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* WGEM…
Illinois is one of only seven states without an agency overseeing its public defenders. A bill in the state would create a new Office of Public Defense and Trial Support.
The bill is sponsored by state Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park. It comes after an Illinois state Supreme Court study showed public defenders need more support. […]
The office would have two main jobs. One would be providing support to public defenders such as money and other resources. The other function would be creating a strategic planning process to enhance public defender services and ensure everyone has access to effective counsel regardless of where they are in Illinois. […]
Stephanie Kollmann is the policy director at the Children and Family Justice Center at the Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law. She said she’s encouraged Harmon is having a conversation about public defense in Illinois but Illinois needs a statewide public defender’s office independent of the judiciary.
The bill remains in the Senate on Third Reading, but SB595 has been given a May 3 deadline extension.
* Rep. Anthony DeLuca…
Emphasizing public safety and the need to keep roads clear for first responders, state Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, is supporting a plan that would strengthen penalties on protestors who block busy roads and prevent the passage of emergency vehicles.
“There’s no question that people have a right to protest and have their voice heard, but they can’t do so in a way that recklessly endangers others,” DeLuca said. “Blocking major roads – especially with no advance notice – is not just inconvenient for residents trying to get to work or school, it also creates traffic jams that make it difficult for first responders and ambulances to reach people in need.”
The DeLuca-backed House Bill 5819 notes that the obstruction of police, firefighters and ambulance personnel on highways endangers the health, welfare and safety of the public. Under the proposal, if an individual blocks an exceptionally busy public right-of-way for more than five minutes in a way that would prevent the passage of first responders, they would be subject to a Class 4 felony. Exceptionally busy right-of-ways are roads defined as having at least 24,000 separate vehicle movements in a 24-hour period.
House Bill 5819 comes in the wake of disruptive protests on the Kennedy Expressway near O’Hare Airport, blocking traffic and causing substantial delays for travelers.
The House committee deadline has long past and the Third Reading passage deadline was earlier this month.
House Bill 4611, another measure that is of priority of the Illinois Secretary of State, has stalled. The measure limiting factors that auto insurers can use to set rates didn’t advance before last week’s deadline. […]
The chair of the insurance committee, state. Rep Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City, urged members to consider the amendments and get the bill out of committee.
The bill never left committee.
“Nobody wants to study … until 2028. That’s the issue that has been hanging [the bill] up in committee. We made a compromise to do the study in 2025-2026. Plus this is all depending on if the governor signs the bill. This is a good bill,” said Jones. […]
“The underlying bill says they’re going to ban credit scores, it was a Secretary of State initiative, but now we worked with their office and the auto insurance industry to look at an Illinois-based study that looks at credit scores and other discriminatory factors to see if those discriminating factors are rising up car insurance rates,” said Jones.
* Sens. Ram Villivalam and Celina Villanueva…
Senator Villivalam and Senator Villanueva will join the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition (ICJC) to introduce the ICJC Platform, which includes legislation outlining critical solutions in the power, buildings, and transportation sectors that accelerate Illinois’ climate, equity, and energy goals. The ICJC Platform includes the Clean and Reliable Grid Act (SB3636), the Clean and Healthy Buildings Act, and the Clean and Equitable Transportation Act.
WHAT: Press conference in support of the ICJC Platform, which includes the Clean and Reliable Grid Act, Clean and Healthy Buildings Act, and the Clean and Equitable Transportation Act.
WHEN: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. CT
WHERE: Blue Room, Illinois State Capitol, S 2nd Street, Springfield, Illinois 62756
SPEAKERS:
Emcee: Jen Walling, Executive Director, Illinois Environmental Council
State Senator Ram Villivalam (SD8)
State Senator Celina Villanueva (SD12)
Rosa Harper-Davis, Faith Coalition for the Common Good
The Illinois Senate has passed legislation in response to a deadly accident in the 54th Senate District involving a tanker carrying 7,500 gallons of anhydrous ammonia that killed 5 people and injured 11.
State Senator Steve McClure, R-Springfield, filed the legislation at the request of Effingham County officials. The bill is designed to educate drivers about the dangers of hazardous materials that vehicles are transporting on Illinois roadways.
“My hope is that drivers, especially younger drivers, will be educated on how deadly even minor crashes can be that involve vehicles hauling hazardous materials,” McClure said in a press release. “I’m hopeful that better educating drivers will help save lives.”
