* The Grist…

Two years ago this week, the Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. the Environmental Protection Agency significantly limited the agency’s ability to use the 1972 Clean Water Act to safeguard the nation’s wetlands from pollution and destruction. The decision determined that wetlands — waterlogged habitats that help filter water and sequester carbon — must be indistinguishable from larger bodies of water to be eligible for protection under the law. […]

Illinois appears to be well positioned to protect its wetlands. It’s a blue state with Democratic supermajorites in both state legislative chambers and a governor friendly to climate policy. But last year, a wetlands protection bill never made it to the General Assembly for a vote. And Illinois State Senator Laura Ellman, the primary sponsor of the bill, is pessimistic about pushing the same bill through the legislature this year.

One major opponent stands in the way: the Illinois Farm Bureau. “If the Farm Bureau is against it, a lot of legislators from downstate will be against it,” Ellman told Grist. “I think a lot of planets would have to align before we could get this bill passed this session.” […]

Ellman’s bill is “definitely in a precarious situation this year,” said Jennifer Walling, who runs the Illinois Environmental Council, an organization that advances environmental policy statewide. “This is something that makes so much sense. It should be bipartisan support, and yet it’s getting a lot of challenges.”

* The Pantagraph…

Virginia-based Revolutionary Racing wants to develop a 200-acre parcel of vacant land on Decatur’s western edge into a one-mile harness race track that would include a casino with 900 gaming positions. […]

But in order to do that, they first need Illinois lawmakers to authorize an additional horse racing license. Sen. Patrick Joyce, D-Essex, has a bill that would do that, but whether it moves before the legislature wraps up next week is anyone’s bet. […]

Joyce filed an amendment earlier this week that removed the opposition of Accel Entertainment, which owns FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing — previously known as Fairmount Park — in Collinsville, by adding a provision increasing the amount of off-track betting locations they are permitted to have from nine to 18.

That removes a big hurdle. But others remain. The owners of the Golden Nugget Danville and the Par-A-Dice Hotel and Casino in East Peoria remain opposed.

* Tribune…

Also up in the air are elements of Pritzker’s legislative agenda, a menu that includes legislation involving consumer protection, education, local governance and abortion rights, one of the governor’s signature issues.

One measure passed by the Senate and awaiting approval from the House would provide more protections under Illinois’ 2023 shield law, which prevents health care workers from facing disciplinary action by the state if, for instance, they provide abortion care to someone from another state that has more stringent abortion restrictions. […]

The governor is also pushing legislation that would regulate pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, companies that act as intermediaries among drugmakers, insurance corporations and pharmacies.

The legislation, among other things, would prevent PBMs from sending patients to pharmacies where they have a financial interest and it would also include prohibiting PBMs from pocketing certain savings on medications.

A bill that is expected to include language for a Pritzker-led measure that would allow some community colleges to offer four-year degrees advanced through the House Executive Committee Friday. But Democratic Rep. Curtis Tarver of Chicago at that hearing said, “The Black Caucus has some concerns about the concept and the bill in general.”

* Rev. Dr. K. Edward Copeland, pastor and former public defender…

Last month, the state of Illinois took the first step in over 70 years to fix an under-funded and resource-starved public defense system when the Illinois House of Representatives passed the Funded Advocacy & Independent Representation (FAIR) Act.

While other states are facing sweeping lawsuits or releasing accused people from jail due to a failure to provide public defenders to poor people who can’t afford an attorney, Illinois is moving in the other direction by working to establish a robust public defender system statewide. Thanks to the leadership and sponsorship of Rep. Dave Vella, a former public defender in Winnebago County who saw firsthand how broken the system is, the FAIR Act is now being considered by the Illinois Senate.

As a former assistant public defender in Kankakee County, I applaud the House for recognizing and addressing what has been painfully obvious to many for too long: for decades, public defenders in Illinois have worked too many cases at once with inadequate budgets and little-to-no support staff or administrative support. Individuals’ Sixth Amendment rights are at risk because of it. […]

The FAIR Act, HB3363, promises meaningful reform. It creates a statewide public defender office to collect data, establish caseload standards, and provide resources to smaller jurisdictions that struggle with attorney recruitment and retention. […]

But there is another way. The FAIR Act establishes a state commission to facilitate appointment of public defenders across this state. This approach is endorsed by national legal professional organizations because it makes plain sense: The branch of government that administers trials and hands down punishment to those who are convicted should not be in the business of appointing or removing people responsible for one side in a legal fight. The system cannot afford even the suggestion that judges and attorneys for the accused are operating in concert.

