* Illinois Families for Public Schools…

There was yet another disturbing news item last week about the Powerschool breach in December that impacted more than 60 million students and almost 10 million educators, including dozens of districts in Illinois. Now school districts hit by that breach are being extorted to prevent the release of data that Powerschool says it paid the original hackers to “delete.”

Paying ransom for data is something that, for years, the FBI and CISA have advised companies and organizations NOT to do!

On top of this, Powerschool has still not been forthcoming with full details of the impact of the breach, but it was almost certainly the result of their inadequate security protocols; according to NBC News, “the hacker simply obtained a single employee’s password,” and PowerSchool admitted publicly that “the infiltrated PowerSource system did not have multi-factor authentication support.”

Even though companies have a duty to implement adequate security measures for education data under IL’s Student Online Personal Protection Act (SOPPA), Powerschool will likely never be held accountable for violating SOPPA. Only our state attorney general can enforce SOPPA, and that’s never happened since the law was passed back in 2017.

Sadly, HB 2696, which would give families the right to sue companies that violate SOPPA, is still languishing in the Senate Assignments Committee, more than a month after it passed the House, 70-38.

* Click here for some background. Rep. Dan Ugaste…

State Representative Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) will soon be filing legislation aimed at halting self-benefiting advertising campaigns from Illinois entities, public or private, that receive government funding. This important legislation is in part a response to the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) attempting to persuade the public to contact their legislators regarding bills that could provide it with additional state funding.

This ongoing ad campaign from RTA is known as ‘Save Transit Now.’ The agency claims that it is facing a fiscal cliff, and drastic service cuts could be on the horizon if more state funding is not secured. They are reportedly seeking an additional $1.5 billion in funding from the state.

“The agency claims it is broke, yet the organization is currently spending three-quarters of a million dollars on an all-encompassing ad campaign in northeast Illinois,” Rep. Ugaste stated. “This reckless spending is wasteful and out of touch. No entity that receives government funding should be allowed to advertise to the public, solicit the public, or conduct a marketing campaign in favor of or against any policy or legislation.”

* Rep. Maura Hirschauer…

A dedicated advocate for commonsense gun laws that prioritize public safety while adhering to constitutional rights, state Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-Batavia, is spearheading a measure that aims to keep firearms out of reach of small children and at-risk minors.

“When we address a topic as contentious as guns and ownership rights, it is extremely important to hear concerns on both sides of the aisle. It’s possible to have smart gun reform that still protects 2A rights, and that’s exactly what we’re working toward, ” said Hirschauer. “We’ve had many positive and productive conversations. I look forward to getting this legislation through the finish line to truly prioritize public safety in our communities.”

Senate Bill 8, known as the Safe Gun Storage Act, aims to enhance gun storage safety and address stolen firearm requirements with the ultimate goal to prevent access to firearms by minors, at-risk individuals, and those prohibited from possessing them. The bill would require firearm owners to secure their weapons in a locked container, rendering them inaccessible and unusable to anyone except the owner or an authorized user.

“We’ve heard too many tragedies of firearms landing in the wrong hands. This is a smart way we can work toward a solution to keeping guns away from children and those who absolutely should not have access to a weapon,” said Hirschauer. “This legislation is a baby step in the realm of keeping our kids safe and away from nonsensical gun violence.”

Senate Bill 8 favorably passed out of the Senate Chamber and awaits House consideration.

* Capitol News Illinois…

Amid concerns about Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, lawmakers in Springfield supporting human rights for Palestinians have increasingly signed on to legislation opposing the decade-old anti-boycott law. But so far, these bills have stalled.

Illinois’ 2015 law prohibits state pension funds from investing in companies engaging in the Boycott, Divest, Sanction, or BDS, movement against Israel, making Illinois the first U.S. state to enact such legislation, with dozens of other states following suit. The measure, signed into law by Gov. Bruce Rauner, a Republican, was modeled after similar post-9/11 measures restricting Illinois’ pension funds from investment in companies that engage in business with the governments of Iran and Sudan.

When boycotting Israel became grounds for blacklisting, Illinois lawmakers established the Illinois Investment Policy Board, tasked with investigating companies’ investment choices. Opponents of the laws have warned they curtail free speech. Israel is the only country for which boycotting is penalized in Illinois by the board.

