* NBC Chicago…

An Illinois bill that would prohibit Dave & Busters customers from wagering in the company’s app passed a Senate committee this week.

According to State Sen. Bill Cunningham, House Bill 2724 passed out of the Senate Executive Committee on Wednesday, marking a step toward prohibiting the company from offering wagering services in its arcades. In a press release, he described the practice as “unregulated gambling” and said that arcades shouldn’t offer the option to wager on games.

“We have been extremely careful with how we regulate gambling in Illinois, whether that is on sports, table games or video poker,” Cunningham said in a statement. “Arcades marketed as family fun shouldn’t be in the business of exposing minors to gambling.”

The bill would prohibit other companies from introducing similar games, according to the General Assembly’s website.

Dave & Busters unveiled the option for customers last year, allowing them to wager on various arcade games like Hot Shots basketball and Skee-Ball. The functionality is available through the company’s app, according to CNBC.

* Sen. Laura Fine…

To further mitigate the harmful environmental impact and potential health risks from disposable food packaging, State Senator Laura Fine is leading a measure to prohibit the sale or distribution of food containers containing polystyrene foam, commonly known as Styrofoam.

“When you take food to go, you may dispose of the containers in several minutes. However, if the disposable container is made of polystyrene, it can remain in our environment for many years. Styrene food packaging contains harmful chemicals that can leach into food, especially if the food is hot or acidic,” said Fine (D-Glenview).

“Polystyrene food containers do not break down naturally in the environment, and pieces of these containers are often found in our waterways and aquatic life.”

In 2023, Fine passed the Degradable Plastic Act to ban state agencies and universities from purchasing or using polystyrene by Jan. 1, 2025. Building on these efforts, Senate Bill 1531 would prohibit the sale or distribution of polystyrene foam food containers across Illinois starting Jan. 1, 2030.

Polystyrene foam contains styrene, a chemical that has been classified as a carcinogen and is linked to vision and hearing loss, poor memory and concentration, cancer, as well as nervous system damage.

“Pollution from polystyrene food containers is one of the leading forms of litter in beach cleanups across Lake Michigan,” said Fine. “I look forward to moving Illinois closer to our clean water and environmental safety goals.”

Senate Bill 1531 passed the Senate on Wednesday.

* The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association on SB1531…

“This proposal would have a direct impact on jobs, as polystyrene food service container manufacturers and suppliers employ more than 1,000 workers throughout Illinois. This isn’t a hypothetical, as production facilities have shut down in other states that have passed similar bans,” said Donovan Griffith, Executive Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer of the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association. “Lawmakers are risking jobs on the false promise that this legislation will curb plastic use. Polystyrene is 100% recyclable and is being collected in Illinois and turned into other products. Banning it will simply encourage a shift to other plastics that require more raw materials and more energy to produce.”

* WCIA…

An Illinois State Senator is proposing a new bill that’ll require specific facilities to have an AED on site.

Senator Doris Turner is hoping to get the lifesaving machines into nursing homes, assisted living centers, shared housing and other places. There’s a nursing home in Savoy that doesn’t have any AEDs, however the nursing director at Clark-Lindsey in Urbana said they have more than 10.

One patient who lives at the Urbana nursing home said that’s what sparked his interest in staying there. […]

Current state law says physical fitness centers, police departments, public schools and a few other places are required to have AEDs inside their buildings.

Sen. Turner’s HB1287 passed the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, the bill now heads to the Senate floor.

* Sun-Times…

[An Acupuncture] treatment, known as the “five-needle protocol” or auricular acupuncture, is used to help curb cravings for people dealing with substance abuse. The Black Panthers and Young Lords political organizations adopted the practice decades ago, and advocates now are calling for its expanded use as a tool for community groups. […]

The question over who should be allowed to perform the treatment was at the center of a recent bill in the General Assembly. The measure would have allowed people who aren’t licensed acupuncturists to apply the therapy. These people would undergo training to do auricular acupuncture, though they still would be prohibited from doing acupuncture in other parts of the body.