Senate Bill 3406, filed by McClure, will require the Illinois Secretary of State to include education on hazardous material placards in the Rules of the Road publication, which is used to educate students in drivers education classes. The aim of the legislation is to educate drivers so that they know when hazardous materials are being transported on the roads with them.
A cancer advocacy group is applauding legislation it says will remove barriers to access clinical trials for underserved communities in Illinois.
Officials at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network say clinical trials often suffer from a lack of diversity, with underrepresentation of certain demographic groups such as minorities, women and older adults. […]
The measure in House Bill 5405 requires the Illinois Department of Public Health to team with other research organizations to conduct a study to determine which demographic groups are underrepresented in clinical trials in Illinois. The department would be required to report to the General Assembly on the results of the study by July 1, 2025.
Lopshire said the measure will improve diversity and reduce barriers to clinical trials, which are essential in the fight against cancer. She said one way is to provide more information about clinical trials online. […]
The measure passed the House and awaits further action in the Senate.
* Rep. Janet Yang Rohr…
State Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, D-Naperville, advanced legislation to raise awareness for waterway cleanup efforts, highlighting the need for immediate action to preserve Illinois’ natural resources.
“Cleaning up our state’s waterways is critical to combat climate change and preserve our rich natural habitats,” Yang Rohr said. “By designating September as Waterway Cleanup Month, we can highlight the numerous statewide efforts to beautify waterways in your own backyard.”
Yang Rohr’s House Bill 4130 designates September as Waterway Cleanup Month and is supported by Illinois People’s Action, Sierra Club Illinois and Prairie River Network. Yang Rohr’s legislation originated from student and educator-led efforts in her community to clean up local rivers. The legislation was approved by the House Energy & Environment Committee and passed the House Floor with bipartisan support. […]
House Bill 4130 now heads to the Senate where it will be championed by chief-sponsor Senator Laura Ellman.
When children are removed from their homes by DCFS, they often end up in a different home, outside of their school district. In certain situations, those children may not be able to stay in their current school. The Illinois Senate has passed legislation filed by State Senator Steve McClure (R-Springfield) designed to ensure that these children are able to attend school in the district where they previously resided. […]
Under current law, depending on what home children are placed in by DCFS, they may or may not be able to attend school in the district where they previously resided.
Senate Bill 2824, filed by McClure, closes the loophole and ensures that all children who have been removed from their homes by DCFS are able to attend their original school district, if determined by DCFS to be in the best interest of the child. This includes situations where a student is moving from elementary to middle school, or from middle school to high school. […]
SB2824 passed the Senate and now awaits action in the Illinois House.
* Rep. Harry Benton…
State Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, is supporting military families by moving legislation through the Illinois House of Representatives to cut red tape regarding child care services for military families.
“We always need to look for ways to support families and members of our military, and this legislation does both,” said Benton. “Military bases have not avoided the shortage of child care providers we have seen across our nation and across Illinois. This bill will help cut some of the red tape restricting us from addressing these shortages, and provide support for some of the most valued members of our state: military families.”
Benton’s House Bill 5596 works by allowing child care providers serving military families on-base to bypass redundant state licensing processes when they have already acquired sufficient licensing through the U.S. Department of Defense. House Bill 5596 received unanimous support on the House floor. The bill now moves to the Senate.
posted by Isabel Miller
Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 9:59 am
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“Illinois-based study that looks at credit scores and other discriminatory factors to see if those discriminating factors are rising up car insurance rates”
Credit scores should not be a factor in setting auto insurance rates. What does a credit score have to do with save driving? Case in point: I have no credit score, because I have no debt. I haven’t had a ticket or been in an accident in years. Why should my auto insurance rate be higher because I don’t have “good” credit score?
Comment by Steve Polite Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 10:29 am
= Illinois needs a statewide public defender’s office independent of the judiciary. =
I agree with Kollmann on this. I’ve seen situations where Chief Public Defenders kowtowed to the county judiciary to the detriment of their clients.
Comment by JoanP Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 10:40 am
Thanks, JoanP! Yes, it’s extremely important that the law change. The conflict of interest inherent in judges appointing and removing defenders puts lawyers and clients in an untenable relationship.
Which is why, of the ABA’s 10 Principles of a Public Defense Delivery System, independence from the judiciary is listed as #1!
https://www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_aid_indigent_defense/indigent_defense_systems_improvement/standards-and-policies/ten-principles-pub-def/principle-1/
Comment by JoanP Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 11:03 am
“Why should my auto insurance rate be higher”
Because you are in a pool of other drivers with similar characteristics. Similarly, your zip code will often be one of the larger factors in determining your rates even if you’ve been in zero accidents.
