* Rep. Rick Ryan…

State Rep. Rick Ryan, D-Evergreen Park, will join FX’s The Bear actor Corey Hendrix on Wednesday, May 20, at 12:45 p.m. in the parking lot between the Capitol and Howlett Building to celebrate the ongoing work designating the Italian Beef sandwich as the official state sandwich of Illinois, including the passage of House Bill 4669 and House Resolution [912.]

“There is a rich history behind the Italian beef sandwich,” Ryan said. “It’s our state’s most famous sandwich, brought to the United States by working class Italian immigrants who found resourceful ways to make meals stretch and ends meet. And it is still extremely popular today.”

Ryan sponsored House Bill 4669 to officially name the Italian beef sandwich as the state sandwich of Illinois. The measure passed out of the House and awaits a vote in the Senate. House Resolution 910 declaring Saturday, May 23 as Italian Beef Day in Illinois was also introduced and plans to be heard later this week for adoption.

Coincidently, the global hit Chicago-based show “The Bear” helped reinforce the cultural impact of Italian food and specifically, the Italian beef sandwich. Chicago native Corey Hendrix will also join Ryan at the press conference. Hendrix stars in FX’s The Bear as “Sweeps,” a longtime employee of The Bear. Hendrix grew up in the North Lawndale neighborhood in Chicago. FX’s The Bear returns for its fifth and final season on June 25 on FX and Hulu.

“We’re thrilled to have members from The Bear and the film industry joining us as we celebrate,” Ryan said. “The show has combined culture and entertainment and encouraged viewers to enjoy some of the delicious meals that they’ve seen be prepared on the set.”

Please be advised that, weather permitting, the press conference may change locations.

* WAND…

State lawmakers have not taken a vote on the Chicago Bears-endorsed megaprojects bill since April 22, but Gov. JB Pritzker told reporters Monday that he is optimistic the General Assembly will pass the plan before session ends. […]

“My north star is protecting the taxpayers of Illinois,” Pritzker said. “We need to have something that works for the state of Illinois that’s fair, as we are being fair with other businesses that want to come to Illinois or expand here, that we’re being fair in the allocation of support for a business expanding in the state while also protecting taxpayers.” […]

While the plan is up in the air, Pritzker stressed one thing is clear — the Bears will not be staying in Chicago despite Mayor Brandon Johnson’s last-minute push to keep the team.

“I’d love them to be in the city, but we’re three years in now, and he still has no plan,” Pritzker said. “The Bears have said publicly, and I think they said so last Friday, that they have now only two options, which [are] the state of Indiana or Arlington Heights.”

* Sen. Mike Simmons…

State Senator Mike Simmons will host a press conference alongside State Representative Norma Hernandez and advocates from AIDS Foundation Chicago to support and advocate for HIV funding infrastructure in Illinois through Senate Bill 2814, which proposes to restore funding for Illinois’ PrEP Medication Assistance Program and allocate funding for STI screening.

WHO: State Senator Mike Simmons (D-Chicago), State Representative Norma Hernandez (D-Melrose Park), Alderman Lamont Robinson, Timothy Jackson (AFC)

WHAT: Press conference on Senate Bill 2814/House Bill 4410

WHEN: Tuesday, May 19 at 4 p.m.

WHERE: Blue Room, Illinois State Capitol and live on BlueRoomStream.com

* Illinois Insurance Association Executive Director Kevin Martin…

Illinois has long benefited from one of the most competitive auto insurance markets in the country. A recent U.S. News & World Report study found that Illinois has the sixth‑lowest auto insurance premiums in the nation — a ranking driven by strong competition, consumer choice and a regulatory framework that allows insurers to respond quickly to changing market conditions.

Legislation being debated in Springfield (Senate Bill 714) would upend this system by imposing a form of prior approval rate regulation that has failed consumers elsewhere. The consequences are predictable and well documented: higher premiums, fewer choices and insurers reducing their footprint or leaving the market entirely. […]

The timing of this proposal is especially puzzling because Illinois auto insurance premiums have been declining over the past year. With fewer traffic crashes, claims frequency fell, and insurers responded by lowering rates — exactly what a competitive market with more than 200 insurers is supposed to do.

Yet an amendment to SB 714, introduced with little warning on the evening of May 11, threatens to undermine this progress. The bill advances a politically driven proposal by Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias without meaningful stakeholder review or debate. It injects politics into rate decisions and slows insurers’ ability to adjust prices — up or down — based on actual claims experience.

* Harness Racing Update…

With bankrupt Hawthorne Race Course in suburban Chicago on life support and the spring session of the state legislature in its final month the push for passage of a law permitting a standardbred track/casino to be built in downstate Decatur has taken on added urgency for members of the Illinois harness racing community.

“We’ve got our [lobbying] team down here,” said Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association executive director Tony Somone, speaking from the state capital in Springfield. “We’re trying to get a House bill across the finish-line before the end of the session on May 31.”

A bill calling for the Decatur racino and also for an end to the provision in state law that allows Hawthorne to veto any racetrack/casino project within 30 miles of its property passed the Illinois Senate 49-8 last fall.

While no one has made a concerted effort to build in suburban Chicago if the boundary is eliminated Conor Lucas and his father, Larry, (son-in-law of the late Illinois Racing Board chairman Gene Lamb) are the prime-movers in the Decatur project.

* More…

* WCIA | ‘A bill like this would be really key’: Doctor talks new IL bill addressing asthma, allergy preparedness in schools: Dr. Dareen Siri, the CEO of Midwest Allergy Sinus Asthma Respiratory, said that she has been advocating for this bill for years. House Bill 4247 is addressing asthma and epinephrine emergency preparedness at schools and events held there. She said that it would allow schools to keep asthma medication readily available, especially near sports fields and gyms. It would also require staff to be educated on how to give epinephrine and asthma medication. […] The bill is now heading to Governor JB Pritzker’s desk to be signed into law.

* WGN | Bears scheduled to meet with NFL during league meeting as Illinois lawmakers face looming deadline on megaprojects bill: The Chicago Bears’ front office is scheduled to meet with the NFL on Tuesday during the league’s Spring Meeting in Orlando, Florida, to discuss plans for a new stadium. The NFL Spring League Meeting runs Tuesday and Wednesday. Meanwhile, Illinois lawmakers are on a short deadline to finalize the so-called megaprojects bill that could help keep the Bears in Illinois. The Illinois House passed the bill last month, though the Bears have requested some changes.

* Press release | Grasse Public Health Measure to Prepare for Potential Infectious Diseases Passes General Assembly: House Bill 4977 makes a simple change to Illinois’ Hospital Licensing Act by including “pathogens of epidemiological concern” as a form of multidrug-resistant organisms. These pathogens are defined by a range of traits that indicate a propensity for rapid transmission, especially within healthcare facilities. It also repeals the MRSA Screening and Reporting Act, which will now be covered by the expanded definition. This legislation passed the General Assembly with bipartisan support and now moves to the governor’s desk for signature.