* Tribune…

Less than a year after a sheriff’s officer fatally shot a Black Springfield woman, the Illinois Senate has passed two measures aimed at issues raised during nationwide protests over the shooting.

One bill would prohibit law enforcement agencies from hiring any cops unless they authorize previous police departments they worked for to make their employment records available. The second would allow Sangamon County to create a process for countywide elected officials to be recalled through a referendum vote in the 2026 election. Both bills now head to the Illinois House.

The legislation follows the killing of Sonya Massey on July 6 by Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson during a confrontation inside her home outside Springfield. Grayson has been fired and is awaiting trial on murder charges in Massey’s killing. Her death also led to Sheriff Jack Campbell’s decision to step down and a $10 million settlement with Massey’s family. […]

According to the legislation, applicants for police jobs would have to allow their previous law enforcement employers to turn over “background investigation materials collected in connection with making a final offer of employment; duty-related physical and psychological fitness-for-duty examinations; work performance records,” and other investigations related to an officer’s alleged criminal conduct or allegations of violating law enforcement agency rules.

* WCIA…

he Illinois Senate passed a bill that would prevent carbon sequestration projects from being built around the Mahomet Aquifer.

The bill had bipartisan support in the Senate, and the House has a separate bill that accomplishes the same goal. That bill — sponsored by Urbana Democrat Representative Carol Ammons — has bipartisan support, too.

“Our communities rely on the Mahomet Aquifer for safe, clean drinking water – there is no backup plan,” Sen. Paul Faraci (D-Champaign) said. “While carbon sequestration has potential, we cannot gamble with the health of almost one million people. This bill ensures we don’t put short-term projects ahead of long-term water security.” […]

“Water is just not political. And, you know, we’ve got Republicans, Democrats, independents, everybody under the sun. And you can’t just flip a switch if you screw this up,” Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) said.

* The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association…

The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) released the following statement following Senate passage of SB 1723, which would limit carbon capture and sequestration:

“Carbon capture and sequestration is a safe and proven technology that is critical to decarbonizing our environment while maintaining economic growth and prosperity. Though we appreciate the willingness of the Senate sponsor to have conversations about this bill, we remain opposed to the legislation as drafted,” said Mark Denzler, President and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “It was just last year that the General Assembly passed historic legislation to establish the nation’s most stringent carbon capture and sequestration regulations.”

* Capitol News Illinois…

Illinois K-12 schools may soon be required to pick new mascots to replace those that reference Native American names and imagery.

That would include logos, team names and mascots which 90 schools throughout the state use, such as the Mt. Zion Braves or the Cahokia Comanches, according to legislators.

House Bill 1237 passed in the House on Thursday with a vote of 71-40.

The bill points out specific mascots and names like “Redskins, Braves, Chiefs, Chieftains, Tribe, Indians, or any synonymous term” as those being banned. It also applies to logos with Native American feathered headdresses or traditionally Native American weapons, especially if combined with feathers.

If signed into law, schools would have to have a new mascot chosen by July 1, 2026. Other big changes, that would cost schools money, have a slightly longer delay.

The Gun Violence Prevention PAC of Illinois…

The Gun Violence Prevention PAC of Illinois (G-PAC), the state’s leading gun violence advocacy organization, applauded Illinois Senators for passing Safe At Home to protect more children and at-risk and prohibited people from accessing guns in Illinois.

Senate members voted 33-19 Thursday to pass Safe At Home, Senate Bill 8, led by Senate President Don Harmon and sponsoring Senators Laura Ellman and Ram Villivalam.

The proposed legislation would better promote responsible gun ownership in Illinois by enhancing what it means to safely store weapons and strengthening reporting requirements for lost and stolen guns. Working together, these safety measures will protect more children, at-risk and prohibited people from accessing deadly weapons, targeting an increasing number of instances of accidental shootings, suicide, mass shootings, and crime and violence in Illinois communities.