To repeal this policy, Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, D-Bridgeview, introduced House Bill 2723, and Sen. Mike Porfirio, D-Bridgeview, introduced Senate Bill 2462 earlier this year. Since then, some 22 co-sponsors were added in the House and Senate, while two of those later had their names removed. […]

Rashid’s and Porfirio’s bills have stalled in committee despite the initial support from about one-fifth of the Democratic caucus, including the leaders of the Latino, Black and Progressive caucuses.

Thousands of bills, the vast majority of those proposed, get stuck in the Rules Committee every year for various reasons. In HB 2723’s case, the holdup can be attributed in part to the political costs of supporting the bill, advocates said.

Sen. Napoleon Harris, D-Harvey, was listed as a cosponsor on March 20, and Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove, signed onto the bill on April 2, but both had their names removed on April 8. Neither senator responded to a request for comment on their reasoning.

* WAND…

As the clock ticks down toward the end of spring session, Democratic lawmakers hope to pass a plan to allow anyone dying of a terminal illness within six months to have the option of medically-assisted death. […]

Experts told the House Executive Committee Friday that medical aid in dying is approved in 10 states, and there have been no substantial cases of abuse or coercion since Oregon became the first state with the policy in 1997. […]

The House version of this plan has 15 Democratic co-sponsors, but the plan would need support from 60 Democrats before Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch allows for a floor vote. […]

Meanwhile, a Senate version of the legislation could come up for a floor vote as early as next week.

Sen. Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) filed the legislation after dealing with both her mother and father’s deaths. She told colleagues in February that they both suffered with extreme pain before they died.

* Donovan Griffith, Jack Lavin and Lou Sandoval…

Affordable housing is the foundation of a strong, sustainable economy, and the demand in Illinois is overwhelming. At this moment, there’s a shortage of over 290,000 affordable rental homes for our lowest-income residents. […]

Put simply, if we want Illinois to remain competitive in site selection and economic development, we need to build more homes. The Build Illinois Homes Tax Credit (HB 1147/SB 62) is a key part of the solution.

It’s a chain reaction: Build affordable housing. Companies invest. People get jobs. Communities thrive. That’s why business groups including the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Chamber Commerce, and the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association are calling on lawmakers to pass this commonsense legislation to build affordable homes desperately needed across our state. […]

One annual round of funding through the Build Illinois Homes Tax Credit would support the creation of 1,150 affordable homes or apartments, 7,000 jobs, and generate $653 million in economic benefits over 10 years.

* Illinois Public Interest Research Group Director Abraham Scarr…

Rooftop solar eventually pays for itself and, thanks to battery storage, can be used to power our homes year-round. And, as a nonpolluting energy source, it helps keep our air clean and our climate stable.

Yet in Illinois, we are tapping only a small amount — 2%, according to 2022 figures — of our potential solar energy generation, despite rapidly falling costs, improvements in technology, favorable tax incentives and growing demand. Increasing the number of homes with solar panels and battery backup systems is a critical component of Illinois’ clean energy transition. […]

Thankfully, Illinois lawmakers are now considering the Residential Automated Solar Permitting Act, sponsored by state Sen. Bill Cunningham and state Rep. Marcus Evans, which would implement instant permitting statewide. The projected benefits to consumers, jurisdictions and the clean energy transition would be tremendous.

According to a recent report from the Greenhouse Institute and the Brown University Climate Solutions Lab, instant permitting could lead to an additional 35,000 to 36,000 home solar roofs in Illinois by 2030 and as many as an additional 300,000 by 2040. Those 300,000 solar roofs could eventually save 30 million to 31 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, the equivalent of shutting down eight coal-fired power plants for a year. In addition, instant permitting could bring down the cost for a family to install solar by as much as $2,100 by 2030 and by more than $4,000 by 2040.

SB2385 and its companion bill in the House have yet to pass through committee.

* WAND…

State lawmakers are renewing calls for a bill to increase educational requirements for surgical technologists.

The legislation could require their degree to come from a nationally accredited program that includes a mock surgical treatment.

Sponsors told reporters in Springfield Thursday that Stroke Awareness Month is the perfect time to pass the bill, as it is critical that patients receive care from properly trained staff. […]

The measure passed out of the House on a 73-35 vote last month. State senators could vote on the proposal during the final two weeks of the spring session.