ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
The Illinois General Assembly reconvenes in lame-duck session on January 4, 2023. The 103rd General Assembly is sworn into office at noon on January 11, 2023.
The House Judiciary- Criminal Committee held another subject matter hearing on HB 5855 (Morgan). Capitol News provides coverage of the hearing here.
Local Democrats will select a replacement for the late Senator Scott Bennett in the coming weeks. Representative Carol Ammons announced she is seeking the appointment. Ammons currently represents half of the 52nd Senate District. Champaign Township Supervisor Andy Quarnstrom is also seeking the appointment.
2023 Key Dates and Deadlines:
January 9: Inauguration of Constitutional Officers
January 11: Inauguration of the 103rd General Assembly
January 27: Deadline – Senate LRB Requests
February 3: Deadline – House LRB Requests
February 10: Deadline – Introduction of Substantive Senate Bills in the Senate
February 17: Deadline – Introduction of Substantive House Bills in the House
February 15: Governor’s State of the State/Budget Address
February 28: Consolidated Primary Election
March 10: Deadline – Substantive Bills Out of Committee in both chambers
March 24: Deadline – Third Reading Deadline – Substantive House Bills in the House
March 31: Deadline – Third Reading Deadline – Substantive Senate Bills in the Senate
April 4: Consolidated Election
April 28: Deadline – Substantive Bills out of Committee in both chambers
GOVERNOR’S HIGHLIGHTS:
New Laws: Governor Pritzker signed several measurers into law this week.
HB 1293 (LaPointe/Harmon) divests Illinois state pension funds from Russian and Belarusian banks and companies effective immediately.
HB 5189 (Zalewski/Villanueva) is an omnibus revenue bill. HB 5189 contains an amendment to the Reimagining Electric Vehicles in Illinois Act which further incentivizes EV production across the state. The new incentives offered through this legislation will support existing Illinois automakers seeking to transform their current plants into EV production plants, bolster the state’s EV ecosystem by giving manufacturers the ability to ramp up production of EV parts, and provide those manufacturers with additional flexibility in determining which incentives work best for them as the market evolves. The omnibus bill also extends the sunset of ABLE account deductions and reschedules due dates for Cook Country property tax payment installments.
SB 1595 is an omnibus TIF extension bill.
SB 3908 (Turner/Walsh) reconstitutes the Natural Resources Advisory Board at the Department of Natural Resources to update membership and clarify its scope of work.
HB 2406 (Stuart/Hunter) extends sunset and deadline provisions of numerous Acts.
HB3823 (Scherer/Turner) authorizes the Department of Natural Resources to deliver a quitclaim deed in Franklin County to the Rend Lake Conservancy District. Also authorizes Central Management Services to exchange real property of equal value with the City of Springfield.
HB 4218 (Hernadez/Villanueva) codifies existing practice at the Department of Corrections to provide underwear and menstrual hygiene products, as needed, free of charge, at all DOC institutions and facilities for all committed persons.
Community Reinvestment Act Rules: The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation’s proposed rules to implement the Illinois Community Reinvestment Act were published by the Illinois Secretary of State. IDFPR invites interested parties to review and comment on these proposed rules through January 30, 2023. The Illinois Community Reinvestment Act was signed into law in 2021 and aims to increase safe lending into low- and moderate-income communities. The Illinois CRA sets standards for IDFPR to examine low- and moderate-income lending by state-chartered banks, credit unions, and non-depository mortgage lenders.
Energy Transition Community Grant Program: The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity launched the Energy Transition Community Grant Program – an initiative under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) that provides funding to communities undergoing a significant energy transition. Based on criteria in CEJA, 22 areas have been identified as eligible to apply for the funding through the program. The program funds are designed to meet the needs of individual localities to address the economic and social impacts of plant closures and can be used on a variety of initiatives and investments, including workforce investments, housing support, business attraction efforts, and more. Read more here.