It’s not always about you as an individual. You may live in an area where other people are more likely to hit your car even if it’s parked. That’s still a claim you will have to make. Your personal driving record certainly matters to a degree, but it is far from the only metric which determines your risk.
As for credit scores impacting your rates, credit information is very predictive of future accidents or insurance claims. That’s the pool you are in, like it or not, no matter your individual behavior.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 11:07 am
Re: HB4611
Does this mean the bill is dead this session, or is there a chance it could still be called up? It looks like a lot of people signed on as co-sponsors. Surprised to see it languish in the Rules Committee.
Comment by H-W Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 11:52 am
Including limiting their ability to raise rates by any percentage they want to. The rate increases have been absolutely outrageous. My homeowners insurance went up 30%. That sort of rate increase should be regulated.
Comment by Demoralized Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 11:53 am
Oh no. Sorry, JoanP, I meant to write TO you, not AS you.
Comment by Stephanie Kollmann Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 11:54 am
@ Invisible Man
I disagree with you inference that all pools matter because the pools exist. I am in a lot of pools, but they are not all equally, or even marginally predictive of my risk of filing a claim. That is just what insurance wonks say.
We can always find correlations between pools. We could look at Race, ethnicity, occupational status, social prestige in the community, color of hair, eye color, skin tone, show size, style of blue jeans, etc. We can always find statistically significant correlations when the sample size is an entire population of many millions.
But that statistically significant correlations are not all causally related to driving. They are just statistically related. Substantively, they are meaningless, except that insurers use them to increase revenues (not to decrease payments).
Credit history is one such flawed factor.
Anyone who files bankruptcy is not by definition a higher risk of filing an auto claim. And they are not the same as people who are late with payments on credit cards, or late with payments on insurance premiums. But the bankruptcy client does have a much lower credit score.
So people who file medical bankruptcy, or file bankruptcy because of plant closings and layoffs, pay higher auto premiums because of their credit score, not, their driving risk. If the latter, they would have been higher risks prior to bankrupcy.
Your argument is weak at best. Again, we can always find correlations when the sample size is many millions. Indeed, everything is statistically significant when we consider 180 M drivers. Hence, your argument is simply a justification for raising prices, not a justification for shared risk.
Comment by H-W Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 12:03 pm
ABA Standards for Criminal Justice: Providing Defense Services, Standard 5-1.3(a) (3rd edition, 1992).
Defendants need to know that their attorney is working in their interests — and not for the political benefit of the PD’s bosses.
A statewide public defender’s office needs to be independent of the judiciary.
– MrJM
Comment by @misterjayem Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 12:07 pm
“credit information is very predictive of future accidents or insurance claims”
How? What’s the causation between a low credit score and auto accidents? Correlation does not imply a direct or indirect causal relationship between two factors due to the possibility of confounding variables.
For example, ice cream sales and violent crime rates are closely correlated, but they are not causally linked with each other. Instead, hot temperatures, a third variable, affects both variables separately.
Do you have any links to independent (not sponsored by the insurance industry) supporting studies or research?
And this isn’t just about me. I don’t think anyone with a low credit score should be penalized with higher auto insurance for that reason alone. I just used myself as an example.
Comment by Steve Polite Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 12:15 pm
“My homeowners insurance went up 30%. That sort of rate increase should be regulated.”
Mine went up 3%.
Like auto insurance, your rate is primarily determined by the pool you are in.
Have you kept your house up to the most recent building codes? Or is the same as whatever year your house was built?
Did your local fire department keep up with its certifications. Did your corporate authority/municipality pass ordinances which are detrimental to public safety?
Insurance is a reflection of *overall risk*, not necessarily you specifically. That seems to be the main misunderstanding leading to the disconnect when people espouse how they think insurance companies should be run. Where ‘you’ matter the most in the equation is which actions you have taken to deliberately place yourself into a lower-risk pool. If you’ve done nothing, guess what… that’s a pool too. And it has higher rates and higher increases over time.
No, I don’t work for or get any financial or other benefit from the insurance industry or anyone in it.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 12:16 pm
“Correlation does not imply a direct or indirect causal relationship”
Correct. It’s a simply a definition of a pool where certain metrics have been determined to be more or less related to payouts. The correlation is there, the causation is irrelevant.