* WAND…

Illinois has made significant investments in mental and behavioral healthcare since the COVID-19 pandemic. A bill heading to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk could make Illinois one of the first states to provide universal mental health screenings for young children and teens.

Early detection can be critical to help youth receive the best mental health services. Senate Bill 1560 could require public schools to offer age appropriate, confidential mental health screenings to identify mental health concerns and link students to support. Students in grades 3 through 12 would participate in the screenings once per school year. […]

Senate Bill 1560 passed out of the House on a 72-36 vote last week. It previously gained unanimous support in the Senate.

The legislation would take effect at the start of the 2027-28 school year if Pritzker signs the bill into law.

* Chicago State University President Zaldwaynaka Scott and President of the Chicago Urban League Karen Freeman-Wilson…

Our state’s economy, equity and educational future are all intertwined, and depend on us closing the funding gap for our public universities.

That’s why we strongly support Senate Bill 13 and House Bill 1581, the Adequate and Equitable Public University Funding Act, sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford and state Rep. Carol Ammons,D-Urbana. These visionary lawmakers have laid out a bold, data-driven blueprint to address a decades-long pattern of disinvestment in our institutions. […]

Between 2013 and 2019, the number of Black students attending Illinois public universities dropped by 34%. This is a crisis. The proposed legislation meets this moment by ensuring all of our public universities receive the resources needed to adequately serve our students.

SB13/ HB1581 start by calculating each public university’s unique “adequacy target” (what it costs to deliver a quality education). It then compares that target to the university’s current resources and fills in the gap, prioritizing funding for institutions that have historically been furthest from full funding. Every public university stands to benefit, but those with the greatest need will finally see more meaningful, sustained investment.

* WAND…

State representatives passed legislation Friday to allow anyone charged with their first weapon-related offense to apply for a FOID card while they participate in a pretrial detention program.

Current state law allows nonviolent offenders charged with their first offense to participate in divergence programs such as the First Time Weapons Offense Program in Chicago. Upon completion, the state’s attorney dismisses the charges, but the individual cannot apply for a FOID card until after charges are dismissed. […]

All of the current requirements for legal gun ownership in Illinois would remain the same. Sponsors explained the Illinois State Police would also have the ability to deny someone’s application for a FOID card if they are ineligible. […]

Senate Bill 1899 passed out of the House on a 97-11 vote. The measure now moves back to the Senate on concurrence due to an amendment. It previously gained unanimous support in the Senate.

* Capitol News Illinois…

House Bill 2688, sponsored by Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin, would allow certified nurse midwives to enter a written agreement with a physician to provide or assist with home births. In designated maternity care deserts, they can enter into such an agreement even if the local physicians don’t provide home births.

The bill only applies to certified nurse midwives, who must be a licensed advanced practice registered nurse, or APRN, and have at least a graduate degree in midwifery. It does not give the same privileges to certified midwives, who are required to have a graduate degree in midwifery.

In recent years, the number of home births across the nation has been steadily rising. The CDC reported that 51,642 home births took place across the country in 2021. That number was a 12% increase from the number of home births in 2020, which the CDC said was the largest increase since at least 1990.

The rise in home births in Illinois is often attributed to the rise in the state’s maternity care deserts, which are counties without a single hospital, birth center, or licensed health care professional who offers obstetric care.

HB 2688 has passed both chambers, it only needs approval from the governor to become law.

* Advantage News…

A bill that looks at reducing school gun violence without impeding Second Amendment rights had passed out of the Illinois House and Senate. HB1316 is a result of an incident in Murrayville Republican State Representative CD Davidsmeyer’s district tin which a student threatened to commit an act of gun violence against another student after they were released from school on an “early out” day.

The victim told school administrators who did not notify the principal immediately since it was just a threat. The victim’s parents got involved after hearing that nothing was done immediately to the student who made the threat.

[Rep. Davidsmeyer] says gun violence is something he takes “extremely serious.” The bill was approved unanimously in the House and Senate. The bill now heads to the governor’s desk for consideration.