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While helping families get services for their child with disabilities, Alexandra Kuske says she has seen school districts slip in language requiring parents to waive their children’s rights to bring claims under state and federal laws.
Recently, one district proposed that a parent waive all claims related to her 12-year-old’s education for the next 10 years in return for a six-month placement at a therapeutic day school, said Kuske, a state attorney at Equip for Equality, a federally mandated protection and advocacy organization for Illinois.
Now, special education advocates from organizations including Equip for Equality, Access Living, and Legal Council for Health Justice are pushing state lawmakers to pass House Bill 2337, which would require school districts to limit waivers to students involved in the mediation process. Under the bill, waivers would have to be “limited in scope and duration and narrowly tailored” to the student’s case. […]
A spokesperson for the Illinois State Board of Education said the state offers mediation to parents and school districts that voluntarily agree to participate. The state board has received 413 mediation requests for the 2025 fiscal year, but not all requests result in a mediation hearing, the spokesperson said. Among the mediations that occur, 71% reach an agreement. However, the state board does not track waivers placed in agreements.
* Tribune…
Because she thinks it could help students like her to complete their education without being so stretched financially and otherwise, [Monica Mendoza] is advocating for a proposal from Gov. JB Pritzker that would allow some community colleges to offer four-year degrees. It would allow students like her to earn a bachelor’s degree from their community college, rather than having to transfer. […]
But the pitch is facing stiff headwinds in Springfield, where earlier this month it failed to be called for a committee vote ahead of a procedural deadline amid opposition from existing four-year institutions, some of which are facing enrollment and financial issues. […]
Four-year universities argue the bill could diminish progress the state has made on educational access and achievement, according to a statement to reporters from a coalition of Illinois universities including leadership from Chicago State University, Illinois State University and several “directional” Illinois schools such as Northern Illinois University. […]
The governor’s proposal includes some guardrails against siphoning off students from their local universities, according to its proponents. It says community college boards must be able to demonstrate the programs wouldn’t “unnecessarily duplicate” already-available four-year offerings in the same district, though few specifics are outlined in the bill’s text. […]
Negotiations on the bill continue. State Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl, the bill’s House sponsor, said that the discussions include “setting up a framework for how these programs are going to run throughout the state,” including keeping the door open for regional differences in how issues like commute times are calculated, for example.
* Something to keep in mind…
7 weeks after bill intro deadline; 1 week after committee passage deadline; 5 session days until 3rd Reading deadline. Nice media pop, tho https://t.co/YvjdTMCDu8
— Capitol Fax (@capitolfax) March 30, 2025
On Thursday, the Senate Executive Subcommittee on Procurement held a subject matter hearing on a bill led by State Senator Rachel Ventura that would make Illinois the first state to ensure state purchases do not contribute to deforestation, forest degradation or human rights violations. […]
Senate Bill 2157 would position Illinois as a national leader in responsible sourcing, aligning with global efforts to protect forests, climate and biodiversity. The proposed bill would ensure state-funded purchases of key commodities — such as rubber, paper and specific wood products — come exclusively from sustainable sources, curbing the state’s contribution to global deforestation.
The Deforestation-Free Illinois Act would ban state purchases of tropical hardwood or related products, positioning Illinois as a global climate leader with stronger procurement standards. Ventura’s bill would help safeguard biodiversity by preserving ecosystems and protecting at-risk species. […]
The bill supports Illinois and U.S. businesses by prioritizing low-deforestation products — recognizing that U.S. soy and cattle have significantly lower deforestation risks than imports. It also includes a preference for Illinois-sourced products, keeping taxpayer dollars in state. […]
Additionally, the bill upholds Indigenous rights by requiring Free, Prior, and Informed Consent for developments affecting their land and resources. […]
Senate Bill 2157 has been assigned to the Senate Executive committee.
* WCIA…
Surgeons and surgery room staff came to the Capitol Thursday to push for a bill that could change requirements for surgical technologists. […]
Surgeons and certified surgical technologists filed a bill with Rep. Barbara Hernandez (D-Aurora) called the Operating Room Patient Safety Act. This bill will require all new surgical technologists to complete an accredited education program and obtain a national certification after completing their certification first. […]
Several hospitals and associations oppose the bill. The Illinois Health and Hospital Association Senior Vice-President of Government Relations, Dave Gross, said by making certification and education a requirement, this will cause delays in care because it could limit the number of qualified surgical technologists available. […]
The bill to make certification a requirement has gained momentum in the House on both sides of the aisle. If signed into law, the bill would take effect in 2027.
