* Capitol News Illinois…

Immigration rights advocates in Illinois are anxiously awaiting the governor’s signature on legislation aimed at protecting K-12 students who may be in the country without legal authorization from being denied access to a free public education.

House Bill 3247, known as the “Safe Schools for All Act,” passed both chambers of the General Assembly in the final days of the spring session. It would prohibit schools from denying any child access to a free public education based on their actual or perceived immigration status, or that of their parents.

It would also prohibit schools from disclosing, or threatening to disclose, information about a student’s immigration status or the status of a person associated with the child. And it would require schools to develop procedures for reviewing and authorizing requests from law enforcement agents attempting to enter a school or school facility.

The bill is intended to buffer K-12 students in Illinois from efforts by the Trump administration to launch mass deportations of noncitizens living in the United States without legal authorization.

* Chicago Reporter…

When a survivor of domestic violence escapes an abusive situation, their journey is only beginning. Physical and emotional impacts of trauma can stay with survivors for years as they recover, but another form of abuse can make it harder for survivors to leave in the first place: financial abuse.

Financial abuse occurs in 99% of domestic violence cases, according to the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), which can take the form of an abuser controlling how money is spent, prohibiting or sabotaging work opportunities, hiding or stealing assets and various forms of coerced debt.

In partnership with Legal Action Chicago, NNEDV, a network of national and state coalitions against domestic violence, drafted an Illinois bill prohibiting the collection of coerced debt that state legislature on May 11. If signed by Gov. Pritzker, the law will go into effect Jan. 1 2026. […]

The bill, HB 3352, defines coerced debt as “a debt incurred due to fraud, duress, intimidation, threat, force, coercion, undue influence, or non-consensual use of the debtor’s personal identifying information as a result of domestic abuse, sexual assault, exploitation, or human trafficking.”’

* WAND…

The highly anticipated plan to stop carbon capture and sequestration near the Mahomet aquifer has arrived on Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk.

This comes roughly a year after community advocates raised concerns that carbon sequestration pipes full of liquid carob dioxide could have leaks and contaminate the aquifer. […]

“There is a task force that is also included in this bill to continue protecting the aquifer,” said Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana). “The task force itself, hopefully with the support of the Prairie Research Network and certainly the Prairie Research Institute as well as other advocacy organizations, will continue to monitor this.” […]

The Illinois Manufacturers’ Association has urged Pritzker to veto this plan. They argue carbon capture and sequestration is a safe and proven technology that is key to maintaining economic growth and decarbonization goals.

* The Crain’s Editorial Board…

While lawmakers squabbled over and eventually kicked several very big cans down the road — including a transit rescue and energy reform — one small-scale time bomb, introduced just a day before the session ended on May 31, got waved through. […]

The legislation in question is SB 328, otherwise known as the toxic-tort bill. Its primary purpose, according to the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and others who support it, is to hold companies liable if and when a plaintiff suffers injury or illness resulting from exposure to toxic substances. Sounds reasonable, right? If someone gets sick from being around a toxic substance that a company produces, or by performing work that puts them in contact with a toxic substance, somebody somewhere should be held accountable, no?

But the bill does more than that. It potentially makes it much easier to sue out-of-state businesses in Illinois for personal injury and wrongful death, even if a defendant isn’t headquartered in Illinois, even if the plaintiff doesn’t reside in Illinois, and even if the alleged mishap didn’t occur in Illinois. […]

If the governor doesn’t veto this measure, he’ll undo much of the work he and his economic development partners have done to attract new investment to the Land of Lincoln. Because the message SB 328 sends to businesses everywhere is loud and clear: Do business here and expose your company to a new, unfair and potentially costly risk.

* WAND…

Legislation on Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk could raise the mandatory senior driving test age from 79 to 87.

Drivers 79 and older would be required to renew their license, but they will not have to take a driver’s test for the renewal process.

Anyone 75 or older with a commercial license would still need to take a driver’s test to keep driving for work. […]

The plan does give people the ability to report their senior family member to the Secretary of State’s office if they’re suffering from a severe illness like dementia and should not drive.

* WGLT…

High school and community college students in Illinois will soon be able to earn automatic admission to most state public universities based on their GPA — without even having to apply.

The Direct Admission Program [DAP] will require public universities to offer admission to any student who meets their established GPA standard, according to the bill synopsis. Additionally, qualifying community college students who have completed 30 credit hours and are eligible to transfer to a public university will be able to do so. The program begins with the 2027-28 academic year.

One of the lead sponsors of the bill, state Rep. Katie Stuart, said direct admission was not a new topic for Illinois universities. Gov. JB Pritzker endorsed the idea during his budget address this year. It’s seen as a way to encourage Illinois students to stay in Illinois for college, and to eliminate what can be a complicated application process, according to the Illinois Board of Higher Education. […]

Misinterpretation of costs frequently discourage students from attending the state’s institutions, Stuart said. According to Stuart, surrounding states offer financial incentives and other promotions to appeal to out-of-state students, including those in Illinois. In 2021, nearly half (47.6%) of Illinois’ four-year college-going high school graduates chose an out-of-state school, according to IBHE.

* Meanwhile… Forbes wrote about SB1938, a bill that never made it out of committee…

Illinois lawmakers appear to be considering a revival of the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax—an idea that was first floated in 2019 but proved dead on arrival. Instead of recoiling from it as “just another tax,” perhaps we should ask a more interesting question: what if the VMT tax is exactly what is needed to internalize the actual cost of road usage—not only in Illinois, but nationwide? […]

The proposed legislation, SB1938, allows for variable pricing by time of day and by road type. This opens the door to potential congestion pricing and smarter infrastructure load balancing. While the bill doesn’t mandate it, there is nothing stopping the state from also tiering the fee by vehicle weight which, along with time of day and road type, would bring us even closer to matching tax policy with actual impact.

Critics contend that the VMT tax opens the door to all manner of Orwellian surveillance schemes. The proposal’s pilot program does entertain transponders and odometer photography, neither of which is ideal. However, it requires minimal data collection, explicitly prohibits personal information gathering, and offers non-GPS alternatives. It seems less like an Apple Watch for your Grand Wagoneer and more like a simple step tracker for your Corolla.

Most importantly, the pilot program is temporary and subject to legislative review. It must run for at least a year, with a full report due to the General Assembly within 18 months. The report must analyze not just revenue and logistics, but equity impacts, enforcement concerns, data security, and the potential for fraud.