* HB1710 from Rep. Kam Buckner was discussed in a subject matter hearing of the House Gun Violence Prevention Committee yesterday. WAND…

State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-Chicago) has been working on a law enforcement transparency bill for several years. The plan would require law enforcement to create quarterly reports on all homicide and violent crime in their communities.

In the report would be the crime, the date it happened and the status of the case. This would let people keep themselves updated on police progress on crimes that impacted their families. […]

“Nobody wants to get rid of gun violence more than legal gun owners,” State Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer (R-Jacksonville) said. “I want to reiterate the need for proper prosecution and not just for penalizing the individual but for closure for the victims and the victims family. I appreciate what you’re trying to do.”

Illinois State Police are currently against the bill, but are in conversation with Buckner to change some language of the bill. […]

The bill is still in committee where lawmakers could vote on it later in session.

* Sun-Times…

Decades of predatory towing practices in Illinois have led to pulled licenses, a name change, at least one folk song and many a frustrated driver.

Now state legislators have proposed a bill to curb towing companies’ ability to take advantage of car owners whose vehicles crash or break down.

The bill would give the Illinois Commerce Commission the authority to crack down on businesses that use loopholes under current laws and hold towing firms accountable, said state Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago.

The commission has fined repeat offenders hundreds of thousands of dollars, but many of these fines go unpaid, while some bad actors continue operating by renaming their businesses.

More from ABC Chicago…

“The problem is these fines go unpaid, and the bad actors continue to be just that,” said Ruben Ramirez Jr., Chief of Police at Illinois Commerce Commission Police. “They ignored the citations we write and continue illegal operations, and because of the way the current towing safety towing law is written, they can register with a new towing license just by using a new company name.”

“Our bill, Senate Bill 2040, takes aim at these bad actors and their shady business practices,” State Senator Celina Villanueva said. “Their predatory practices will no longer be tolerated. One critical provision in the Bill would ban towing companies from holding on to personal property.”

The proposed bill would not be regulating pricing, which is done by federal law. ABC7 will provide updates as to when the new bill moves forward for a vote it’s in the beginning stages.

* WAND…

The Illinois Pharmacists Association and Illinois Council of Health System Pharmacists are backing Gov. JB Pritzker’s plan to lower drug prices and increase access to community pharmacies. […]

“It is through the tireless efforts of these elected officials that we hope to see the end of PBM-driven practices that have long terrorized patients and pharmacies here in Illinois,” said IPhA President and Petersburg Pharmacist David Bagot. “Together, we can ensure PBMs no longer control the system at the expense of the patients and the pharmacies.” […]

The governor’s legislation could set new transparency requirements and penalize PBMs when they fail to comply. Sponsors told WAND News that they plan to have the bill language filed next week. […]

Still, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association told WAND News last week that Pritzker missed the mark on the value of pharmacy benefit managers. Their organization argued that the core mission of PBMs is to lower prescription drug prices and increase access.

“PBMs are working on behalf of Illinois employers, unions, and patients in the fight against high drug costs and are the only stakeholder in the prescription drug supply chain dedicated to lowering drug costs,” PCMA leaders stated. “In fact, PBMs save patients and employers $1,040 per person per year in the state and will save Illinois patients and health plans $39.9 billion over ten years.”

* Sen. Robert Peters…

Illinois workers are on track to receive more options and better security when it comes to saving for retirement thanks to a new measure sponsored by State Senator Robert Peters, which advanced out of the Senate State Government Committee Wednesday.

“We know retirement savings can be a challenge for Illinoisans, especially those without access to a 401(k) or similar employer plan,” said Peters (D-Chicago). “This bill gives workers more flexibility to choose the best retirement savings options for their situation.”

In 2015, the state created the Illinois Secure Choice Savings Program to address the growing gap in retirement savings for Illinois workers. Nearly 40% of private sector workers in Illinois do not have access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan, leaving many with no way to save for the future. Since its inception, the program has helped over 150,000 participants save more than $200 million for retirement, with more than 25,000 employers offering the program to their workers.

Peters’ measure is designed to expand these efforts, giving workers more options for retirement savings. By allowing workers to hold both a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA, the bill offers more flexibility and personalized savings strategies. The initiative would also make the program more portable, meaning workers can continue contributing to their retirement savings even if they change jobs, without losing track of their funds.

“We’re not just creating savings accounts, we’re creating a system that supports our workers throughout their careers,” said Peters. “This measure ensures workers can manage their savings no matter where they work, while also holding employers accountable for properly enrolling their employees and submitting contributions. It’s a win for our state’s workforce and their financial futures.”

Senate Bill 1441 awaits further consideration from the full Senate.

* WCIA…

A proposal to exempt the Mahomet Aquifer from carbon sequestration projects is picking up steam in the Capitol. […]

“What we’re looking for right now is more co-sponsors and seeing if we can get this moved along quickly,” [Annette McMichael, a Hopedale resident and boardmember for Illinois’ People’s Action,] said. “It’s really more of an amendment to the current bill to make sure that we protect our only water source in central Illinois.” […]

There are currently several iterations of the same bill, but they all seek to accomplish the same goal. Representative Carol Ammons recently added over 20 cosponsors to her version — HB 3614.

“Our risk level is zero on this bill, and that’s why we are working on this session to make sure we can be clear about that and protect the aquifer,”

As of this morning, HB3614 has 24 Democratic co-sponsors.