103rd ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
The Illinois General Assembly concluded its first week of a two-week Veto Session, with Thursday’s session being canceled in both chambers. The Legislature will return to session on Tuesday, November 19 for three days.
Little substantive action was taken in either chamber. Three Senate Committees met and approved a handful of bills and sent them on to the Senate Floor. The Senate Executive Committee also shelled three bills to position them as future vehicles and held a subject matter hearing on SB 3972 (Preston) which mandates insurance coverage for stuttering and SB 3968 (Faraci) which address carbon sequestration – see further details below.
Leaders in the House and Senate also engaged in private discussions about how to best “Trump proof” Illinois but no legislation was filed. Three caucuses met to reelect party leaders for the 104th General Assembly. Senate Democrats reelected President Harmon while Senate Republicans reelected Leader Curran. House Republicans reelected Leader McCombie. Next week, House Democrats will hold a caucus to elect a Speaker. Current Speaker Welch has already stated that he has secured the necessary votes for reelection. All leaders will be formally elected on January 8 when the 104th General Assembly takes office.
The Senate Executive Committee heard testimony on SB 3968 (Faraci) which prohibits carbon sequestration activity within a sequestration facility that overlies, underlies, or passes through a sole-source aquifer. The bill was proposed following ADM’s violation of federal regulations when liquid carbon dioxide leaked into areas outside the scope of their permit. ADM operates the nation’s first and only carbon injection project and stores more than 4.5 million tons of carbon dioxide produced from industrial work at ADM’s Decatur plant. The bill aims to protect the Mahomet Aquifer which stretches across central Illinois from the Illinois River to the Indiana state line. After lengthy testimony, President Harmon asked to slow the process down to allow stakeholders and legislators the opportunity to work through the complexity of the issue. The bill was held in committee. Read more here.
Representative Kifowit filed HB5909 to address Tier 2 pensions. Senator Martwick filed identical legislation on SB3988 . The legislation was filed on behalf of the We Are One Coalition, a group of unions formed in response to the Tier 2 pension system law. Coalition unions rallied under the Capitol rotunda Wednesday to push lawmakers to fix the discrepancy. Read more about Tier 2 and the newly filed legislation here.
The Illinois Secretary of State’s Office, which oversees security at the Capitol, began a soft rollout of new security measures this week. The measures include adding more police officers to the statehouse grounds and requiring non-government visitors to go through metal detectors. State employees with state-issued identification are not required to be screened through metal detectors.
The office stated that this is to ensure visitors understand that “safety and security are a priority.” Before this week, non-state employees (such as lobbyists with a state-issued security badge) could walk into the Capitol without additional security screening. Session days typically see long security lines when tourists and lobby day activists visit the Capitol.
State Representative Martin McLaughlin declared victory over Democrat challenger Maria Peterson in the race for Illinois House District 52.
The House had scheduled two subject matter hearings for next week. The House Personnel & Pensions Committee will hold a hearing on November 20 at 10 am in Room 114 of the Capitol to discuss 2024 pension proposals, however that was just cancelled. Also on November 20, the House Elementary & Secondary Education: Administration, Licensing and Charter Schools Committee will hold a subject matter hearing on the student-athlete transfer policy. The meeting will convene at 10 am in Room 118 of the Capitol.
GOVERNOR’S HIGHLIGHTS:
Governor Pritzker to Co-chair Governors Safeguarding Democracy: Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has been named co-chair of a new bipartisan coalition of state governors called Governors Safeguarding Democracy. The coalition aims to protect American democracy at the state level ahead of former President Donald Trump’s potential return to office. Joining Pritzker as co-chair is Colorado Governor Jared Polis.
The coalition will be supported by GovAct, an organization that describes itself as “championing fundamental freedoms,” according to a press release. The group assured that the coalition is not funded by Pritzker but rather by other “philanthropic dollars.”
The action items outlined are somewhat vague. Pritzker described the goal as leveraging the coalition’s “collective strength, experience and institutional knowledge to drive policies that protect the rule of law” among the states.
Pritzker elaborated, “We’ll design and implement affirmative strategies to protect the rule of law and deliver for people in the states. We’ll work to reinforce key state institutions like executive agencies, elections, state courts and other democratic bodies. Then we’ll develop playbooks to enable governors and their teams to anticipate and swiftly respond to emerging threats.”
Polis said that when the initiative is fully implemented, it will provide a “peer opportunity for governors to learn from one another on best practices and policies.”
While the coalition has been billed as “bipartisan,” a list of participating Republican Governors was not made available. Read more here.
Tourism Funding Opportunity: The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is offering $2.3 million in tourism funding through two grant programs, the Tourism Attractions Grant Program ($1.7 million) and the Tourism Private Sector Grant Program ($600,000). Eligible entities can apply for grants to develop and improve new and existing tourism attractions through the Tourism Attractions Grant Program. The goal of the Tourism Private Sector Grant Program, on the other hand, is to distribute grants to support and attract events and festivals. Grantees will be selected through a competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity process.
Eligible applicants for both tourism grants include counties, municipalities, not-for-profit organizations, local promotion groups, and for-profit entities, and Tourism Attraction grants are also open to units of local government. Read more here.
Medical Debt: The State of Illinois’ Medical Debt Relief Pilot Program has erased over $72 million in medical debt for 52,745 residents statewide. This represents the first step in the state’s broader effort to eliminate approximately $1 billion in medical debt across Illinois. Starting next week, beneficiaries will receive letters notifying them that their debts have been forgiven. The average amount of debt abolished per person is $1,349, with the maximum for a single individual reaching $242,136. Read more here.
Gubernatorial Appointments: Governor Pritzker reappointed Ameya Pawar as a Member of the Illinois Finance Authority. Pawar currently serves as the President and CEO of the Michael Reese Health Trust. Previously, he co-founded and served as CEO of OKAY Cannabis, a social equity cannabis operator in Illinois.
OTHER NEWS:
Assault Weapons Ban: On November 8, a federal judge in East St. Louis ruled that Illinois’ assault weapons ban is unconstitutional, violating the Second and Fourteenth Amendments. The judge issued an order prohibiting the state from enforcing the ban. However, the order was temporarily stayed for 30 days, allowing Illinois time to file an appeal before the ban is lifted. Read more here.
Conviction Integrity Unit: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced the creation of a Conviction Integrity Unit within his office that will investigate claims of innocence. The unit will focus on determining whether new, credible evidence proves that individuals are wrongfully imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. This initiative has been in development since Raoul took office in 2019.
To be eligible for review by the unit, a person must have been convicted by an Illinois state court of a forcible felony, which involves the threat or use of physical force. Applicants must present new evidence that was not considered previously. If the unit determines the person did not commit the crime, it will work with local prosecutors to seek relief for the applicant and identify the real offender.
The CIU will be funded by the Illinois Attorney General’s office, as well as a $1.5 million grant from the Justice Department.
Read more here.