* Sun-Times…

After a suburban woman successfully challenged a Richton Park law that penalized tenants for making calls to 911, housing advocates are pushing for more protections statewide from so-called “crime-free” policies or laws that they say can lead to evictions and other penalties without due process. […]

The Village of Richton Park amended its crime-free ordinance after the lawsuit was filed, and now housing advocates are pushing for changes to these local laws across the state. The Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, which represented Jones in the federal case, is among those advocating for Senate Bill 2264, which would bar municipalities from penalizing renters for calling 911 for help.

More than 170 municipalities across Illinois — including Chicago — had similar local laws, housing advocates estimated at the time the lawsuit was filed. These ordinances date back to the 1990s as a way to reduce crime in rental properties.

The bill would establish some protections, including:

- People wouldn’t be penalized for calling police for assistance in cases of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking.
- A crime-free housing coordinator would have to handle violations of the code.
- A 30-day notice would have to be issued for any crime-free violations, and tenants would be able to request a hearing at the county level.
- If an eviction was filed, it could only name whoever is convicted of a crime, not the entire household.

* Center Square…

An Illinois lawmaker calls his bill a “Band-Aid,” and urges Democrats to look at the “bigger problem” when it comes to property tax relief.

Senate Bill 2086 seeks to raise the income limit for the Low-Income Senior Citizens Assessment Freeze Homestead Exemption to $75,000 for taxable year 2025. State Sen. Chris Balkema, R-Champaign, is the sponsor. […]

Under current law, seniors can apply for their assessed value to be frozen, but the income parameters are “low,” according to […]

“It’s a Band-Aid approach, and it picks at the areas of the population that are vulnerable. On the other hand, if we keep picking at that, then we’re left with everybody else to pay the bigger share, which isn’t fair either,” said Balkema. “We’ve got to fix the problem.”

The Senate Revenue Committee has to address the bill by April 11.

Despite Sen. Balkema urging Democrats to focus on the bigger problem, his bill has no Democratic co-sponsors.

* Governors State University Professionals of Illinois President Mike Hart…

A recent opinion piece by Ralph Martire skillfully detailed the importance of Illinois investing more in higher education, noting that our state has for years failed to properly fund public universities. The consequences are bleak, increasingly making a four-year degree out of reach for low- and middle-income students, especially Black and Latino students. This hurts our state’s economic competitiveness and undermines our communities.

Now, these scant resources may be divided further through a broad expansion of community college degree programs under consideration by lawmakers. While the stated goal of this effort is admirable, the practical effect would amount to yet another blow to our state’s higher education ecosystem by diluting resources across institutions, undermining the ability of both community colleges and four-year universities to provide high-quality academic experiences in Illinois.

We need another approach that doesn’t pit higher education institutions against one another. Through more than 3,000 successful partnerships and agreements, public and private universities are already offering four-year degree programs that can be completed on community college campuses, online or through traditional 2+2 pathways.

These partnerships have fostered degree completion programs directly on community college campuses, further expanding access to higher education. Many students in these existing programs receive guaranteed scholarships, some of which ensure they pay no out-of-pocket costs for tuition and fees.

* Sun-Times…

Over the past few years, the Illinois General Assembly has tried and failed repeatedly to pass legislation regulating [delta-8 and other hemp-derived THC products], which Gov. JB Pritzker has branded a public health threat to children. […]

State Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, has introduced legislation that would impose age limits, testing standards and packaging requirements while issuing $500 licenses to sell products taxed at 10%. […]

State Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, also has introduced a bill that would regulate hemp THC beverage distribution without addressing the broader hemp product industry. [..]

Hemp talks have been on Springfield’s back burner as lawmakers sort through a difficult state budget season. Sources on both sides of the debate were skeptical a bill could advance by the end of the spring legislative session in late May — but nobody is ruling out a deal.

A Pritzker-backed bill to regulate hemp previously passed out of the Senate but completely stalled out in the House.

* WAND…

A bipartisan plan led by local lawmakers to find ways to keep young farmers farming unanimously passed the Senate floor.

The bill would create a commission that would look at ways to keep the next generation of farmers from leaving. It would also look at ways to attract first generation farmers into buying land. […]

State Sen. Sally Turner (R-Lincoln) said as farmers get older, the state needs to find new ways to get their kids to take over the land.

“Because most farmers are in their middle sixties and we need new young farmers,” Turner said. “I think it’s really important that we hone in how we can help our farmers.”

* Sen. Javier Cervantes…

To ensure dental patients do not have to pay the bill for their visits out of pocket until their claim is processed, State Senator Javier Cervantes is working on legislation that would require insurance to cover visits immediately.

“Patients should not have to worry about a shelling out a majority of their paycheck from visiting a dentist when they have dental insurance,” said Cervantes (D-Chicago). “Thanks to this measure, their visits will be automatically paid by insurance, without making patients go through the reimbursement process.”

Without this legislation, dental insurance carriers would only be required to cover the cost of the visit—but it is unspecified if they need to pay the providers directly, or just reimburse the patient for their visit. This means many insurance plans do not immediately pay for a patient’s treatment, and leave them to cover the bill after the visit, only to reimburse them months later.

To reduce the financial burden this places on patients, Senate Bill 1392 would require insurance companies to send payments directly to dental providers when the patient requests. […]

Senate Bill 1392 passed the Senate Friday. It goes to the House of Representatives for further consideration.

* Center Square…

People with disabilities would no longer be overtaxed for adaptive vehicle equipment with a bill from Illinois state Sen. Don DeWitte, R-St. Charles.

According to Illinois statute, consumers should pay a 1% tax on medically-required equipment and the customary 6.25% or more on the rest of the vehicle.

DeWitte told members of the Illinois Senate Revenue Committee Thursday that the law is applied when people add the equipment after they receive their vehicle, but they get charged 6.25% or more on the equipment when it comes with the car from the factory.

“Senate Bill 253 will remove that ambiguity and make clear that, regardless of when a person with a disability modifies and purchases their vehicle, the lower sales tax rate will still apply for the medically-required equipment,” DeWitte said.

* Sen. Julie Morrison…

While support services exist for a range of substance use disorders, similar resources can be difficult to access for individuals facing a gambling addiction. State Senator Julie Morrison is working to close this gap with legislation that would recognize compulsive gambling as a disorder, paving the way to improved treatment in Illinois. […]

Senate Bill 118 would recognize gambling disorder under the Substance Use Disorder Act, allowing the Illinois Department of Human Services to integrate treatment of the condition through their work of addressing substance use.

According to a 2021 statewide report commissioned by IDHS, 3.8% of adult Illinois residents experienced problems with gambling, with an additional 7.7% of Illinoisans at risk of developing a gambling problem. Morrison’s legislation would enable IDHS to establish programs for the prevention, recognition and treatment of gambling disorder, as well as utilize funding to support local intervention programs through grants.

Senate Bill 118 passed the Senate on Thursday.