* Gov. JB Pritzker signed SB 1519 yesterday, banning police from ticketing students for breaking school rules. Sen. Karina Villa…

A new law championed by State Senator Karina Villa addresses the discriminatory disciplinary practice of ticketing in schools. […]

In 2015, the Illinois General Assembly passed a law ending the ability of schools to issue monetary fines to students for disciplinary infractions at school. However, students in schools across the state continue to be fined due to the practice of students being referred to law enforcement for school-related behavior.

Villa led Senate Bill 1519 to address this issue following an investigation that revealed that Black and Latino students were ticketed at disproportionate rates. Between 2019 and 2021, 11,950 tickets were issued with fines as high as $750.

The new law ensures that no person is allowed to issue a fine or fee to a student as a disciplinary consequence for behavior during school. The law also requires school districts with a school resource officer to have a memorandum of understanding with their local law enforcement agency establishing that SROs are properly trained and do not use fines or tickets for disciplinary infractions.

Senate Bill 1519 was signed into law Wednesday and is effective immediately.

The bill does not prevent students from being penalized for serious crimes committed on school grounds.

ProPublica and the Chicago Tribune broke the story. ProPublica in May…

The new law would apply to all public schools, including charters. It will require school districts, beginning in the 2027-28 school year, to report to the state how often they involve police in student matters each year and to separate the data by race, gender and disability. The state will be required to make the data public.

The legislation comes three years after a ProPublica and Chicago Tribune investigation, “The Price Kids Pay,” revealed that even though Illinois law bans school officials from fining students directly, districts skirted the law by calling on police to issue citations for violating local ordinances.

“The Price Kids Pay” found that thousands of Illinois students had been ticketed in recent years for adolescent behavior once handled by the principal’s office — things like littering, making loud noises, swearing, fighting or vaping in the bathroom. It also found that Black students were twice as likely to be ticketed at school than their white peers.

* WICS…

Governor JB Pritzker has signed a new law mandating universal mental health screenings for school children, set to begin in the 2027-28 school year. The law requires school districts to offer free mental health screenings to all students from third through twelfth grade, although parents can opt their children out if they choose.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is tasked with providing resources and model policies to schools by September 1, 2026, to prepare for the screenings. However, concerns have been raised about the availability of staff to conduct these screenings.

“There’s not enough counselors and social workers and psychiatrists and psychologists working inside of our schools,” said Dr. Tony Sanders, Superintendent of the Illinois State Board of Education. […]

To address staffing shortages, ISBE has introduced incentives for individuals to become licensed counselors and social workers. “We remove barriers so that people can come and work in public schools,” said Sanders. The state board is also exploring community health partnerships to support mental health services in schools.

“If you talk to principals and superintendents across this state, they’re all looking for ways to bring in mental health supports for their students,” Sanders added.

* 25News Now…

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill into law that allows the Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District to help better protect the water supply and expand its economic reach.

The law allows the district to sell treated wastewater and receive waste within a 50-mile radius. This, in turn, helps companies that want to use treated wastewater as an alternative to drinking water to help power and cool their data centers and processes.

District Executive Director Timothy Ervin said this will create a long-term way to save drinking water for consumption, rather than businesses using it for other reasons. […]

The new law will take effect immediately.

* Advantage News…

Gov. J.B. Pritzker enacted a law launching the Farmland Transition Commission, a lifeline for young farmers struggling to secure land. This comes as an Illinois state Senator says farmland is disappearing to solar and wind projects.

State Sen. Sally Turner, R-Beason, sponsored legislation to create the commission. She said the commission will address barriers and support Illinois’ next-generation farmers, calling it “very much so necessary” as more than 129,000 acres of farmland have been taken out of production for solar projects across the state. […]

Turner said the group’s mission is to create a “one-stop shop” of resources for aspiring farmers, connecting them with grant opportunities, rental listings, and information on purchasing equipment. She said Indiana has implemented a similar portal that coordinates state and federal programs to support new farmers.

“There are so many issues a young farmer faces when they come back from college,” Turner said. “Dad might be retiring, and he needs the value of his machinery to do that. That means the young farmer has to figure out how to start from scratch. We have tools like this for business, but not for young farmers, and that’s what this is about.”

* Illinois Ag Network…

Small-scale poultry farmers across Illinois are celebrating after Gov. JB Pritzker signed House Bill 2196 into law, marking a major step toward strengthening local food systems and supporting farm businesses.

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Sally Turner (R-Beason) and Rep. Charlie Meier (R-Okawville), raises the annual poultry processing cap for on-farm producers from 5,000 to 7,500 birds, aligning Illinois more closely with federal standards and neighboring states. HB2196 also eliminates a longstanding 30-day ownership requirement for individuals wishing to process poultry and livestock for personal or cultural use and authorizes direct-to-consumer sales at farmers markets.

Advocates say the reforms will open doors for small farmers while maintaining food safety. “This is a transformative win for our members,” said Liz Moran Stelk, executive director of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance. “It gives small farmers the tools they need to succeed while respecting food safety and community traditions.”

Farmers say the new law comes at a critical time. Bethany Salisbury of Saratoga Homestead in Henry noted the impact on her operation after two key processors stopped handling duck and quail last year. “The timely passage of this law will allow me to continue producing quail, waterfowl, and other poultry with safe, on-farm processing to continue meeting the needs of consumers in my community,” Salisbury said.