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* Best of luck…
Not to overlook the State's other legislative body…the Illinois Senate has NINE HUNDRED AND THIRTY THREE bills on their executive committee agenda today. Mostly shell bills though. What's a shell bill? They're kind of like the worst party piñata ever. https://t.co/gJb8ySofUD pic.twitter.com/10r2Bjl8sn
— Chicago Bars (@chicagobars) March 8, 2023
* Press release…
To ensure Crest Hill residents have clean drinking water, State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel sponsored a measure that would construct a Lake Michigan water receiving station, which passed the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday.
“Water is basic need for everyone,” said Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). “Ensuring Crest Hill has access to Lake Michigan’s water supply is vital. This initiative would help the city for decades to come.”
Crest Hill’s switch to Lake Michigan as a source of treated water supply needs to be finished by the end of 2029. The new water supply operation would be able to serve both the city’s water system pressure zones and would be capable of meeting all of its water supply needs.
Senate Bill 347 would authorize the City of Crest Hill to buy the land that would be used in the construction of a Lake Michigan water station. The proposed site for the water receiving station is on land owned by the Illinois Department of Corrections which is near the city’s largest water customer, Stateville Correctional Center. […]
Senate Bill 347 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and heads to the floor for further consideration.
* IL Families for Public Schools…
The Invest in Kids Act is scheduled to sunset after the 2023-2024 school year, but supporters have been lobbying intensely for it to continue and grow. Legislators have introduced bills to eliminate the program, but also bills to extend and expand it so far this session. Governor Pritzker’s budget book for Fiscal Year 2024 did not include the program.
“Illinois is not currently fully funding the evidence-based school funding formula. Four out of five of our schools are not funded appropriately. Until we fully fund Illinois public schools, which provide an education for ALL students, tax credits, which are essentially school vouchers, should not be available to fund private and religious schools,” said Kathi Griffin, president of the Illinois Education Association. “In addition, there is no meaningful data being collected for this program. We don’t know how many students, new to the schools, this voucher scheme is funding; the retention rate of students attending; learning outcomes or the impact on enrollment at nearby schools.”
Invest in Kids is a statewide program, but vouchers and school privatization are now an issue in Chicago’s mayoral runoff, where candidate Paul Vallas supports extending Invest in Kids and is calling for the creation of a new voucher program for Chicago funded through tax-increment financing. His opponent Brandon Johnson wants the Invest in Kids program to end and opposes further school privatization. In 2021-2022, about 4100 Chicago students were voucher recipients, and Chicago private schools received at least $31 million in Invest in Kids voucher funding. The shortfall in state funding for Chicago Public Schools this year was about $1.1 billion, according to the Partnership for Equity and Education Rights Illinois, a statewide school funding advocacy coalition.
* 25 News Now…
Illinois is one of only 16 states that doesn’t have a way to review long sentences on a prisoner’s behalf, but State Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) said the Prisoner Review Board should determine if those behind bars for long sentences have earned the opportunity to be released.
“This bill provides a much-needed escape valve that can safely and fairly return people who have earned their release back to their communities once they’ve done work while inside to better their lives and make clear that they are ready to rejoin society,” said Sarah Staudt, director of policy for the Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts.
The bill passed out of a Democratic-controlled committee on a 10-5 vote, but more work is being done on the legislation before it goes back to the committee.
* Press release…
Rep. Anne Stava-Murray’s House Bill 3572 would require all new gas stoves sold in Illinois starting in 2024 to have a warning label detailing the asthma risks associated with gas stove emissions. Labeling new stoves would help Illinoisans make informed decisions about what products to put in their homes. NOTE: The bill would not ban gas stoves or require existing stoves to be modified or removed.
More Illinois households cook with gas than in any other state, and a recent study attributes 21% of childhood asthma cases in Illinois to gas stove pollution.
A press conference will be held on Wednesday, March 8 at 4 p.m. CT in the Blue Room at the IL State Capitol Building in Springfield.