The Illinois Society of Acupuncturists, which opposed the bill, in a statement said the training that would have allowed people to perform the five-needle protocol isn’t equivalent to the level of training from a specialist. […]

Jiménez says the bill won’t advance during this legislative session, but she is requesting a hearing and will push to bring the bill back during the next session. She is working with a coalition of workers in the mental health and harm reduction fields.

* Center Square…

State Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, leaves little doubt about where he stands on a measure now being debated in Springfield that seeks to raise the age a child can be arrested in Illinois for perpetrating a crime from 10 to 12 years old.

Introduced by state Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, Senate Bill 1784 would also establish that arrests involving such minors can only be carried out as a last resort, in such instances where probable cause that they committed a crime is apparent, or if they have repeatedly failed to appear at scheduled hearings on the matter.

“If a juvenile does something at the age of 10, I think we definitely need to have parental involvement as the priority,” Ford told The Center Square. “And if there’s going to be charges made, I think that parents should be involved from day one, almost as if they’re being charged with the crime.” […]

After passing the Senate by a 33-17 vote, the measure now heads to the House for debate.

* Sen. Laura Murphy…

State Senator Laura Murphy is championing a measure to crack down on unlicensed car dealers deceiving consumers with sales of defective cars.

“In our current financial landscape, consumer protection is more important than ever,” said Murphy (D-Des Plaines). “Unlicensed car sellers pose significant risks to consumers, not just financially but also by putting the lives of unsuspecting customers in danger with cars that are of questionable quality.”

The goal is to make the already illegal practice of “curbstoning” — a scheme where individual sellers draw car shoppers to places like parking lots and side streets to sell used cars without a license — more difficult. The cars are sold for more money than they are worth and typically have significant issues such as water damage, mileage rollbacks, mechanical issues, or salvaged titles — which are only issued if the car has sustained enough damage to be declared a total loss.

Under the measure, vehicle dealers would not be able to park and advertise cars on public streets or highways, public parking lots or public property. Law enforcement agencies would be allowed to authorize towing services to remove a car if it is displayed for sale with a damaged, destroyed, removed, covered or altered vehicle identification number.

In addition, the legislation would create the Unlicensed Motor Vehicle Dealer Enforcement Task Force to review unlicensed car dealership enforcement in the state. The task force would recommend ways to extend additional protections to customers, investigate online sellers, and explore enhanced penalties and enforcement mechanisms. […]

House Bill 2751 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

* WAND…

State lawmakers hope to pass a bill in the final month of session to create an evidence-based funding model for Illinois public colleges and universities. Although, the idea has been met with intense criticism from the University of Illinois and some Senate Democratic leaders.

Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood) and Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) are leading the effort to shake up the funding process for the state’s 12 public universities, as they argue funding should be based on the needs of each college rather than a flat method of distribution. […]

Advocates suggested investing at least $135 million in public universities over the next decade could help shift the burden of college costs away from students and families. Some argue an evidence-based funding model could also lead to 15,000 more college graduates each year. […]

Lightford ended Wednesday night’s intense subject matter hearing by criticizing the University of Illinois for sharing what she called misinformation about the bill. She said millions of dollars of financial aid and student support would not be at risk under her legislation.

* Sen. Lakesia Collins…

To help address health care deserts and ensure mothers get the care they need, State Senator Lakesia Collins is moving legislation to give certified nurse midwives more independence and greater flexibility in care they provide.

“This legislation will give certified nurse midwives more opportunities to collaborate, lead and deliver care families can trust,” said Collins (D-Chicago). “By modernizing outdated rules, we are making health care more accessible across Illinois.”

Currently, certified nurse midwives often have to collaborate formally with a physician to practice at full scope, but this can pose a challenge as more than one-third of Illinois counties lack maternity care. Under Collins’ legislation, House Bill 2688, CNMs would be allowed to provide out-of-hospital birth services at licensed birth centers without the need for a formal collaboration agreement, as long as they have permission from the birth center’s clinical director.

The legislation would also allow physicians who do not provide home birthing services the ability to collaborate with a CNM who does, which could assist in rural areas where there are limited birth care options for thousands of women. Further, the measure would protect access to this care by ensuring collaborative agreements do not prohibit a CNM from providing home birthing services. […]

House Bill 2688 passed the Senate Licensed Activities Committee on Wednesday.