When insurance is determined by credit scores, it means the company can offer *overall lower* rates to everyone not in that pool. When credit is not used, it means *everyone* will have a higher rate to make up for the payouts, which will still be the same total amount.
The best way for you to get the most benefit of of insurance, or anything else in this world, is to understand how it works and what you can do personally to move that needle. Not everyone, heck hardly anyone, does that. There’s a whole world of benefits available to those who take the time to understand how things work.
Yes I do have a link. To a scientific study published in the North American Actuarial Journal
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10920277.2016.1209118
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 12:26 pm
===When insurance is determined by credit scores, it means the company can offer *overall lower* rates to everyone not in that pool===
So, basically shaft the poor even though there is no causal relationship.
Lovely idea.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 12:30 pm
@ Invisible Man
Your argument is a perfect justification for the existence of laws intended to protect consumers from unjust and immoral business practices. Not speaking of you, just the pool you are in /s
Comment by H-W Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 12:42 pm
–basically shaft the poor–
To my knowledge, the purpose of insurance has never been to be positioned as an altruistic endeavor.
We could get rid of insurance requirements completely, and just let everyone self-insure to get rid of such metrics. Fingers crossed every year during tornado season though.
Of course, that would obviously shaft the poor even more.
The current setup is the least bad option.
When I paid to have my roof redone with higher rated materials earlier this month, the first thing I did when it was completed was to call my insurance company - and it lowered my premium. Significantly.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 12:43 pm
Also, poor is not equal to a bad credit score. There are plenty of people who are not poor with terrible credit, and plenty of poor people with good credit.
There is certainly a correlation, but it is not a causal relationship.
Nobody suddenly becomes poor *because* they have a bad credit score. Or vice-versa.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 12:52 pm
=Senate Bill 3406, filed by McClure, will require the Illinois Secretary of State to include education on hazardous material placards in the Rules of the Road publication, which is used to educate students in drivers education classes.=
We already do that in driver’s ed.
Senate Bill 2824, filed by McClure, closes the loophole and ensures that all children who have been removed from their homes by DCFS are able to attend their original school district, =
Covered since the mid 1980’s by the McKinney-Vento act.
These legislators really need to do a little research. Or gpo back to school themselves.
Comment by JS Mill Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 1:14 pm
The insurance industry should hire you to be a shill for them. You’re in the minority in trying to defend the insurance industry.
And when I asked about my 30% increase the reason I was given was “due to increased weather events.”
You want to defend the indefensible.
Comment by Demoralized Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 1:19 pm
==what you can do personally to move that needle==
Insurance shouldn’t be a game of “whack a mole” where you need to make all kinds of twists and turns to figure out the “secret” rate. The insurance industry gets away with far too much in my opinion and they need to be more regulated, not less.
Comment by Demoralized Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 1:23 pm
==To a scientific study published in the North American Actuarial Journal==
You must be loads of fun at parties.
Comment by Demoralized Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 1:30 pm
==When I paid to have my roof redone==
Glad you could afford that. A lot of people couldn’t afford to do something like that. And you’re perfectly OK with an insurance rate being set based on what someone can and cannot afford. Don’t have a lot of money? Sorry about that. You’ll have to pay higher insurance premiums. Again, the more you talk the more you prove that how insurance companies set rates is a scam.
Comment by Demoralized Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 1:57 pm
Its interesting that Rep. DeLuca is using emergency responder access as the justification for his bill. In the case of the 190 protest, there were/always are first responders already stationed at O’Hare. There was never any danger of first responders not being able to make it to O’Hare during that protest should the need have arisen.
Comment by Benniefly2 Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 2:37 pm
I can potentially see a relationship as far as credit scores are concerned. If you have a small claim and you have good credit you may not file that claim. If you did your rates would increase and in the long run you’d pay more. If you had poor credit you would file the claim. I don’t like insurance companies I’m just pointing out one scenario.
Comment by EP1082 Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 2:44 pm
JS Mill, re SB 3406, it only addresses the Rules of the Road, which does not have any reference to hazardous materials placards at all:
https://www.ilsos.gov/publications/pdf_publications/dsd_a112.pdf
As for Sen. McClure’s other bill, I’m guessing it is a problem with DCFS that was brought to his attention, so I’d be curious to see what sort of action is needed to correct the problem.
Comment by MyTwoCents Friday, Apr 26, 24 @ 3:45 pm