104th ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
The Illinois General Assembly met from Tuesday to Thursday this week. Both chambers will reconvene on Tuesday, May 6 and continue until Friday, May 9, which is the deadline to pass substantive legislation out of committee in the opposite chamber.
The Illinois Senate passed 8 Senate Bills over to the House this week. At the committee level, meanwhile, Senate Committees passed out 78 House Bills and House Committees discharged 62 Senate Bills. Some of the action this week included:
Requiring seat belts on all seats of school buses purchased or leased after July 1, 2031 is the focus of SB 191 (Morrison), which the Illinois Senate approved 39-13. The measure now heads to the House.
SB 248 (Johnson) passed the Senate by a vote of 34-17. The sponsor testified that the legislation “eliminates procedural barriers that currently prevent individuals convicted of a felony before turning 21 from seeking sentence review based on the principles of restorative justice embedded in the Illinois Constitution.” The legislation would allow these individuals to request relief without having to prove that an external barrier prevented them from raising their claim earlier. The sponsor argues this is “a significant hurdle for many sentenced before legal precedents were established.” The House will now consider the bill.
Legislation to schedule xylazine as a controlled substance, SB 1773 (Morrison), passed the Senate 49-1. The legislation provides exemptions for veterinarians and other animal-related caretakers. The measure now heads to the House.
The sale and use of styrofoam food containers would be prohibited in five years under SB 1531 (Fine), which the Senate approved 32-22. The bill now heads to the House for consideration.
Legislation to require insurance coverage for Alzheimer’s medication, SB 126 (Murphy/Gill), unanimously passed the House Insurance Committee.
SB 1238 (Villa/Yang Rohr) allows IDPH to create educational materials about non-opioid alternatives; requires health insurers to develop adequate coverage and access to a broad spectrum of pain medication services; and ensures that non-opioid drugs are not disadvantaged or discouraged in the treatment of acute pain under the Illinois Medicaid preferred drug list. The measure unanimously passed the House Healthcare Availability and Accessibility Committee and now heads to the full House.
A prohibition on carbon sequestration activity at a facility that overlies, underlies, or passes through the Mahomet Aquifer would be imposed by SB 1723 (Faraci), which the House Energy and Environment Committee approved 20 –5. Also in the bill: setting up a study committee to do a five-year investigation into the safety of carbon sequestration and storage in the aquifer. This committee will be open to public input, allowing all parties to submit findings and scientific results. The measure now heads to the full House.
A bill to require pharmacists to sell sterile hypodermic syringes or needles (if they are in stock), HB 2589 (Cassidy/Simmons), passed the Senate Public Health Committee unanimously. The bill allows pharmacists to use their professional judgment to sell needles to any customer for the proper utilization or administration of medications. The bill now heads to the full Senate.
Trying to prevent “resident dumping” – a practice in which a nursing facility discharges a resident and refuses to readmit them after a hospital stay – is the goal of HB 1597 (Stava-Murray/Lightford), approved unanimously by The Senate Health and Human Services Committee. The measure now heads to the full Senate.
The full Senate will now consider HB 3000 (Hammond/D. Turner), which requires all school districts serving students in grades 6-12 to have the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (988), the Crisis Text Line, and the Safe2Help Illinois helpline on all employee IDs. The bill passed the Senate Education Committee unanimously.
Also heading before the full Senate is HB 1332 (Meyers-Martin/Hunter), after passing without opposition from The Senate Health and Human Services Committee. The bill requires hospitals to offer hospitalized patients the opportunity to designate an emergency contact with whom the hospital can share protected health information.
HB 1141 (Hauter/D. Turner) requires insurance companies to provide coverage for medically necessary general anesthesia, regardless of the duration, for any procedure covered by the policy. The Senate Insurance Committee unanimously passed the measure; it now heads to the full Senate.
Cracking down on unlicensed car dealers deceiving consumers with sales of defective cars is the goal of HB 2751 (Moylan/Murphy), unanimously passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Specifically, the bill would prohibit vehicle dealers from advertising cars on public property and allow for the towing of vehicles with tampered identification numbers. It would also establish an Unlicensed Motor Vehicle Dealer Enforcement Task Force to improve enforcement against unlicensed dealers, enhance consumer protections, and address online sales violations.
