* The Tribune…

A bill that passed the House 107-0 on Wednesday would prohibit municipal police departments across the state from evaluating officers based on “any quantifiable contact” they have with individuals during their shifts, including traffic stops, arrests and written warnings. The legislation now heads to the Senate.

Current state law signed in 2014 by then-Gov. Pat Quinn bans police departments from assigning citation quotas or evaluating officers by how many tickets they write. Chicago was exempt until 2019. But sponsors of the new bill say the existing law contains a significant loophole: It does nothing to prevent police supervisors from using broader “points of contact” — stops, arrests, warnings and similar interactions that stop short of citations — as performance metrics. Critics say the result is a de facto quota system operating under a different name. […]

[ACLU of Illinois’ Alexandra Block] noted the bill contains no explicit prohibition on using points of contact as an evaluation metric for officers, and that different types of police departments, such as those under the state’s purview, are not covered by its language.

[Rep. Patrick Sheehan (R-Lockport] said his bill is geared toward municipal police departments because they have a higher level of engagement with the community than other law enforcement agencies. But he said he’d consider tightening the bill’s language if there are concerns that the prohibition in the measure isn’t sufficiently explicit.

* Tribune…

Illinois faces a shortage of about 142,000 housing units and would need to build 227,000 units over five years to keep pace with demand, according to a joint study published last year by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. […]

The proposed fix [Gov. JB Pritzker] is pushing includes a package of bills that would widely allow accessory dwelling units and four- to eight-unit developments in residential areas, depending on lot size, along with a suite of other changes that could affect everything from bureaucratic red tape to parking. […]

Emily Bloom-Carlin, director of housing and community development at the Metropolitan Planning Council, said the proposals take on some of the zoning issues that MPC’s research has shown drive inequitable outcomes.

“These reforms are slow to come into effect, but lead to a modest but positive growth in homes,” Bloom-Carlin said. Some elements of the package, such as allowing third-party review, would save time and money on all kinds of developments, including more traditional affordable housing, she added. […]

South Barrington Mayor Paula McCombie said her residents chose to live in the village for “the way it looks and feels.”

“On those vacant properties, if somebody were to say, ‘OK, we’re going to put two houses on that’ — oh my gosh, people would have a heart attack, because they put all their hard-earned money into their homes,” she said.

* Illinois Housing News…

A renewed push is underway in Springfield to extend and expand one of Illinois’ most established affordable housing tools, as lawmakers and housing advocates warn that soaring construction costs are making it increasingly difficult to deliver new housing without stronger state support.

Backed by a broad coalition of housing, business, and community groups, House Bill 4413 and Senate Bill 3738 would extend the Illinois Affordable Housing Tax Credit (IAHTC) for another 10 years while increasing its annual growth rate. Supporters say the proposal reflects a changing economic reality: simply maintaining the program at current levels will not keep pace with rising development costs — and risks leaving significant housing investment on the table. […]

The proposed legislation would increase the program’s annual growth rate to 10 percent, a change supporters describe as modest but necessary. Over time, that adjustment could help generate nearly 10,000 new affordable homes over the next five years.

Equally important is the 10-year extension, which would provide certainty for developers and investors navigating complex, multi-year financing structures. Without action, the program is set to expire at the end of 2026, creating uncertainty that could stall projects already in development.

* Reuters…

State lawmakers in two of the largest legal markets in the United States are moving to erect ethical firewalls between law firms and outside capital, as investors and lawyers increasingly explore back-office partnerships and other deals.

Lawmakers in Illinois’ House of Representatives on Thursday approved legislation that would prohibit any entity involved in a law firm’s legal practice ​but not fully owned by lawyers from charging the firm any fees, controlling its hiring or interfering with its lawyers’ professional judgment. The bill, which was approved by a 70-36 vote, would also limit lawyers’ ability to share fees with out-of-state “alternative business structures.”

“At its ‌core, this bill is about protecting the independence of the legal profession,” Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, a Democrat who authored the legislation, said during the House debate. […]

Investors and other non-lawyers are broadly prohibited from owning direct stakes in U.S. law firms. The bills in California and Illinois are responding in part to Arizona’s embrace of alternative business structures (ABS) that allow non-lawyers to hold a stake in legal providers, and to rising interest in law firm partnerships with management services organizations, or MSOs.

* Save Our Snap Coalition…

The Save Our SNAP coalition, a statewide network of roughly 85 organizations, will publicly launch their food security campaign at the Illinois State Capitol bringing together hundreds of advocates for a rally and march to protect Illinois families facing the loss of SNAP benefits under the federal “Big Beautiful Bill.”

