* Capitol City Now…

One of the big bills expected to run during the just-concluded lame duck session, the regulation of hemp derivatives such as delta-8, did not even get called in the House.

The sponsor, State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago), says he is hopeful to nail it down this year. Gov. JB Pritzker criticized opponents for killing a bill meant to protect children. But Buckner says it’s just not that simple.

“It’s a complex issue. It’s a public health issue, it’s a public safety issue, it’s an economic development issue, it’s a regulatory issue,” said Buckner as the 103rd General Assembly adjourned. “When you talk about all four of those big areas, they take some conversation. This isn’t the first time we have had that conversation. I think the first delta-8 bill was filed three years ago.”

* Brownfield Ag News…

The president of the Illinois Healthy Alternatives Association says a proposal in the General Assembly would decimate the state’s hemp industry.

Justin Ward says the bill, which seeks to ban the sale of products like HHC and Delta 8 outside of licensed cannabis dispensaries, would put many hemp farmers out of business.

“It would absolutely wipe out the entire hemp industry here in Illinois.” He says, “It would make 95% of the products currently available on the market, and widely popular among Illinois consumers, illegal. This would be hugely detrimental to farms like ourselves, potentially putting us out of business.” […]

Neither bill was called in the lame duck session, but Ward, who’s also co-founder of Stoney Branch Farms in Rushville, says he expects the issue to re-surface in the spring legislative session.

* Rep. Suzanne Ness introduced HB1146 last week…

Amends the Solid Waste Planning and Recycling Act. Provides that, beginning 18 months after the amendatory Act’s effective date, (1) no store or food service business shall provide or sell a single-use plastic carryout bag to a customer and (2) no grocery store shall provide or sell a single-use paper carryout bag to a customer. Preempts home rule powers. Contains other provisions. Effective immediately.

* Crain’s…

The new session of the Illinois General Assembly is likely to consider further regulation of the health industry’s middlemen for prescription drugs, including a sweeping bill regulating rebates, audits, steering customers toward preferred pharmacies, and specialty drug issues.

House Bill 1159, introduced by state Rep. Thaddeus Jones, D-South Holland, would increase the state’s regulation of pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, that work with self-insured employer plans as well as health insurance providers.

The bill, similar to one Jones introduced last session, would amend the Illinois Insurance Code to forbid PBMs from limiting access to prescriptions or steering patients to certain pharmacies, specifically by “unreasonably designating the covered prescription drugs as a specialty drug,” the bill’s synopsis said.

It also would make PBMs remit 100% of any drug company rebates or fees to the health benefit plan sponsor, consumer or employer and forbid a PBM from paying a reimbursement less than the national average drug acquisition cost, plus a professional dispensing fee.

* HB1178 filed by Rep. Rita Mayfield…

Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that a minor found to be guilty may be committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice if the minor is at least 14 (rather than 13) years and under 20 years of age, provided that the commitment to the Department of Juvenile Justice shall be made only if the minor was found guilty of a felony offense or first degree murder. Provides that when a minor of the age of at least 14 (rather than 13) years is adjudged delinquent for the offense of first degree murder, the court shall declare the minor a ward of the court and order the minor committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice until the minor’s 21st birthday, without the possibility of aftercare release, furlough, or nonemergency authorized absence for a period of 5 years from the date the minor was committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice. Amends the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Provides that on or after July 1, 2026 and before July 1, 2027, any minor 12 years of age or older arrested pursuant to the Act if there is probable cause to believe that the minor is a delinquent minor and that secure custody is a matter of immediate and urgent necessity, in light of a serious threat to the physical safety of a person or persons in the community or in order to secure the presence of the minor at the next hearing, as evidenced by a demonstrable record of willful failure to appear at a scheduled court hearing within the past 12 months, may be kept or detained in an authorized detention facility. Provides that on or after July 1, 2027, minors age 12 years of age and under 13 years of age and charged with first degree murder, aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated battery in which a firearm was used in the offense, or aggravated vehicular hijacking, may be kept or detained in an authorized detention facility. Provides that no minor under 13 (rather than under 12) years of age shall be detained in a county jail or a municipal lockup for more than 6 hours. Provides that instead of detention, minors under the age of 13 who are in conflict with the law may be held accountable through a petition under the Minors Requiring Authoritative Intervention Article of the Act, or may be held accountable through a community mediation program.

* Rep. Maurice West filed HB1272…

Creates the Wholesale Prescription Drug Importation Program Act. Requires the Department of Public Health to establish the Wholesale Prescription Drug Importation Program. Provides that the Department shall implement the program by: contracting with one or more prescription drug wholesalers and Canadian suppliers to import prescription drugs and provide prescription drug cost savings to consumers in this State; developing a registration process for health benefit plan issuers, health care providers, and pharmacies to obtain and dispense prescription drugs imported under the program; developing a list of prescription drugs, including the prices of those drugs, that meet certain requirements set forth under the Act and publishing the list on the Department’s website; establishing an outreach and marketing plan to generate program awareness; ensuring the program and the prescription drug wholesalers that contract with this State comply with certain federal tracking, tracing, verification, and identification requirements; and other actions. Sets forth eligibility criteria for prescription drugs that may be imported into the State under the program. Contains provisions concerning anticompetitive behavior monitoring; program funding; program expansion; audit procedures; annual reporting requirements; the adoption of rules to implement the Act; and federal waiver or authorization requirements. Effective July 1, 2025.

* Crain’s…

State Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago, has introduced a bill to divest the University of Illinois System from investments in fossil fuels.

The bill, which was introduced earlier this week, calls on the university system’s board of trustees to “not invest” the assets of any endowment fund in investments tied to any fossil fuel company. […]

Guzzardi, who introduced a similar bill last year that died in committee, told Crain’s the bill is part of an effort by students at the university system who have been demanding their leaders take action on divestment in fossil fuels and address their climate concerns. […]

In an emailed statement, an Illinois system spokesperson said, “The University of Illinois System, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the U of I Foundation value and demonstrate sustainable practices and innovation across our multiple missions, to help achieve the goal of a carbon-neutral economy. We employ a comprehensive strategy to discover, develop and implement solutions that reduce our carbon footprint and that can be shared across our nation and around the world.”

* Shaw Media columnist Scott Holland…

Everything old is new again, an axiom that feels especially true in the early days of a legislative session.

Consider House Bill 1089, from state Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford, which would create the Illinois Container Fee and Deposit Act and, more directly, add an extra dime to the purchase price of beverage cans and bottles. Consumers could return the empties for a full refund, and 75% of unclaimed deposit money would go to the state Environmental Protection Agency while the rest is prorated amongst distributors based on sales.

If that sounds familiar, that’s because of the connections to Senate Bill 85 from January 2023. That proposal went through several revisions, collected sponsors and bounced between the Executive and Assignments committees before stalling out in late June. Last January I shared a piece from Marissa Heffernan at the trade publication Resource Recycling (tinyurl.com/ILbottlebill) which remains relevant for its exploration of factors like landfill fees, municipal expenses, litter abatement and input from recycling facilities.

The topic drew quality reader feedback, including from those familiar with similar programs in Iowa and Michigan and others who, like me, considered container redemption our first job, whether it was glass bottles in East Texas in the 1960s or feeding the aluminum can machine at Jewel in the 1980s until it spit out enough coins to buy a pack of baseball cards.