financial impact on smaller dealerships, often placed undue stress on local businesses trying to remain competitive in a challenging market.

Senator Fowler, speaking on the importance of the bill, highlighted the need to support small businesses by reducing unnecessary financial burdens. “My hope when bringing this proposal before the Senate was to protect our smaller dealers from substantial costs that they could incur due to mandates from manufacturers,” Fowler stated. “We should be looking at ways to alleviate the burdens placed on small businesses, not upholding unnecessary and costly mandates that make it harder to operate here in Illinois.”

Additionally, the law prevents manufacturers from making aspects of the manufacturer-dealer relationship contingent on the dealer complying with potentially unreasonable demands. This ensures a more balanced and fair relationship, allowing dealerships to focus on serving their communities without being pressured into costly changes. The bill was signed into law on August 9 and took effect immediately.