“Too many horrific headlines have proven we need to strengthen our laws to secure guns in homes and better prevent weapons from getting into the hands of children, vulnerable individuals and people prohibited from owning a gun,” said Kathleen Sances, President and CEO of G-PAC. “The research behind Safe At Home shows us that stronger secure storage laws can prevent unintentional shootings, suicide, mass shootings, and crime in our communities. With the level of gun ownership in our society, we must ensure our laws work to keep our communities safe and save lives.”

“Illinois must do more to stop senseless and preventable tragedies that claim lives and devastate families and communities,” Sen. Ellman said. “Safe At Home is a lifesaving measure to help avert the heartbreak of unintentional shootings and other acts of violence.”

“Illinois is a leader in gun violence prevention, and I’m proud to help lead Safe At Home into law,” Sen. Villivalam said. “With the level of gun ownership today, our laws must keep up to protect children and other vulnerable populations from accessing weapons and preventing tragedy.”

Senate Bill 8 now moves to the Illinois House for consideration, sponsored by Reps. Maura Hirschauer and Kevin Olickal.

Provisions of Safe At Home include:

- Outlines improved safe storage requirements in homes where a minor, at-risk person, or someone prohibited from using firearms could gain access to them.
- Changes definition of “minor” to a person under 18 years of age (military and national guard excluded).
- Adds civil penalties associated with the failure to safely secure firearms; at first violation, courts may impose community service or restitution.
- Strengthens requirement for reporting a lost or stolen firearm from 72 to 48 hours after the owner first discovers the loss or theft.
- Requires education for gun owners of the obligation to report a lost or stolen firearm at the time of firearm purchase and FOID/CCL application and renewal process.
- Requires ISP to create a portal for law enforcement to report individuals who have failed to report the loss or theft of a firearm.
- Imposes penalty of revocation of FOID card on second violation for failure to report lost and stolen firearms.

One Aim Illinois…

Last night, the Illinois State Senate passed the Safe at Home Act (SB8), an important step forward in the fight to reduce gun violence across our state. The bill strengthens firearm storage requirements and tightens the timeline for reporting lost and stolen guns—two simple changes that could help save lives. The following is a statement from Yolanda Androzzo, Executive Director of One Aim Illinois:

“This legislation is about responsibility, prevention and protecting the people we love. By passing the Safe at Home Act, the Illinois Senate is taking meaningful action to address unintentional shootings, suicide, gun trafficking and the everyday harm that many of our communities carry.

“Every year, hundreds of children and teens are killed or injured because of unsecured firearms. Guns that go unreported when lost or stolen often end up in the hands of people who use them to commit crimes, disproportionately impacting Black and brown communities. These are gaps we can close—and today, the Senate showed what’s possible.

“We are incredibly grateful to our bill sponsors and to the countless advocates, survivors and organizations across Illinois who raised their voices to move this bill forward.

“Now, we urge the Illinois House to pass Safe at Home without delay. The fight to end gun violence requires all of us—and our communities can’t afford to wait.”

* WTVO…

The Illinois Senate has passed a bill that would prevent employers from firing an immigrant worker if their records don’t match the federal E-Verify system.

Federal immigration law requires employers to verify the legal work status of their employees through the E-Verify system, which compares information from an employee’s I-9 form to the Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration to confirm eligibility.

If a discrepancy is found, many employers terminate employees, according to Sen. Javier Cervantes (D-Chicago), who introduced Senate Bill 2339.

The new bill prevents Illinois employers from firing an employee solely based on a “no match” letter from the federal government.

* Sen. Mark Walker…

State Senator Mark Walker’s bill to weed out the bad actors in the digital currency industry would help protect thousands of Illinois consumers from predatory practices and expand digital coin businesses.

“The digital assets industry is an exciting economic opportunity, but it attracts many bad actors,” said Walker (D-Arlington Heights). “This bill would create reasonable guidelines for crypto companies to follow without limiting their growth and opportunity.”

Illinois had the sixth most losses from crypto fraud of any state in 2023, with over 1,900 complaints, according to the FBI. These fraud cases take various forms such as “pig butchering,” where scammers will convince consumers to invest in their coin that goes up in value until the scammer executes a “rug pull,” seizing all the money the consumer transferred to the coin. While these fraud schemes are not new practices, the anonymity of cryptocurrency makes it difficult to hold fraudsters accountable.

