* Tribune…

Last-minute changes approved by Illinois lawmakers in the waning days of the session will cost Chicago taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in their first year and billions over time by giving some police officers and firefighters more lucrative pensions.

Lead sponsor Sen. Robert Martwick, a Chicago Democrat, told the Tribune the tweaks were a negotiated fix agreed to by Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker that was promised to both bring parity between Chicago and downstate first responders and help bridge a shortfall in benefits for employees hired after 2010. […]

Johnson’s finance team estimated the initial cost would be $52 million in 2027. Budget watchdogs warned it will add billions to the city’s pension liability, a figure that topped $37 billion by the end of 2023. […]

Dave Sullivan, a lobbyist for the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7, wrote in the union’s monthly newsletter that several years ago Pritzker called “personally to assure me that he would make Tier 2 parity … a reality,” and he looked forward to the governor’s signature.

Pritzker’s office didn’t respond to a question about whether there was such an agreement and said the bill was under review.

* WAND…

A bill on Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk could improve public safety while addressing the state’s appeals process for FOID card decisions. Sponsors said the plan will provide more due process for people whose FOID cards are revoked or denied.

Anyone can lose their FOID card if they are reported to the Illinois State Police as a danger to themselves or others by medical professionals, law enforcement, or school officials.

House Bill 850 could establish an expedited review process for people who believe they have been wrongly deemed a clear and present danger. Gun owners would be able to receive any information related to their case and object to redactions they feel are necessary for a full and fair review.

“We’re talking about situations where somebody has their FOID card revoked under Clear and Present Danger. There are a variety of elements under Clear and Present Danger,” said Rep. Bob Morgan (D-Highland Park). “Specifically, when they’ve had their FOID card revoked and they want to find out whether or not that was based on correct information, that piece is missing now. This language would provide that.”

* WCIA…

The Illinois Legislature passed a bill to the governor’s desk that would ban the use of therapy offered by Artificial Intelligence. Mental health professionals would also only be able to use AI transcriptions of sessions if the patient consents to it.

The National Association for Social Workers said while artificial intelligence could be a promising tool in the future, right now it is not bound by ethics.

“These AI chat bots, even though you can try to program as best as you can, they’re not human,” said Kyle Hillman, the legislative director for NASW-IL. “They don’t have that interaction they don’t have that kind of response. And so, they’re influenced by what kind of data comes into those products and that influence is changing the biases towards, I think, dangerous conservations.”[…]

If signed into law, Illinois would be the first state to ban these chatbots.

* Capitol News Illinois…

Under a bill awaiting the governor’s signature, certain insurance plans would have to cover hippotherapy and other forms of therapeutic horseback riding in Illinois.

Hippotherapy is a type of physical, occupational and speech therapy where the movement of a horse is used to treat a patient’s specific disability or disorder. The practice is used to treat conditions such as autism, cerebral palsy, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, strokes, head and spinal cord injuries, as well as behavioral disorders and psychiatric disorders, including PTSD.

Marita Wassman is the founder of Ride On St. Louis, a nonprofit organization that provides equine-assisted services to both children and adults in the St. Louis area. As one of five licensed certified therapeutic riding instructors at the advanced level in Missouri, Wassman’s stable has provided services to patients for over 27 years – the majority of whom she says are children needing physical or intellectual services.

A previous patient of hers was an 8-year-old girl with cerebral palsy who struggled to hold her head upright on her own for extended periods of time. After four months of treatment, Wassman said the girl’s parents reported that she was able to both sit and hold her head up for over an hour when they went out to dinner – when previously, she would rest her head on her arms for a majority of the dinner.

“If you were to go ride a horse for an hour, it could benefit you exactly the same way as if you did a powerwalk for an hour,” Wassman said. “And for people specifically who can’t get that on their own, who are in wheelchairs or even if they are ambulatory but don’t have a symmetrical movement, sitting on a horse that is nice and even is really going to help their muscles.” […]

Senate Bill 69 passed the Senate unanimously in April as well as the House in late May on a vote of 78-33. It will become law if signed by Gov. JB Pritzker.

* Rep. Joyce Mason…

A new measure led by state Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee, continues her commitment to public health by ensuring that Illinois catfish are processed safely and inspected thoroughly before being cleared for sale on the open market and human consumption.

“Allowing bad fish to make its way into our grocery stores presents a public health hazard,” Mason said. “The resulting spread of food poisoning and related illnesses, sudden burden on our hospitals and lasting blow to trust in the fish industry would pose serious challenges for our community. These new safeguards help prevent that harm.”

Mason has fought for the public safety of her community on a variety of fronts since she came into office, and taking a lead role in the passage of Senate Bill 2459 is another step forward for that cause. This measure makes small changes to definitions in the Illinois Meat and Poultry Inspection Act to allow catfish (Siluriformes fish) to be inspected by Illinois health experts.

Senate Bill 2459 received strong bipartisan support in the House and Senate and now goes to the Governor’s desk for consideration. It has the backing of the Illinois Department of Agriculture and the Illinois Freedom Civic Coalition.

“Maintaining public safety is a responsibility that requires a holistic approach,” Mason said. “We are always working on keeping violent criminals off our streets, ensuring that our water is safe to drink and our air is safe to breathe, advancing renewable energy technologies and, in this case, we are working on making sure the food we buy is safe to eat. This is a responsibility I take very seriously.”

* State Journal-Register…

House Bill 2516, commonly known as the PFAS Reduction Act, passed in the Senate in a vote 77 to 39. Beginning in 2032 the sale and distribution of certain items with intentionally added forever chemicals in the state will be against the law.

Unintentionally added PFAS that occur during the process of production through water contamination are not part of the bill, as well as firefighting foam, which is commonly made using PFAS.

Items protected from added PFAS under the bill are cosmetics, dental floss, children’s products, menstrual products and intimate apparel. […]

Originally, the bill called for implementation in 2026 and included cookware like nonstick pans and food storage to be lumped in with the rest of the list. In a senate amendment on May 13 however, the articles were dropped, and a clause was added requiring the EPA to prepare and submit a report to the General Assembly by August of 2027.