* Chicago Reader…

All Ed Cetwinski could think was, “God, I’m out of prison. I can live my life a little bit.” He had just been released from Taylorville Correctional Center after five years behind bars. But even though he’s free from his prison cell, he’s still not free.

Most criminal convictions in Illinois include a period of mandatory supervised release (MSR). It’s like parole, but it’s served as part of a prison sentence rather than in lieu of it. People on MSR must adhere to a litany of conditions, like curfews enforced by electronic monitors. For most people, it lasts from one to three years, but for Cetwinski, it’s not clear how long his MSR term will last.

People convicted of certain sex offenses, like Cetwinski, are required to be on MSR for anywhere from three years to the rest of their lives. But there’s an issue: a permanent address is a requirement for supervised release, and Illinois’s housing banishment laws make it nearly impossible to find housing. […]

The Chicago 400, a grassroots organization of people subject to public conviction registries in Illinois and their allies, is pushing legislation to shrink the size of the housing banishment zone and prevent people from being forced to move if a day care opens nearby. The proposal has yet to be heard in committee, the first step in the legislative session that ends in late May; multiple people involved in negotiations, who are not authorized to speak publicly, say conversations are ongoing.

* Capitol News Illinois…

Protesters flooded the rotunda of the Illinois Statehouse earlier this month, urging legislators to increase wages for caregivers of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The ‘They Deserve More’ coalition — representing advocacy organizations, families and over 90 agencies providing community care — is asking that these direct support personnel, or DSPs, receive at least 150% of Illinois’ minimum wage.

The coalition is also seeking to avoid a cut to state-funded DSP service hours that would result from a provision in Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed budget for the Illinois Department of Human Services. […]

Demonstrators called for support for two bills moving through the Illinois General Assembly, House Bill 2788 and Senate Bill 1690, which propose raising the base wage for DSPs. Both bills failed to clear the legislature ahead of recent deadlines, but matters pertaining to state funding are generally included in the end-of-session budget package.

Edwina Hernandez, a DSP Recruiter at Cornerstone Services in Joliet, says her agency has trouble providing services to disabled residents due to employee retention challenges. DSPs are the individuals who provide daily personal care such as assisting individuals with eating, grooming and dressing.

“We do have a lot of workers out there who have a heart to serve and a heart to help the community. It’s just the pay,” Hernandez said at the demonstration.

* House Republicans…

On Wednesday, three Illinois House Republicans, who also work as family farmers, held a Capitol news conference to highlight legislation they are sponsoring to support Illinois’ agriculture industry. Specifically, State Representatives Dan Swanson (R-Alpha), Jason R. Bunting (R-Emington), and Wayne Rosenthal (R-Morrisonville) have sponsored legislation they say will help save family farms in Illinois.

State Rep. Dan Swanson is a 6th-generation family farmer near Alpha, Illinois. His family raises various crops and livestock. Swanson says Illinois must do more to preserve agriculture for the future. Swanson has sponsored HB 1501, legislation that creates an income tax credit for the owner of an agricultural asset who sells or rents that asset to a beginning farmer.

“There are young people in Illinois right now who want to get started in farming, but don’t always have the opportunity,” Swanson said. “We need to get that next generation up and running in agriculture. Unfortunately, my bill wasn’t called before the required deadline. We need to get serious about preserving the future of agriculture in Illinois.”

State Rep. Jason R. Bunting operates a family farm in Emington in rural Livingston County. Rep. Bunting noted the very real and dangerous conditions that farmers encounter in several aspects of their work. Rep. Bunting is sponsoring House Resolution 29, which would designate the week of September 15-21, 2025, as Farm Safety Week. Bunting also noted two other bills that would emulate Scott’s Law, which requires drivers to move over and slow down for stopped emergency vehicles. Bunting’s HB 3204 and HB 3205 would make Scott’s Law provisions applicable to farm implements.

“My bill would require drivers to make room for farm equipment on the roads so they can safely pass the equipment,” Bunting said. “This legislation would make the road safer for farmers, and for every other Illinoisan who drives the rural roads of this state, so that we can all make it home safely to our families.”

State Rep. Wayne Rosenthal is the former Director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and a 4th-generation family farmer. Rosenthal argued for the Illinois estate tax exemption to be raised to help save family farms from double taxation.

“I know first-hand what this unfair estate tax means to my family and to every other family farm in Illinois,” Rosenthal said. “This isn’t just a tax, it’s a threat to our way of life. Too often, I have heard from families, friends, and neighbors who have been hit hard by this unfair tax. Illinois estate taxes are levied on farm owners when they pass on. Unlike monetary assets that can be moved, land cannot, so our family farms are penalized. Illinois has not adjusted the estate tax on farmland in more than a decade. Inflation has risen, and we haven’t made the necessary changes to our estate tax. We still have time to fix this problem this Session, we need to get to work so we can save Illinois family farms.”

* WAND…

The Illinois House Education Policy Committee approved a bill Wednesday to stop police from giving tickets and citations to students for breaking school rules. […]

Lawmakers and advocates filed this plan after ProPublica found 11,800 tickets were handed to students from 2019 to 2022.

“The goal of the bill is to basically say that if it is minor enough to be a municipal violation like vaping or minor fights, keep it in the school,” said Aimee Galvin from Stand for Children Illinois. “School is a unique environment for offering discipline, unlike a business. If something happens at Walgreens, they don’t have an after school detention or say ‘you can’t come to the dance.’” [….]

The legislation passed out of committee on a 9-3 vote and now moves to the House floor for further consideration. Senate Bill 1519 passed out of the Senate on a 37-17 vote earlier this month.

* Center Square…

The Illinois House Ethics & Elections Committee met Tuesday evening to discuss the Safeguard Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. […]

The ethics & elections committee also discussed several election-related bills currently under consideration in the Statehouse.

State Rep. Nabeela Syed, D-Palatine, said she proposed HB 1445 to make polling places accessible for young voters.

“It makes me excited that we have a potential opportunity to make it easier for young voters to have a say in their political process and feel like they are deciding their future and they are deciding the people that elect them,” Syed said. […]

State Rep. Adbelnasser Rashid, D-Bridgeview, proposed House Bill 2998, which provides that all local election authorities shall post requirements and qualifications for running for local offices and petition filing deadlines on the website of the local election authority.

* Fox 2 Now…

An Illinois bill that would ban that would ban schools from using Native American names, mascots and logos has passed the Illinois House and is now under review in the Senate. […]

For decades, Collinsville High School has used a “Kahok” mascot name. The name represents a fictional Native American tribe, and many school leaders view it as a symbol of local identity and heritage.
Dr. Mark Skertich, superintendent for the Collinsville School District, issued a public statement on April 10 outlining the district’s stance. The statement reads, in part:

“Our Collinsville High School Kahok mascot is a treasured part of our local community. Our district is home to the Cahokia Mounds World Heritage and State Historic Site, which is located where a large, influential Native American city once stood. Artifacts indicate it was the center of Mississippian culture in its day.

In 2020, our district received a formal written endorsement from the Western Cherokee Nation of Arkansas and Missouri to continue using our Kahok mascot. Their support is based on their belief that the people of the Western Cherokee could be descended from the Cahokia mound builders.”