Nearly 2 million Illinoisans rely on SNAP, and up to 250,000 are at risk of losing their benefits this year — with a majority set to lose them on May 1. Cuts of this magnitude would not only bring immense hardship to families, but would cause major ripple effects through local grocery stores and economies that depend on SNAP purchases — and overwhelm charitable food systems.

Advocates will call on Illinois lawmakers to pass three key pieces of legislation that protect food access and soften the blow of the first round of federal cuts. While these steps provide important relief, coalition leaders note that broader challenges remain for food security across the state that will require ongoing conversation and partnership. In October of 2027, Illinois may need to begin paying up to $800 million per year to keep SNAP intact, or risk losing the program entirely.This event is the official kickoff of those efforts, signaling a united statewide effort to feed Illinois families.

WHEN:
Tuesday, April 14
Noon

WHERE:
Capitol Complex Visitors Center
425 S College St, Springfield, IL 62704

BILL BREAKDOWN:
FRESH Program (SB3277/HB4730): Creates an emergency assistance fund providing a one-time $600 payment — roughly three months of the average SNAP benefit — to the up to 250,000 Illinoisans at risk of losing benefits due to new federal work requirements.

Food Assistance for Lawfully Present Immigrants (SB3167/HB4831): Expands eligibility for Illinois’ existing VTTC food program – which provides nutrition benefits to immigrants and other victims of trafficking, torture and other serious crimes – who will lose SNAP access under new federal eligibility restrictions, affecting an estimated 16,000 Illinoisans.

SNAP Response Working Group (SB3276/HB5062): Establishes a time-bound working group within the Illinois Commission to End Hunger to track federal SNAP changes, assess their impact on Illinois residents and the state budget, and develop recommendations to mitigate harm.

* Center Square…

An Illinois proposal to require insurance coverage for infant allergy prevention is raising questions about potential costs, even as supporters argue it could reduce long-term health spending.

State Sen. Darby Hills is backing Illinois Senate Bill 4182, which would require most insurance plans to cover a six-month supply of egg and peanut allergen supplements for infants when prescribed by a health care provider. […]

But the proposal comes without a clear estimate of how much the new mandate would cost insurers, or how those costs might ultimately affect premiums for consumers. […]

The overall fiscal impact of the proposal remains unclear, but insurers would likely pay the market price for the supplements, estimated at roughly $200 to $400 depending on the brand.

* WAND…

A bill heading to the Illinois Senate could address growing frustration with digital coupons for grocery stores. […]

Their updated plan will require retailers to honor digital promotions through several redemption methods. Those include automatic or point-of-sale discounts, barcodes, or quick response codes.

“The discount is available to all consumers who meet the requirements for that coupon,” said Rep. Janet Yang Rohr (D-Naperville). “So for example if it is a loyalty reward, if you meet the requirements for that loyalty reward, you can have it.” […]

House Bill 45 passed unanimously out of the House Thursday.

* More…

* WGLT | McLean County Farm Bureau continues push to raise estate tax exemption for family farms: Though the budget itself may not look optimistic, Davis and the farm bureau have the support of Chung and Koehler, and he thinks there are enough legislators to get behind the effort. “And I think Gov. [JB] Pritzker has come out with a few comments that he’s willing to look at it and he thinks it’s a good idea,” he said. “If they can craft it right and move money around, I think there’s a lot of support.”

* CBS Chicago | Proposed Illinois law would expand access to solar power to people who can’t install rooftop panels: Vote Solar is currently working directly with state legislators on the new law. The bill would allow renters and currently unqualified home owners to use panels designed to be connected to an electrical system through an existing outlet, placed on a balcony, patio, yard or porch, primarily intended to offset energy consumption and certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory. “These panels, at the lower end, can save people about $10 to $15 a month, which can shave off two to two-and-a-half months a year of your entire utility bill,” Chintam said.

* Press release | DeLaRosa Bill Regulating Low-Speed Electric Bicycles Passes House: State Rep. Margaret DeLaRosa, D-Lombard, filed, carried and passed a bill allowing state entities to prohibit the use of low-speed electronic bicycles on any path within state jurisdiction, prioritizing the pedestrian safety, as well as the safety of manual cyclists. […] House Bill 4768 allows the state to regulate the use of low-speed e-bikes on paths within the state’s jurisdiction. Under the current law, e-bike regulations are decided by local authorities and municipalities. This bill expands that control to include the state, so that they may be able to respond accordingly to low-speed e-bike related pedestrian safety concerns—or in serious cases, e-bike related accidents or injuries. Specifically, state entities are given the right to prohibit the use of e-bikes on walking and biking paths for the protection of those on a walk or riding a manual bicycle.