The Illinois Senate adjourned for the week. The Senate was in session Tuesday through Thursday; today’s scheduled session was cancelled. The Senate is off next week and will return to session on Tuesday, March 24, at noon. Today is the deadline to pass Senate Bills out of Senate Committees. As per past practice, deadline extensions are likely to be granted on a case-by-case basis.
The Illinois House reconvenes Wednesday, March 18, through Friday, March 20, following a two-week break. Next week’s House committee schedule is here. (Click the “week” tab.)
Tuesday, March 17, is the primary election.
Highlights from this week’s Senate committee action include:
SB 3333 (Ellman) would allow individuals held in county jails prior to trial to receive sentence credit for completing certain programming – such as work assignments, parenting programs, volunteer activities, and supervised community work. The measure passed the Senate Criminal Law Committee by a vote of 6-3 and now heads to the full Senate.
The Senate Behavioral and Mental Health Committee unanimously approved SB 2771 (Belt), which increases access to mental health resources and strengthens suicide prevention efforts statewide. The bill requires certain public buildings to post contact information for the 9-8-8 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It also expands comprehensive health education for students in grades 6 -12 by integrating a suicide prevention curriculum and requires the Department of Corrections to provide suicide prevention resources to individuals preparing for release. The full Senate will now consider the measure.
SB3449 (Cunningham), which seeks to formalize the use of mobile identification and strengthen protections for personal devices, received unanimous approval by the Senate Executive Committee. The bill would update state law by standardizing terminology and requirements pertaining to mobile identification and prohibits any relying party—including law enforcement—from physically taking possession of an individual’s phone to verify a mobile ID. This would mean that individuals would retain control of their personal devices throughout the verification process. SB 3449 is pending before the full Senate.
A constituent initiative, SB 2787 (Ventura), was discussed during a subject-matter hearing of the Senate Transportation Committee. The bill would require all licensed auto dealers in the state to provide buyers with a current vehicle history report for each used or pre-owned car sold. No vote was taken. Read more here.
SB 3223 (D. Turner) attempts to ensure patients are aware of recalls on their prescription medication by requiring pharmacists to monitor medication recalls and — at the point of sale — notify patients of relevant recalls as well as notify prescribers. Currently, pharmacists do not have a legal responsibility to notify consumers about drug recalls. The bill goes to the full Senate, having passed the Senate Licensed Activities Committee 8-0.
Ascertaining the best practices for psilocybin treatments to help tackle treatment-resistant conditions (like PTSD) is the goal of SB 2772 (Ventura); the bill establishes the Illinois Psilocybin Advisory Board and on Wednesday passed by 9-3 the Senate Executive Committee. Specifically, the bill would implement a part of the CURE Act to establish the IPAB under the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Core duties of the board would be to advise on a training program, ethical standards, and licensing requirements as they relate to psilocybin. During a two-year program development period, the board would issue recommendations on health and safety regulations to agencies responsible for regulating psilocybin production and use. Now the full Senate will consider SB 2772.
SB 3314 (Koehler) received unanimous approval by the Senate Insurance Committee; the bill prohibits health insurance companies from using artificial intelligence to code a health service lower than what is actually provided to patients. Doctors must make all downcoding decisions, the legislation directs, and insurance companies must notify providers if a service has been downcoded. SB 3314 also bans insurers from downcoding in a discriminatory manner against doctors who routinely treat patients with complex health conditions. The sponsor testified that he has been working with interested parties and will continue to work on an amendment and bring it back to the committee. The bill now heads to the full Senate.
Local governments would have to establish a version of the state’s pension buyout program under SB 3404 (Martwick). The full Senate will take up the bill, with its having passed unanimously from the Senate Pensions Committee.
SB 3272 (Cunningham) is a trailer to the energy omnibus bill passed last fall and seeks to assist the Illinois Commerce Commission in updating renewable energy access plans. The bill not only authorizes the ICC to engage technical and policy experts with relevant experience and expertise but also exempts such services from the Illinois Procurement Code. The bill passed committee by a vote of 13-0 and now moves to consideration by the full Senate.
The Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee approved SB 3838 (Joyce) along partisan lines and advanced the measure to the Senate floor. The bill establishes the Broadband Deployment Act to create a framework for the installation of broadband. Extensive discussions emerged in the hearing about property owner rights; the sponsor pledged to continue discussions and bring any amendments back to the committee for consideration.
SB 2773 (Loughran Cappel) unanimously passed the Senate Education Committee and is pending before the full Senate. The bill allows paraprofessionals with a short-term approval license to obtain a full educator license after their short-term license expires if they have three years of employment with positive evaluations and complete at least 60 relevant professional learning hours. They can continue to work as paraprofessionals under the supervision of a teacher.
Legislation requiring “clear disclosures” and affirmative consent when making online digital purchases, SB 2822 (Stadelman), passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously and now heads to the full Senate.