2025 Spring Session Key Dates and Deadlines:
May 9: Deadline – Committee Deadline Bills in Opposite Chamber
May 23: Deadline – Third Reading Deadline Bills in Opposite Chamber
May 31: Adjournment
GOVERNOR’S HIGHLIGHTS:
Over the weekend, Governor JB Pritzker delivered a fiery speech at a New Hampshire Democratic fundraiser, criticizing Republicans and some Democrats, calling for national protests against Republicans and Donald Trump. Pritzker chided Democrats for “simpering timidity” and demanded a stronger, prouder response to what he sees as the “tyrants and traitors” among the Republicans. Illinois GOP chair Kathy Salvi, as well as other Republicans, described the Governor’s remarks as “inflammatory and dangerous.” The Governor dismissed those claims. Read more here.
As President Donald Trump marked the 100-day milestone of his second administration, Governor Pritzker spent the week encouraging citizens to engage with congressional Republicans concerning Trump’s proposals and discussing the implications of Trump’s initiatives for Illinois. The Governor stated, “I am concerned about what the next 100 days, and the next 1,000 days will entail.” Read more here and here.
Hazardous Waste Collection: The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency announced three upcoming Household Hazardous Waste one-day collection locations for the Spring of 2025. Co-sponsored by units of local government, the collection events provide residents with the free opportunity to safely dispose of unused or leftover hazardous products commonly found in homes. More information about hazardous waste collection is here.
Illinois Gaming Board: The Illinois Gaming Board met on Thursday, undertaking several actions, including adopting proposed new rules that prohibit the use of credit cards to fund sports wagering accounts to further support responsible gambling; permitting cashless wagering in all 17 Illinois casinos; and establishing new record Retention Requirements for Video Gaming Sales Agents. The adopted rules now go to the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules for the public comment and approval process. A complete list of all the Board action from the April meeting is here.
IDNR Grant Opportunities: Applications for the Natural Areas Stewardship grant and the Illinois Endangered and Threatened Species Rehabilitation grant are being accepted through June 14. Learn more online.
Measles Reported in Cook County: Two measles cases have been confirmed in Cook County this year. One is a suburban resident with unknown vaccination status who was isolated at a hospital on April 28, and the other is a Chicago resident with one prior MMR dose who traveled through O’Hare in early April, developed a rash on April 25, and is now isolated at home. Read more here.
Illinois Tollway: Governor Pritzker appointed Gary Perinar, Scott Paddock, Arnaldo Rivera, and Melissa Neddermeyer to serve on the Illinois State Tollway Authority.
OTHER NEWS:
New Revenue Proposals: On Tuesday, as legislators wrestled with developing the FY 2026 budget, a progressive coalition of organizations introduced a proposal it estimates will generate over $6 billion in additional revenue. Comprising the coalition are the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Chicago Teachers Union, Grassroots Collaborative, Healthy Illinois, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, ONE Northside, PEER Illinois, SEIU Healthcare, Shriver Center on Poverty Law, The People’s Lobby, and the Workers Center for Racial Justice. Their proposals include:
· Tax on digital advertising ($725 million)
· Corporate tax worldwide combined reporting ($1.2 billion)
· Tax corporate offshore sheltered income ($200 million)
· Close the carried interest loophole ($1.5 billion)
· Billionaire wealth tax ($840 million)
· Excise tax on capital gains ($1.7 billion)
· Raise corporate income tax ($830 million)
· Close “corporate tax loopholes” ($175 million)
· Reform the estate tax ($150 million)
2026 Election Update: Business executive and educator R. Cary Capparelli is seeking the Republican nomination for the United States Senate from Illinois. Capparelli is the son of the late Ralph C. Capparelli, who served 17 terms in the Illinois House of Representatives as a moderate Democrat.
CGFA FY 26 Capital Plan Analysis: The General Assembly’s Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability released its analysis of the FY 26 Capital Plan. Read the analysis here.
AG Asks Congress to Preserve Crucial Research and Health Safeguards: Attorney General Kwame Raoul led a coalition of 14 attorneys general in urging Congress to oppose two bills that would restrict the EPA’s use of scientific assessments from the IRIS program, which helps protect Americans from toxic chemical exposure. The coalition also opposed the Trump administration’s attempts to dismantle the EPA’s Office of Research and Development, which provides crucial scientific foundation for the EPA’s regulatory work. Read more here.
Auditor General Announces Retirement: Auditor General Frank Mautino announced he will retire at the end of his current 10-year term. Prior to being Auditor General, Mautino served 12 terms in the Illinois House of Representatives, after finishing out his late father’s term in the State House. Mautino’s term ends at the end of the year. He indicated he will continue until the Audit Commission selects a new Auditor General.