* Capitol City Now…

A bill which Second Amendment advocates see as a threat – a “gun storage” bill – is on the move. An Illinois House committee passed it Tuesday afternoon, putting it a House vote away from going to the governor’s desk.

“How is a firearm owner supposed to know if the individual they’re dealing with us an at-risk person?” asked State Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis).

“It’s my understanding there is a ‘reasonableness’ standard,” said the sponsor, State Rep. Maura Hirschauer (D-Batavia). “If you can reasonably know that a person is at risk. It’s that ‘reasonableness’ standard that applies.”

The bill, which a gun lobbyist says has already been declared unconstitutional, passed the House Gun Violence Prevention Committee on a partisan vote.

* Capitol News Illinois…

Illinois police officers soon could be required to undergo trauma-informed sexual assault training if the governor signs a bill passed by Illinois lawmakers last week.

Senate Bill 1195, dubbed Anna’s Law, mandates police officers take part in trauma-informed programs, procedures and practices that are intended to “minimize traumatization of the victim” before being sworn in as an officer.

The bill passed the House and Senate unanimously and now awaits approval from the governor to become law.

Currently, Illinois law enforcement officials must undergo a variety of training programs before being sworn in – including training that provides education on “cultural perception and common myths of sexual assault and sexual abuse.”

Anna’s Law would mandate that training on the issue of sexual assault and abuse and teach officers how to identity and address conflicts of interest, such as when an officer knows the victims or the perpetrator.

* Chicago Coalition to end Homelessness…

A new state law will shine a light on how school districts across Illinois allocate federal Title I funding to support students experiencing homelessness, many of whom currently receive woefully little targeted support.

A recent analysis released by the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness found that many Illinois school districts are severely under-allocating funds for students experiencing homelessness, with one school district allocating just 33 cents per homeless student.

Of the school districts where data was available, one in four allocated less than $10 per homeless student in federal Title I funds over the course of a school year. Half allocated less than $20 per homeless student.

Federal law requires school districts receiving Title I, Part A funding to reserve a portion of funds that is “reasonable and necessary” to ensure students experiencing homelessness can fully participate in school. However, some districts allocate so little that it raises concerns about whether this support is sufficient to achieve that goal. […]

Currently, this data is not publicly available, resulting in a lack of transparency about how much funding districts set aside and how it is spent.

House Bill 3377 aims to address this gap in funding by increasing public access to Title I set-aside data. The bill passed unanimously out of the Illinois State Senate on May 22 and will now go to Gov. Pritzker for approval. Once signed into law, this new legislation will help districts make more informed resource allocation decisions and equip advocates with data to highlight where support is falling short.

* WAND…

he bipartisan plan to prohibit expulsions from kindergarten through 2nd grade is moving to the Senate floor.

This bill requires superintendents to provide verbal or written approval to suspend K-2 students for longer than three days.

Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood) told the Senate Education Committee Tuesday that suspensions should not last longer than it takes districts to review, amend, or develop behavior intervention and safety plans for a student. […]

House Bill 3772 passed unanimously out of the Senate Education Committee Tuesday. It previously passed out of the House on a 62-46 vote.

* The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association…

The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association (IMA) and biotechnology research and development groups PhRMA and iBIO, have released the following statement regarding legislation that fails to advance meaningful reforms to the 340B Drug Pricing Program:

“We support the initial intent of the 340B Drug Pricing Program, which was designed to provide discounted medications to eligible healthcare providers serving low-income and vulnerable populations. Pharmaceutical manufacturers are committed to improving access to medicines in underserved communities, which is why we are calling for greater oversight and transparency of this vital program. Unfortunately, the program is increasingly being used by large, affluent health systems with little assurance savings are reaching the intended patients. The current legislation provides substantial protection for covered entities while obscuring the disclosure of their financial arrangements, making it impossible to see how much benefit is diverted from patients to these intermediaries. This proposal will do nothing to ensure low-income patients see reduced drug prices. We urge policymakers to slow this process and focus on meaningful reforms to ensure this program best serves patients while preserving the continued growth of this life-saving industry.”