* WTTW…
[State Rep. Jennifer] Gong-Gershowitz is sponsoring a bill that would take away rideshare companies’ exemption from the common carrier standard. She says when lawmakers first moved to regulate rideshare companies, they were scrappy upstarts and the idea was to help encourage competition. Given their ubiquity now, she says the exemption just doesn’t make sense – and that holding them to a higher standard will make everyone safer. […]
For its part, an Uber spokesperson told WTTW News: “This proposal would make Illinois the only state that treats rideshare this way, severely impacting drivers’ ability to earn money.” […]
Clark Kaericher of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce is also opposed to the bill. He says state law already requires Uber and Lyft to carry $1 million insurance policies in case passengers are hurt or killed. Kaericher also thinks additional regulation could push rideshare companies to leave the state, costing drivers work and making it tougher for people to get around. […]
The bill has passed the House Judiciary Civil committee. Gong-Gershowitz says she’s looking forward to taking it to the House floor for debate.
* Press release…
State Senator Mike Simmons presented multiple pieces of legislation that will increase vehicle safety and improve CTA disability benefits to the Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday.
“Transportation plays such an important role in our day-to-day lives. It is an essential service. Agencies responsible for providing services should be held accountable to provide accessible service to people of all abilities, and mitigate risks larger vehicles can pose to the road,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “These bills will not only improve safety in our daily transportation, but will also help decrease the amount of accidents on our roads.”
Senate Bill 1892 provides that CTA, PACE and Metra benefits for people with disabilities will automatically renew unless discontinued by the benefit holder.
Senate Bill 2278 permits local authorities to impose limitations on the weight, height or length of trucks or other commercial vehicles on the highways under their jurisdiction.
These measures passed out of the Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday and now head to the Senate floor.
* HB4011 sponsored by Rep. Matt Hanson was filed Monday…
Amends the Illinois Domestic Violence Act of 1986. Provides that if a law enforcement officer has reason to believe that a person has been abused, neglected, or exploited by a family or household member, in situations where the alleged offending party is a juvenile and there are no factors of aggravation, the law enforcement officer may seek to divert or find alternative placement without initiating an arrest.
* HB1533 was passed out of the Agriculture & Conservation Committee yesterday…
The Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association (ISVMA), which represents more than 1,800 veterinarians across the state, is opposing a bill being considered by the state House of Representatives to ban a veterinary surgical procedure that is sometimes recommended by veterinarians to protect a cat’s health and well-being.
“It’s deeply concerning that politicians propose outlawing medical procedures without consulting the medical professionals who have the expertise and insights necessary to ensure animal health and well-being is protected,” said ISMVA President Dr Joanne Carlson DVM. “While we appreciate good intentions, this bill will jeopardize the lives of some cats and compromise veterinarians’ ability to uphold their medical oath to protect and save animals’ lives.”
House Bill 1533, sponsored by Representative Barbara Hernandez (D-Aurora), aims to outlaw the surgical removal of any cat’s claws, known as feline onychectomy, with few exceptions. ISVMA contends the bill is too narrow and puts cats at risk.
Veterinarians are concerned about false and misleading information being shared by the bill’s proponents.
“To be clear, Illinois veterinarians perform feline onychectomies infrequently, and any suggestions that this is a common practice are untrue. When it is done, as a last resort, it is to protect the health and well-being of the cat,” Carlson said. “When the procedure is recommended, veterinarians employ the utmost care while engaging in state-of-the-art procedures and employing the most effective pain-management treatment.” […]
Veterinarians speaking out against the proposed law see unique cat health cases every year, and there are situations where they believe this procedure is the most humane option, and sometimes the only alternative to abandonment or euthanasia.
* WAND…
Most Illinois students have gone through courses about the dangers of drugs and substance use. However, several state lawmakers want to improve the drug education standards and provide new materials for K-12 schools to teach about overdose and substance use prevention.
Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview) filed Senate Bill 2223 to require the Illinois State Board of Education to collaborate with the Department of Human Services, Department of Child and Family Services, Department of Public Health, and the Illinois Opioid Crisis Response Advisory Council to improve the health education standards. Her proposed standards could help students understand current and projected substance use and overdose trends. It also calls for education of the history of drugs and health policy in Illinois and the United States, the impact of zero tolerance, and restorative justice practices. […]
Senate Bill 2223 passed unanimously out of the Senate Education Committee. The proposal now heads to the Senate floor for second reading. Although, Fine told the committee that she is willing to hold the bill on second to negotiate an amendment with stakeholders to ensure the standards and materials could be accessed online.
posted by Isabel Miller
Wednesday, Mar 8, 23 @ 10:48 am
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re: gas stoves
A few years ago as part of my home automation, I put in a pm2.5 sensor. It detects particulate matter in the 2.5nm range. It’s one of the metrics used in outdoor EPA air pollution indexes.