* Chicago faith leaders in the Tribune…
Second Chance Month is a national opportunity, but it matters right here at home. In Illinois, an estimated 2.2 million people carry the burden of a past arrest or conviction record. It takes hard work to turn one’s life around — especially when finding meaningful employment is harder than falling back into crime. Yet, so many persevere. […]
In the coming days, state Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth will introduce Clean Slate legislation in Springfield. This year, Illinois can pass this needed legislation that carefully balances fairness and public safety. The bill includes safeguards to ensure eligibility requirements are met; automated systems are also more efficient and equitable, reducing human error and bias in the expungement process.
Now is the time for action. To begin with, we urge lawmakers to prioritize Clean Slate legislation. To follow, we urge everyone to advocate for this important bill with your state representative. Then our elected officials will need to listen to their constituents, many of whom live with these barriers every day. We need to hear their stories, recognize their resilience and change the law. Passing this legislation is not just the right thing to do — it’s what justice demands.
Illinois cannot afford to wait. Let us seize this moment to transform lives, strengthen communities and pave the way for a brighter, more equitable future. The time for Clean Slate is now.
* WTVO…
Illinois lawmakers have proposed a bill that would change the tax code to reflect other prescription drug taxes.
The bill would amend the Retailers’ Occupation Tax Act to recognize cannabis as prescription and nonprescription medicine and drugs as long as a buyer purchases it from a dispensary and has a medical cannabis card.
The proposal would also amend the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act to stop certain cannabis infused products being used for medicinal purposes from being taxed twice. […]
The bill was proposed by Illinois Rep. Sonya Harper (D) on January 10th. The potential law was referred to the House Rules Committee on January 28th.
* Daily Herald…
If not tempted outdoors yet, you can remain “wheely active” by boning up on recently introduced state biking bills, contacting elected officials, and offering input on transportation plans/studies — all of which may impact your future riding experience.
The Ride Illinois Bicycle Bill Tracker lists over a dozen biking-related bills ranging from simply including trikes in the definition of bicycles to the broader status of cyclists on Illinois roadways. […]
State Sen. Mike Simmons (D-7th) of Chicago introduced SB2285 which amends the Illinois Vehicle code redefining “bicycle” as including two or more wheels. A companion bill HB3225 with the same wording by State Rep. Lilian Jiménez (D-4th Chicago), was cosponsored in the House by Batavia State Rep. Maura Hirschauer (D-49th).
Naperville State Rep. Janet Yang Rohr (D-41st) introduced HB1875 which provides specific instances in which bicyclists approaching a stop sign may proceed without coming to a complete stop if no cross-traffic exists. Neighboring State Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (D-81st) also of Naperville is co-sponsor.
Hirschauer has also taken on the broader issue of a bicyclist’s roadway status with a bill that affects the immunity liability of governmental units. She is sponsoring HB2454, a bill in response to two bicycle crashes due to poorly maintained infrastructure — a 1992 incident in Wayne Township near Bartlett in her district and on Chicago’s northwest side in 2019.
The biking-related House bills above missed the deadline to get out of committee, however, SB2285 received an April 4 extension.
* The Chicago Tribune Editorial Board…
Despite support from both sides of the aisle, licensing reform legislation went nowhere. Licensing reform always faces stiff opposition from special interest groups that benefit from keeping out competition. But if we want to get people back to work, it’s a necessary part of the solution.
To understand how burdensome rules keep people on the sidelines, consider what aspiring barbers have to navigate before they can become licensed: 1,500 hours in an approved barbering school, which can cost as much as college tuition. By comparison, New York requires just 500 hours — a third as much — yet suffers no apparent decline in public safety or service quality.
A Democrat-sponsored bill could have made it easier for Illinoisans to become licensed stylists. State Rep. Michael Crawford, D-Chicago, is behind legislation that would enable aspiring barbers to become licensed through apprenticeships, offering an alternative to traditional schooling by recognizing hands-on training under licensed professionals.
Meanwhile, a downstate Republican wanted to make it easier for newcomers to our state to find work. State Rep. Paul Jacobs, R-Marion, is the lead sponsor of the Recognition of Licenses Act, which would establish provisions for the recognition of out-of-state professional licenses in Illinois. Illinois does recognize some out-of-state professional licenses, such as teaching licenses, but not all. And it’s not part of the Nurse Licensure Compact, which establishes mutual recognition of nursing licenses among the 41 member states. Another bill, sponsored by state Rep. Yolonda Morris, D-Chicago, would’ve added Illinois to the NLC — a long-overdue and crucial step in addressing the nursing shortage that’s plagued hospitals since COVID-19 hit. […]
We wish Springfield would’ve acted on this initiative and hope these bills are revived soon.
posted by Isabel Miller
Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 9:39 am
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Legislation to allow bicycles to run stop signs:
Nothing can go worng there.
