* Legal Reader…

The American Tort Reform Association called on Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to veto Senate Bill 328, warning the bill would create unprecedented liability for businesses across the country.

In a letter to Gov. Pritzker, ATRA said the bill would undermine the Pritzker administration’s “Open for Business” economic growth plan. The letter also points out the bill’s “extraordinarily broad” language, with its definition of “toxic” roping in everything from dangerous chemicals to lifesaving medications, food and baby formula.

“This is one of the single worst bills we have seen this year, nationwide,” said Tiger Joyce, president of ATRA. “If this bill becomes law, Illinois is likely to see a mass exodus of businesses leaving and a sharp decline in new business investments.”

S.B. 328 would change the law so that out-of-state businesses can be sued by out-of-state plaintiffs in Illinois courts for incidents with no connection to the state. […]

The bill mirrors a measure New York Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoed twice, citing its sweeping overreach and the risk of driving businesses out of the state.

* Rep. Dagmara Avelar…

State Rep. Dagmara “Dee” Avelar, D-Bolingbrook, passed a bicameral measure through the House and Senate chambers this spring that protects Illinoisans’ access to medication abortion and enhances a shield law to prevent federal interference.

“With federal reproductive protections under constant attack, safeguarding abortion medication in Illinois is essential to preserve women’s personal freedoms and ensure people can make decisions about their bodies without interference,” said Avelar.

Avelar’s House Bill 3637 would further strengthen Illinois’ Shield Law by reinforcing the Illinois Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to safeguard access to medication abortion. The shield law protects healthcare professionals providing lawful healthcare in Illinois, and was strengthened in 2024 to prevent the state from sharing information on lawful procedures done in Illinois.

House Bill 3637 takes these protections further by ultimately “future-proofing” Illinois law — preempting federal overreach of a medication if already approved by the World Health Organization, ensuring residents have access to medically necessary and life-saving reproductive health medications.

“This bill locks in women’s reproductive protections, mitigates federal overreach, and maintains that a woman has absolute autonomy over her life and health,” said Avelar.

Avelar’s measure passed out of both chambers this legislative session and now awaits the governor’s signature, expected later this summer.

* More on Rep. Avelar’s bill from WGLT…

Republican state Rep. Bill Hauter of Morton, who is also an emergency room doctor, said the bill is setting a dangerous precedent.

“It’s a foreign, unelected, unaccountable organization that’s mostly controlled by China,” Hauter said. “Illinois legislators said they’d rather have the WHO do it because they want to make sure that their abortion drug is available in Illinois.”

Avelar said the WHO is a trusted agency at a time when she’s not sure the FDA can be trusted.

“The federal government has decided to not be part of the WHO only during the Trump administration,” Avelar said. “But prior to that, whether it was Democratic or Republican, we have been part of the WHO, so this is an organization that is trusted, not just in the United States but throughout the world.”

* 25News Now…

Instead of spending hours on applications and essays, Illinois high school graduates could be college-bound just by having good grades.

The General Assembly passed HB3522, which would create the Public University Direct Admission Program Act.

According to the bill awaiting Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature, high school seniors in good academic standing will be automatically admitted to nine public universities. Those include:

- Illinois State University
- University of Illinois at Springfield
- Southern Illinois University
- Chicago State University
- Eastern Illinois University
- Governors State University
- Northeastern Illinois University
- Northern Illinois University
- Western Illinois University […]

According to the bill, college administrators must identify grade point average requirements and share them with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission by March 1, 2026.

The commission will then collect data from school districts to determine which students meet those standards and report back to the Board of Higher Education. The commission and Board of Higher Ed will repeat that process each year.

* WNIJ…

AI is already in classrooms across Illinois, whether teachers like it or not. It’s one reason why Illinois State Representative Laura Faver Dias introduced a proposal establishing a State Instructional Technology Advisory Board to give schools guidance on how to use Artificial Intelligence.

Faver Dias is a former teacher. She says cell phones have been an issue in schools for years and the state’s just getting around to crafting policy, so it’s crucial they don’t wait that long with AI.

“They’re able to act nimbly and quickly to pull together experts, including classroom teachers in terms of practice, and then that first guidance will be issued July 1, 2026,” said Faver Dias.

“How do you understand bias? How do you understand privacy and security? How do you understand the idea of hallucinations or quality of output? And then on top of that, be a good prompt engineer,” she said.

* Illinois State Ambulance Association…

In a major victory for Illinois patients and first responders, legislation addressing inadequate insurance payments for medically necessary ground ambulance service is now headed to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk. The bill passed both the House and Senate unanimously.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, and Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, protects consumers from the financial stress of being responsible for the cost of ground ambulance services when insurance providers refuse to pay the full cost of those services. […]

The legislation (House Bill 2785):

- Requires insurance coverage for all emergency and urgent ground ambulance services (ordered within 12 hours).
- Caps patient costs at the lower of an ER visit copay or 10% of the recognized amount for ground ambulance services provided to prevent excessive out-of-pocket expenses.
- Bans balance billing when ground ambulance service providers accept a defined, fair payment amount.
- Mandates insurer payment equal to the lesser of: (1) negotiated rate, (2) 85% of billed charges, or (3) average gross charge amount for a previous one-year period.
- Protects ground ambulance service providers from arbitrary insurer rates and helps Illinois’ first responders, municipalities and fire protection districts recoup fair reimbursement for 911 transports from commercial insurance providers, which reduces the burden on taxpayer dollars currently subsidizing these lifesaving services.
- Protects patient access to emergency ground ambulance services and urgent ground ambulance service throughout Illinois through consistent and fair rate-setting and payment by health insurance issuers.

The effective date of the legislation, once signed into law, is Jan. 1, 2027, giving all stakeholders time to prepare for implementation.

* School Transportation News…

Senate Bill 191, passed by the Illinois General Assembly last month, requires all new school buses manufactured after July 1, 2031, be equipped with three-point seat belts. The bill does not require school bus drivers or aides to ensure students wear the occupant restraint systems or to provide training on their usage.

The legislation now sits on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk. Under Illinois law, he has 60 calendar days to act. If no action is taken within that time frame, the bill automatically becomes law. This process is outlined in the Illinois Constitution and ensures that a passed bill cannot be blocked through executive inaction—a notable contrast to the federal system.

It is doubtful Pritzker veto the bill and force a three-fifths vote in both chambers to override. It passed unanimously in the House and secure three-times more yes votes than no votes in the Senate.

That is due in part to pushing back the original compliance date three years from Jan. 1, 2028.