When I cooked on the stove, the pm2.5 shot up in the house to levels that would require an air pollution action/warning from the EPA if it was in the air outside. It only lasts for about an hour or so until the air cleaners do their thing, but I imagine without any air cleaning it would linger in the inside air for a good part of the day.
cooking on a gas stove indoors, pollution-wise, is like having an idling car outside blowing exhaust at your open window.
Which is why I think the best way to show people what is happening when they cook with gas stoves indoors, is to get them an indoor pollution monitor. A decent one costs about $40. Showing people what is happening can often be successful when just telling people what is happening isn’t sufficient.
That it somehow became this weird culture war thing since then is strange. I suppose the ‘roll coal’ types probably actually *like* the pollution in their house, and would take active steps to increase it to… own da libs. These are also the same people who claim to want to ‘protect the kids’.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Wednesday, Mar 8, 23 @ 11:11 am
ISVMA announced they oppose a “ban a veterinary surgical procedure that is sometimes recommended by veterinarians to protect a cat’s health and well-being.” Problem is that HB 1553 states that an exemption to the ban exists for “a therapeutic purpose.” A simple Google search of “therapeutic purpose” gives a variety of definitions that cover the exact concern of keeping this procedure availability for health and safety purposes.
They don’t do it in their press release, but I’d love to ask them “how is cat health worse in the 38 countries, 8 Canadian provinces, and 2 US states where this procedure is banned in the exact way proposed in the bill?”
Comment by Nuke The Whales Wednesday, Mar 8, 23 @ 11:34 am
>>>>>sometimes the only alternative to abandonment or euthanasia.
Go ahead and euthanize. De-clawing is horrible.
Comment by We've never had one before Wednesday, Mar 8, 23 @ 11:36 am
Sb9 sponsored by speaker???something I need to know RNUG?
Comment by State retiree Wednesday, Mar 8, 23 @ 12:33 pm
=said the Prisoner Review Board should determine if those behind bars for long sentences have earned the opportunity to be released.=
Not sure I understand why this legislator thinks the PRB should override the determination of the courts.
Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Mar 8, 23 @ 2:23 pm
I don’t know about the long sentences. Maybe review just to make sure they weren’t arbitary or capricious. Some people really are in because they did heinous things.
In my hometown, a guy killed multiple members of his at that time girlfriend’s family. The fact that the family has had to multiple times collect sigs to keep him locked up almost seems like further harm to them on top of the initial harm this murderer caused. I wouldn’t want this law to add to the pain that survivors already carry.
Comment by cermak_rd Wednesday, Mar 8, 23 @ 2:30 pm
The IL Families for Public Schools got their lingo wrong. It’s not a voucher for public funds going to private schools, It’s private donations going to private schools. Donors get a tax credit. Apples and oranges.
Comment by Southsider Wednesday, Mar 8, 23 @ 4:21 pm
@InvisibleMan - I liked your story but I reached a different conclusion. In my job, I deal with building codes and most codes require a hood fan over a stove top to vent any fumes to the outside So does the failure to operate the fan and clear the air, a fault of the stove, or the operator? If the operator is the problem, why ban the stove?
Further, I like to cook a good steak every now and then and part of my routine is to heat up a cast iron pan before I throw on the steak for a good sear. When I first did that, I set off the smoke detector. Now I know to turn on the fan first, before I throw on the steak. Once again, are the fumes that trigger the alarm the fault of the steak, or the stove? NO. It’s the operator, not the stove. So why ban the stove?
Comment by Suburbanon Wednesday, Mar 8, 23 @ 4:34 pm
Re HB1533 Declawing is cruel and inhumane. Cats who have been declawed can never stretch their back fully, ever again (they can’t get a grip without claws). Declawed cats can become biters, as they have no other defense. The bill allows for vets to make the call if the procedure is in the best interest of the animal. There is simply no other reason to declaw, and this legislation is doing what the best legislation does: protects innocent beings from harm.
Comment by Fairycat Thursday, Mar 9, 23 @ 11:57 am