* Capitol News Illinois…

A bill that would prevent streaming services from running commercials at a higher volume than the shows and movies people are watching passed through the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee on Thursday.

Senate Bill 3222 sponsored by state Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, would allow Illinoisans to lodge official complaints over commercial volume if they’re substantially louder than the programs they accompany. […]

Commercial volume for TV stations, cable and satellite TV is already regulated at the federal level with the 2010 Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation, or CALM, Act. But those regulations don’t include streaming services. […]

State Sen. Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, introduced a similar bill with a different enforcement structure, and he said he’s happy to join forces with Turner to regulate commercial volume on streaming services.

* WAND…

A bill moving in the Capitol could expand broadband access to underserved areas across the state.

The proposal would require the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to create a new broadband grant distribution plan. Grant recipients could then install, maintain and use broadband infrastructure along a highway right-of-way.

This comes as Illinois faces a Dec. 31 deadline to submit final proposals to utilize $1 billion in federal broadband funding.

“The way farming is today, internet is pretty important,” said Sen. Patrick Joyce (D-Essex). “The way our kids are educated, you’re almost behind if you’re not getting reliable broadband.” […]

Senate Bill 3838 passed out of the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee on a 10-4 vote and now heads to the Senate floor.

* Press release…

Senate Deputy Minority Leader Sue Rezin (R-Morris), Sen. Sally Turner (R-Beason), and Sen. Darby Hills (R-Barrington Hills) today unveiled a legislative package aimed at strengthening Illinois law to better protect children from trafficking, grooming, sexual exploitation, and predatory offenders. […]

Sen. Rezin filed Senate Bill 284, also known as Andrew’s Law, named after the son of her constituent Michelle Peterson, who has become a leading advocate for stronger protections for children after her son was groomed by a trusted adult. The bill would eliminate plea deals for individuals charged with involuntary sexual servitude of a minor, trafficking in persons involving a minor, or grooming, preventing those charges from being reduced to lesser offenses. Andrew’s Law would also make it a Class 4 felony for a child sex offender to work at, volunteer at, or be present at a facility that exclusively provides entertainment for minors.

Sen. Turner is sponsoring Senate Bill 1572, which would increase penalties for human trafficking and related crimes by raising each offense by one felony class. For the most serious Class X offenses, the bill would set a prison sentence of 9 to 45 years. […]

Sen. Hills filed Senate Bill 2381, which would require sex offender registration for individuals convicted of unauthorized video recording of minors in private spaces if the offense was found to be sexually motivated. Sen. Hills’ legislation was introduced in response to an incident in Illinois in which a repeat offender was caught videotaping his students in a bathroom but was not required to register as a sex offender.

According to the senator, this was just one of several incidents that have recently come to light and exposed a serious gap in current Illinois law. As the law currently stands, offenders can avoid sex offender registration even in cases involving the secret recording of children in bathrooms, locker rooms, or other private areas.

* Capitol News Illinois…

Right now, no one knows how much Illinois and other states are losing in untaxed prediction market bets — the markets don’t have to report betting data to the states. Illinois has netted nearly $1.1 billion in tax revenue since Illinois’ first legal sports wagers were placed six years ago. States have sued to gain the power to tax and regulate prediction markets, but the markets argue their platforms are not gambling, but financial tools to allow users to hedge risk.

In one effort to rein in the platforms, State Sen. Michael Hastings (D-Frankfort) introduced legislation last week that would require prediction market operators to pay a $1 million fee to the Illinois Gaming Board to obtain a “master prediction market license” and empower the state to collect a tax equal to half of a licensee’s adjusted gross receipts from bets made by in-state users. The bill is awaiting to be assigned to a committee.

Experts believe the legal question won’t be settled until the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in. But by then, prediction markets may have become as integrated into American life as sports betting has in the eight years since the nation’s high court struck down a nationwide gambling ban.

* Sen. Sara Feighenhotlz…

Continuing her efforts to expand less restrictive alternatives to guardianship, State Senator Sara Feigenholtz advanced a measure Wednesday aimed at maximizing the independence of people with and without disabilities through supported decision-making. […]

A supported decision-making agreement allows people to identify a supporter to help interpret information, weigh options, and communicate decisions about health care, life choices, and financial matters, fostering confidence in their ability to make informed decisions while maintaining autonomy.