2022 Economic Development Report: The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic (DCEO) released the 2022 Illinois Economic Development Report. This report highlights economic development in several sectors, including investments in communities, support for small businesses, and assistance for Illinoisians in need. Read more here.
Cannabis Dispensary License Lottery: The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation announced the timeline for the next round of 55 cannabis dispensary licenses.
Applications for the lottery will be accepted starting January 30, 2023. IDFPR currently anticipates accepting applications through Tuesday, February 14, 2023. The Department will then publish a list of lottery participants by Tuesday, February 21, 2023. After a period for applicants to contest the list of lottery participants, IDFPR may publish an updated list based on any necessary corrections and contestations. As soon as possible after the final participant list is published, IDFPR will conduct a lottery with the Illinois Lottery and publish the certified results.
Each applicant drawn for an opportunity for a conditional license will have 45 calendar days to prove certain social equity eligibility criteria. That criteria may be found here, along with a guide of acceptable documents.
Those interested in applying should review the rules, a mock application, a proposed timeline, and other relevant documents on the Department’s Adult Use Cannabis program webpage.
Governor’s Staffing Announcement: Following reelection to his second term in office, Governor Pritzker announced the following staffing changes:
· Emily Miller will now oversee both of Governor Pritzker’s Policy and Legislative teams as Senior Advisor to the Governor for Policy and Legislative Affairs.
· Chris Shallow returns to the Governor’s Office to serve as Legislative Director after serving as Political Director on the Governor’s 2022 reelection campaign.
· Jordan Abudayyeh will begin a new role as Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications and Strategic Media, overseeing the Governor’s Communications team.
· Jason Rubin will begin a new role as Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications and Agency Strategy, overseeing the Governor’s Communications team.
· Emily Bittner will begin serving as Senior Advisor to the Governor, overseeing a new portfolio including the Department of Innovation and Technology, the Illinois Tollway, the Illinois Racing Board, the Illinois Gaming Board, along with the Illinois Lottery.
·
Illinois Cyber Security Commission: Governor JB Pritzker issued Executive Order 2022-24 which extends the Illinois Cyber Security Commission’s executive order to support coordination efforts across all levels of government to enhance cyber security. The Commission will continue working to develop recommendations for protecting valuable information by identifying and disrupting cyber-attacks, developing cross-sector and community training exercises for critical infrastructure partners, and supporting regional critical infrastructure cyber response teams.
The Commission will also leverage information from critical infrastructure partners and the public sector including information technology, communications, defense industrial base, energy, financial services, healthcare, public health, water, and wastewater systems. The Illinois Homeland Security Advisor currently coordinates programs and provides guidance to all levels of government and nongovernmental agencies related to homeland security.
The Illinois Cybersecurity Commission includes the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology, the Illinois Attorney General, the Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard, the Illinois State Police, the Illinois Commerce Commission, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, the Illinois Department of Revenue, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the U.S. Secret Service, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, the Statewide Terrorism and Intelligence Center, and a representative from the Office of the Governor.
Gubernatorial Appointments: The Governor made the following appointments:
· Brice Hutchcraft will serve as a Member on the Illinois Housing Development Authority.
· Daniel Hayes will serve as a Member on the Illinois Housing Development Authority.
· Pedro Rodriguez will serve as a Member on the Illinois State Medical Board.
· Elizabeth “Lisa” Jones will serve as a Member on the Energy Transition Workforce Commission.
OTHER NEWS:
New Laws: The Senate Democratic staff complied a listing of laws going into effect in 2023.
SAFE-T Act: Judge Thomas Cunnington heard oral arguments on Tuesday in a consolidated case brought by over 60 state’s attorneys challenging the constitutionality of the SAFE-T Act. The state’s attorneys argued that the measure ending cash bail is in violation of the Illinois Constitution, which has a section that states, “All persons shall be bailable by sufficient sureties.” The judge is asked to decide whether sureties may be non-monetary.
Judge Cunnington called this “a monumental decision”. He said he hopes to issue a ruling by December 28. The new provisions of the Safe-T Act go into effect January 1.