Comment by We've never had one before Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 9:53 am
Re; Community colleges
“It says community college boards must be able to demonstrate the programs wouldn’t “unnecessarily duplicate” already-available four-year offerings in the same district”
Do all state colleges in Illinois have this same requirement regarding other state colleges? No they do not. ‘Unnecessary duplicate’ is too subjective.
Is it unnecessary to have the same program locally for a fraction of the cost, that is available at another school 2 hours away? The very reason community colleges are colloquially called ‘commuter colleges’ is going to erase any attempt to apply a concept of ‘unnecessary duplicate’.
This is protectionism, plain and simple. This should have no bearing at all on the education available at the local level.
Not everyone wants to spend 4 years living in another town just to go to school.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 9:57 am
==If CPS says the state owes it $1 billion, sounds like it is insolvent to me==
Heh. That is a great response to CPS saying they are “owed” money.
Comment by Demoralized Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 10:05 am
TheInvisibleMan - which “state colleges” (do you mean public universities?) are in the “same district” as other public universities? What the language is meant to prevent is John A Logan, a few miles away from SIUC, offering the same degree available at SIUC or City Colleges of Chicago offering the same degrees available at CSU, NEIU, and UIC. But WIU and EIU can each offer the same degrees.
Comment by Grimlock Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 10:17 am
=The bill supports Illinois and U.S. businesses by prioritizing low-deforestation products…the bill upholds Indigenous rights by requiring Free, Prior, and Informed Consent for developments affecting their land and resources=
If this passes, it would be just one more ESG handcuff put on development in IL - The compliance costs will be enormous.
Comment by Donnie Elgin Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 10:28 am
==to ensure state purchases do not contribute to deforestation, forest degradation or human rights violations. ==
Because what we need are even more procurement rules.
Comment by Demoralized Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 10:42 am
Are these community colleges going to get accredited for four year degree programs? If so, are they going to offer a certain minimum scope of programs including STEM, or are they going to be the kind of oddly named fusion programs I sometime see private university “adjuncts” promoting?
Comment by lake county democrat Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 10:43 am
I see no reason for bicyclist should have to stop at a stop sign when many cars do not stop /S
Comment by DuPage Saint Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 10:53 am
“What the language is meant to prevent is John A Logan, a few miles away from SIUC, offering the same degree available at SIUC”
That’s protectionism. It has nothing to do with education. John A Logan is in Williamson county, SIUC is in Jackson county. If Williamson County residents want another local option for a 4yr degree then let them have the option.
“But WIU and EIU can each offer the same degrees.”
Why? Both of those colleges offer a 100% online 4-yr degree program in many of the same fields. I just looked at both colleges 100% online offerings right now. Why is there no similar concern for these programs being ‘duplicated’. How does this existing situation not meet the same subjective criteria of unnecessary, which would be a restriction for a community college?
The bill in question does not *force* community colleges to offer 4yr degrees. It simply allows them the option.
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 10:55 am
Lake County Dem -
The community colleges in Illinois are accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. From an AI recap
Four-Year Degree Programs:
Community colleges that offer four-year programs must demonstrate that they meet HLC’s standards for accreditation, including the criteria for teaching and learning, resources, and institutional effectiveness.
Institutions seeking to offer new degree programs, including four-year programs, must go through a substantive change process, which involves submitting an application to HLC for approval.
HLC will review the application and determine whether the proposed program meets its criteria for accreditation
I would think that for the community colleges to keep their current accreditation any new programs will have to go through the accreditation process.
Comment by No relation Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 11:13 am
- bicyclists approaching a stop sign may proceed without coming to a complete stop if no cross-traffic exists. -
What problem is this solving? Are tons of cyclists being ticketed for rolling stops?
I’m all for promoting cycling, but I don’t understand giving exemptions to basic traffic safety laws.