The Digital Assets and Consumer Protection Act aims to limit fraud cases by requiring digital currency companies to provide disclosures to consumers and demonstrate financial fitness for payouts. Additionally, it requires companies to register with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and create procedures to address risks of money laundering, fraud and cybersecurity. […]

Senate Bill 1797 passed the Senate on Thursday.

* WCIA…

A bill in the Illinois statehouse would add training for celiac disease for licensed food handlers. Topics that workers would need to be trained on include the symptoms of celiac disease, methods to avoid cross-contamination with gluten-containing foods, cleaning and sanitizing procedures and proper labeling of gluten-free products. […]

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Sally Turner (R-Beason), said she was inspired to propose the bill after one of her staffers was diagnosed with celiac disease.

“It opened my eyes to the daily challenges faced by individuals who must strictly avoid gluten to stay healthy,” Turner said. “This legislation is a step forward in making dining safer and easier for those living with this disease.” […]

The bill passed the Senate unanimously and now heads to the House.

* WTVO…

Illinois Senators unanimously passed a bill that would create a new optimized plan to better support first responders and schools during emergencies.

The bill would require the State Board of Education and fire marshals to develop clear and definitive guidelines to school districts, private schools and first responders for threat assessment procedures, rapid entry and cardiac emergency response plans.

Lawmakers also proposed to require the State Board of Education to provide school districts with outlines of what steps should be included within the school district’s threat assessment procedure.

The bill was introduced by Senator Michael Hastings (D-Tinley Park) following multiple shooting threats to schools in his district last year.

* Sen. Dave Koehler…

State Senator Dave Koehler is sponsoring legislation to extend press freedom protections to public media outlets like NPR and PBS affiliates that operate on Illinois college campuses.

“Public media plays an essential role in informing our communities,” said Koehler (D-Peoria). “Ensuring their independence, accountability and trust is upheld is vital to democracy.”

Senate Bill 1988 would prevent campus-based public media from being subject to prior review by university officials. It would also allow employees or contributors to seek legal relief if their rights are violated, while also expanding liability protections.

The measure would extend the protections student-led campus media has to campus-based public media outlets.

“If we value independent journalism, we need to protect it,” said Koehler. “We must ensure public media remains a vital and accessible resource for all.”

Senate Bill 1988 now advances to the House for further consideration.

* WAND…

In the state capitol, a bill to limit how AI could be used in health insurance claims passes the Illinois House.

The plan would prohibit insurance companies using AI as the sole decision maker in denying a health claim. It wouldn’t ban AI, just stopping it from being the sole decision maker.

It would also require the insurance company to make a yearly report to their customers showing when they used AI in their cases. […]

The proposal passed the House on a partisan 79-35 vote. It now heads to the Illinois Senate, where lawmakers could talk about it in the coming weeks.

* Sen. Laura Fine…

Legislation by State Senator Laura Fine to improve health insurance plan transparency for consumers passed out of the Senate today. The bill ensures consumers receive important information about changes to their insurance plans.

“Providing consumers with information about legislative changes to their health care plans can make a difference in their medical and financial planning,” said Fine (D-Glenview). “Enrollees must have access to this essential information to ensure their medical needs are covered.”

Currently, health insurance providers are required to provide enrollees with a list of in-network providers and a description of their coverage annually upon request.

Senate Bill 1346 would expand the list of required information to include any newly enacted state coverage mandates. The Illinois Department of Insurance would be required to post an annual report on its website with this information.

Additionally, insurers would be required to issue a benefit information card noting if the plan is self-insured or fully funded and if the plan is subject to regulation by the Department of Insurance.

“This measure will alleviate confusion between consumers and policy providers, ensuring consumers don’t face surprise coverage denials,” said Fine. “I look forward to working with advocates and colleagues to see this measure become law.”

Senate Bill 1346 passed the Senate on Thursday.