* WAND…

A state Democratic plan to stop life insurance companies from discriminating customers based on their criminal history passed the Illinois Senate insurance committee Tuesday.

It would stop all insurance companies from limiting or denying life insurance coverage if the customer has committed a felony in the past.

State Sen. Adriane Johnson (D-Waukegan) said insurance companies should not discriminate based on a felony conviction. […]

The legislation passed out of the Senate committee on a partisan 8-4 vote. It will now head to the Senate floor, where lawmakers could talk about it before session ends this week.

* Sen. Mary Edly-Allen…

Recording artists could soon have more protections from artificial intelligence (AI) replicating their voice or work under legislation from State Senator Mary Edly-Allen and State Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz.

As an emerging technological platform, there were no restrictions on AI models replicating a music artist’s voice before the passage of the Digital Voice and Likeness Protection Act last year. Without regulations, some organizations and even music studios have sought to establish a monopoly of control over their artists’ voices and melodies for AI projects.

To give artists more agency of how their voice or melody may be replicated by AI, Illinois’ Digital Voice and Likeness Protection Act requires artists to have legal representation or support from a collective bargaining agreement when negotiating an AI project involving their art, and how they will be compensated for the AI replica. This prevents music studios from profiting off an artist’s likeness or voice by using AI to replicate them without the consent of the artist or without fair compensation.

House Bill 3178 updates the Digital Voice and Likeness Protection Act by clarifying terms of acceptable use and when digital replica agreements are unenforceable. This bill also would limit the act’s impact to only digital replica provisions. […]

House Bill 3178 passed the Senate on Thursday.

* Sen. Adriane Johnson…

Seeking to ensure greater fairness and dignity in access to life insurance, State Senator Adriane Johnson is championing legislation that would prohibit insurers from denying final expense life insurance coverage solely because an applicant has a past felony conviction. […]

House Bill 2425 would prevent companies offering life insurance final expense policies from refusing to insure, limiting coverage or charging higher premiums based solely on a person’s felony record. The measure includes a clear exception for individuals who are currently incarcerated.

Final expense life insurance policies, also known as burial or funeral insurance, are typically small, affordable whole-life policies intended to help families cover the costs of funeral services, medical bills and other end-of-life expenses.

Under current Illinois law, insurance companies are already prohibited from discriminating on the basis of disability, blindness, veteran status or travel history when determining eligibility or premiums. House Bill 2425 aims to build on that framework by ensuring individuals with felony convictions—many of whom face significant barriers to financial stability—are not unfairly excluded from these essential policies. […]

House Bill 2425 passed the Senate Insurance Committee Tuesday.

* WRMJ…

Teachers could soon see mental health resources on their school IDs under a measure passed in the Illinois Senate.

House Bill 3000, sponsored by local State Rep. Norine Hammond (R-Macomb), will require all school districts serving students in grades 6-12 to have the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the Crisis Text Line, and the Safe2Help Illinois helpline on all employee IDs.

Currently, that information is required in student handbooks or planners and on student IDs if schools issue them.

The bill will now be sent to the governor’s desk.

* Sen. Javier Cervantes…

State Senator Javier Loera Cervantes’ latest initiative would give smaller dental practices more time to transition to electronic payments.

“Patients and administrators want dental practices to modernize for efficiency, but if we set a deadline to go fully digital too soon, it will only cause them more frustration and inconvenience,” said Cervantes (D-Chicago). “This measure will extend the deadline to 2027 so smaller practices will have more time to develop their electronic portals and better serve their patients once the deadline comes.”

Previous legislation requires dental providers and insurance companies to begin sharing all information electronically by 2026. While this measure intends to help modernize these practices and make patient payments more efficient, many dental care providers throughout the state have requested more time to make the necessary technological advancements.

House Bill 1864 would extend the deadline to make electronic payments the standard for dental care by 2027. This extension gives smaller practices more time to complete a smooth transition, and to ensure all dental care providers can provide correct and accurate information on their online platforms. […]

House Bill 1864 passed the Senate on Wednesday, May 21.