SB 3561 (Hastings) establishes oversight of Buy-Now-Pay-Later programs, a type of short-term credit that allows consumers to pay for purchases in installments. BNPL lenders would have to register with the state and provide full disclosures about repayment terms, interest rates, and potential fees, as well as maintain fair and transparent processes for disputes or refunds. The legislation promotes consumer understanding of the total cost of borrowing and informed financial decision-making. The full Senate will take up SB 3561, which unanimously passed the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Legislation ensuring academic freedom at public Illinois universities, SB 2202 (Guzman), passed the Senate Executive Committee on a partisan roll call. The bill provides that a faculty member of a public institution of higher education may not be directed, coerced, or penalized concerning the specific content, viewpoint, or method of teaching. The measure requires the adoption and enforcement of new rules by the Illinois State Board of Higher Education, the State Community College Board, and individual community college districts. SB 2202 heads to the full Senate.
SB 4040 (Castro) transfers oversight of state-run charter schools to local school boards. The bill moves to the full Senate after having passed the Senate Executive Committee on a partisan roll call.
The Senate Executive Committee approved, along partisan lines, SB 3772 (Villanueva) which would require the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to evaluate environmental justice factors when reviewing certain air pollution construction permit applications. SB 3772 heads to the full Senate for further consideration.
Allowing ride-share drivers to unionize is the focus of SB 2906 (Villivalam), considered this week in a subject-matter hearing of the Senate Labor Committee. Kimberly Stevens, Executive Director of the Illinois Labor Relations Board, told a committee that proposed legislation would charge riders a 20-cent administrative fee per ride. She warned this could create a conflict of interest (risking neutrality) as the board would manage grant distribution to unions from these funds. The bill also requires the ILRB to collect driver information—an activity it doesn’t currently perform—which could double its budget and cost $3 million to $5 million to launch new IT systems. No vote was taken, and the legislation remains in committee.
Key 2026 Session Dates:
March 13: Deadline — Substantive Senate Bills out of Committee
March 27: Deadline — Substantive House Bills out of Committee
March 17: Primary Election
April 17: Deadline — 3rd Reading Substantive Bills in First Chamber
May 8: Deadline — Substantive Bills out of Committee in Second Chamber
May 22: Deadline — 3rd Reading Substantive Bills in Second Chamber
May 31: Adjournment
GOVERNOR’S HIGHLIGHTS:
IHDA Offers Home Buyer Assistance: The Illinois Housing Development Authority has introduced IHDAccess Home, a program that provides up to $15,000 in down payment and closing cost support for eligible first-time Illinois homebuyers. This initiative broadens IHDA’s existing Access mortgage options and aims to help more working families become homeowners amid rising housing costs. Read more here.
Biotherapeutics Company Building New Illinois Manufacturing Facility: CSL, a global leader in biotherapeutics, is investing nearly $1.5 billion to build a new manufacturing facility in Kankakee, creating 300 new full-time jobs and retaining 1,200 existing positions. The undertaking is one of the largest life sciences investments in Illinois history and aims to enhance production of CSL’s immunoglobulin therapies (Privigen and Hizentra). Notably, this facility will allow the entire manufacturing process, from plasma collection to packaging, to occur in the U.S., meeting 100% of the country’s demand for these therapies. More info here.
OTHER NEWS:
COGFA Revenue Projections: As lawmakers begin to craft the FY 27 budget, revised revenue projections are out from the Legislature’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability. Its forecast indicates that current fiscal year revenue will be approximately 1.2% higher than lawmakers initially budgeted. Amid ongoing uncertainty about federal funding for the state, COGFA estimates that Illinois will collect $686 million more than anticipated when the budget was approved last May. Driving the boost are stronger-than-expected personal income tax receipts and better performance in other specific taxes and fees. This growth, says COGFA, will likely offset a 16% decline in corporate income tax compared to budgeted figures. The report is based on S&P Global’s February baseline forecast, which anticipates economic growth continuing into 2026 and 2027. And while unemployment is expected to rise later this year, 2027 should see it returning to current levels. The forecast also notes that a growth in artificial intelligence is likely to benefit the economy.
Concerning the upcoming fiscal year, COGFA estimates revenue will be $199 million higher than the Governor’s introduced budget when excluding the governor’s proposed revenue changes for fiscal year 2027. Read the full report here.
Illinois Declines to Join Live Nation Settlement: Illinois has joined over two dozen states in opting out of the Department of Justice’s recent settlement with Live Nation (the parent company of Ticketmaster). Central to the ongoing antitrust lawsuit are the company’s ticketing practices. The bipartisan coalition of states, which has committed to continuing legal action against the company, asserts that the DOJ/Live Nation agreement does not sufficiently resolve monopolistic practices within the entertainment industry. Learn more here and here.
AG Raoul Leads Coalition Against Federal Actions Targeting Medical Organizations: Attorney General Kwame Raoul is leading a coalition of 19 state attorneys general in support of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and its healthcare recommendations that are facing scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The coalition’s amicus brief – in support of the AAP’s lawsuit against the FTC’s demands for extensive information about AAP operations – contends that the requests are politically motivated rather than aimed at ensuring healthcare access. The brief not only emphasizes the paramount role that states play in regulating healthcare but also highlights the criticality of expert guidance from organizations like the AAP in shaping health policies for children. Interference from the federal government, the brief contends, could undermine the quality and reliability of this guidance. Read more here.