Guardianship is more restrictive than a supported decision-making agreement regarding the autonomy someone has over their finances, employment, housing and other life decisions. Many people with disabilities do not need a guardian, but could benefit from assistance when making certain complex or weighty decisions.

Feigenholtz is spearheading legislation that would maximize opportunities for greater autonomy by establishing clear guidelines for supported decision-making implementation and oversight, ensuring the law’s effective and safe application. […]

Senate Bill 3568 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

* River Bender…

State Senator Erica Harriss (56th-Glen Carbon) has introduced legislation to strengthen transparency and accountability in the Illinois legislative process by ensuring lawmakers have access to fiscal impact information before voting on legislation.

Senate Bill 2094 amends the Illinois Fiscal Note Act to guarantee that when a member of the General Assembly requests a fiscal note on legislation, the request must be honored and cannot be dismissed by chamber vote. […]

Fiscal notes are reports that provide estimates of how proposed legislation may affect state revenues or expenditures. The idea is to know how much it will cost the taxpayers if a bill becomes law. Any legislator may request a fiscal note for a bill. However, such requests may be voted down, stopping that information from being made public. SB2094 ensures that fiscal notes are prepared whenever legislators request them.

“By strengthening the Fiscal Note Act, SB2094 promotes greater transparency in the legislative process and ensures that members of the General Assembly can obtain fiscal analysis when considering legislation that may affect the state budget,” concluded Senator Harriss.”

* More…

* Press release | Ventura legislation to allow to plug-in solar panels for Illinois residents passes committee: Plug-in solar systems, already widely used internationally, offer households the ability to generate clean power for low installation costs while saving hundreds of dollars a year on their energy bills. Supporters of the bill, such as Permit Power and Vote Solar, say this technology can also help reduce strain on the electric grid while expanding energy independence. An identical version of the bill, House Bill 4524, has been introduced in the House of Representatives by State Representative Daniel Didech, who also prefiled for SB 3104.

* WAND | Senate committee approves bill requiring 988 info in public buildings, suicide prevention curriculum in health courses: Sponsors said 988 information should be visible in county shelter care homes, daycares, public libraries, colleges, hospitals, assisted living facilities and nursing homes. This comes as more than 1,500 lives are lost to suicide in Illinois each year. The legislation also requires school boards to include age-appropriate suicide prevention curriculum in health courses for students in sixth through 12th grade.

* Press release | Canty Supports Bill Creating Further Fraud Protection for Seniors: House Bill 4767 names investment advisers and other financial institution employees as mandated reporters of potential fraud or exploitation. This will allow a financial institution and its employees to hold transactions that seem suspicious, and conduct an internal review of the transaction according to each institution’s review policies.

* WCIA | Cervantes measure to protect consumers’ energy backup systems: The measure would require Illinois to adopt the most recent version of the National Energy Code as a standard for the installation and inspection of residential-sized batteries. The legislation’s intent is to simplify the process for installing and inspecting batteries that are used with solar panels. Currently, there are regulations for commercial batteries but not for residential batteries. The measure would define “residential energy backup systems” as backup energy systems providing less than 50 kilowatts of electricity or 200 kilowatt hours. It would also include the system’s infrastructure, equipment and components.

* Press release | Cunningham legislation supports solar development on public school campuses: Under Senate Bill 3273, electric utilities would be required to complete interconnection-related evaluations, reviews and screenings within 30 days after determining that a request is complete. Public school projects would also bypass the standard interconnection queue, allowing them to move forward more quickly. The legislation also would requires utilities to disclose upgrade costs and construction timelines to schools as soon as possible after completing interconnection reviews, giving school districts clearer information when planning projects.

* WCIA | Illinois Sen. advances bill to simplify subscription cancellations statewide: This measure, Senate Bill 3562, would give people clear, retainable disclosures before subscriptions are activated. It would also guarantee that cancellations can be completed easily online or in the same way the consumer signed up. The bill would also make sure companies provide timely notice for any price increases or changes to subscription contract terms.

* Press release | Johnson works to expand access to life-saving asthma medication at Illinois schools: “Students should be able to participate in sports and school activities without worrying that life-saving medication is too far away when they need it,” Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove) said. “This measure helps ensure asthma medication is available where students are most likely to experience symptoms so schools can respond quickly in an emergency.” Senate Bill 2837 would allow schools to maintain a supply of asthma medication in any secure location that is accessible before, during or after school where a person may be at risk – including practice fields, gyms and other athletic facilities.