Comment by Excitable Boy Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 11:34 am
Re community colleges & 4 year degrees:
Whatever its actual motivation, this bill is a bad idea. It assumes that community colleges will have the resources to deliver upper division instruction that will satisfy accreditation standards and measure up to the quality of instruction being delivered at four year institutions. This isn’t a matter of simply offering a few new courses, as some commenters here seem to believe. It will require ensuring that appropriate faculty expertise are hired, that adequate instructional technology is in place, and that necessary library and learning center resources are available. Curricula will need to be thoroughly reviewed and revised, including ensuring that courses can be reliably delivered so students can progress toward graduation. None of this is easy and some of is expensive.
In a time of scarce resources, the state will be better served by ensuring that its educational institutions are able to do their current jobs well, rather than undertaking questionable if perhaps well-intentioned experiments.
Comment by Flapdoole Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 11:58 am
Legalizing the most egregious behavior a cyclist can commit? Madness. Look; I am pro-cycling, and I support making streets more bike-friendly. But not stopping at signs and lights, just because it’s a hassle to start up again from a standing start, that’s just being lazy, get an e-bike if you’re too tired. There’s plenty of anecdotes of people hurt by cyclists who didn’t want to slow down, a famous case in San Francisco killed an elderly man in a crosswalk as the unrepentant cyclist slammed into him and went on, later bragging about his damaged helmet online. And you are just begging to have cyclists get hit by cars, allowing them to blow through stops. Madness.
Comment by Give Us Barabbas Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 12:03 pm
The Ride Illinois Bicycle Bill Tracker has nothing on enforcement of adult cyclists riding on city sidewalks, which is currently prohibited, not that you’d notice given all of the cyclists I encounter daily as I walk through the Loop. Maybe start there. And maybe ban scooters from the sidewalks too?
Comment by 47th Ward Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 12:14 pm
–
It assumes that community colleges will have the resources to deliver upper division instruction that will satisfy accreditation standards and measure up to the quality of instruction being delivered at four year institutions.
–
Yes, it does assume they are going to do this correctly. I’m not sure why that is being presented as a negative or some type of roadblock. They went through this process with their existing accreditations too.
Again, this bill does not force every single community college to offer a 4yr degree.
If a specific community wants to offer a 4yr degree, then this bill would allow the option to become available.
Maybe an area with hospitals wants to provide a focused 4yr degree in the medical field. Maybe an area more focused on rock and gravel mining wants to create a focused 4yr geology or Earth Sciences program. Maybe an area with industrial chemical processes wants to create a 4yr Chemical Engineering program. Maybe an agricultural area wants to create a focused 4yr Ag Sciences program.
Higher education provides benefits to the local economy of any area it is located in.
If your local community college doesn’t want to do any of this, nobody would be forcing them to do so.
The opposition I’ve seen to this so far, seems to mostly be centered on a perceived and unspoken threat to those exact same benefits at existing 4yr colleges, and nothing more. Politely, it is protectionism. Bluntly, it is arrogance.
Education is not a zero sum game(strictly competitive) - It is instead a win-win scenario(non-competitive, non-zero-sum).
Comment by TheInvisibleMan Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 12:40 pm
The definition of cyclist will need to change too. The electric bikes and more importantly, the DWI bikes (the ones with altered engines for those that have had their license taken away), go way too fast. I’m comfortable with a bike slowing down and proceeding cautiously without coming to a complete stop, but not the electric bikes, especially those home made ones.
Comment by Lurker Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 1:41 pm
Regarding requiring certification of Surgical Techs: For me, this is a no-brainer. Those techs are responsible for keeping the instruments sterile in the operating room. Not sure patients are aware of whether they’re getting a tech who’s passed a test confirming their knowledge of keeping those instruments sterile. Infection is a leading cause of health complications and even death following surgical procedures.
Of course hopitals are against it, because being able to hire non-certified techs keeps their profits higher than they would otherwise be if they had to hire people who are properly trained and tested.
Comment by PublicServant Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 1:43 pm
Like bicyclists even pause at stop signs and stop lights in the 60827. Waiting for one to become road rash at our busier intersections, since drivers don’t pay attention to cars or trucks, let alone bicycles.
Comment by thisjustinagain Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 2:08 pm
When the IL Dept of Employment Securities estimates a job growth of 234 for surgical technoloigsts a year and accredited programs can produce a potential of 490 annually, there will be no job shortagem just higher quality of patience care and greater peace of mind when your loved one is being operated on.
Comment by Daisy Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 3:33 pm
I think we need a biking omnibus bill
Comment by Unionman Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 3:48 pm
From the Bill
“Does not apply to an intersection with an active railroad grade crossing.”
Are they trying to say the train will win?
Comment by maybe Monday, Mar 31, 25 @ 8:22 pm