By CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
SPRINGFIELD – Public school students in Illinois might have to start learning about work ethics as early as the sixth grade under a bill that passed the state House on Friday.
Rep. Camille Lilly, a Chicago Democrat, sponsored the bill, which says that beginning in grade 6, “students should be introduced to the importance of developing and applying a work ethic in a variety of contexts.” That includes such concepts as professionalism, trustworthiness, integrity, initiative and respecting authority and arriving on time, according to the bill.
A number of Republicans opposed the bill, arguing that it would be an unfunded mandate on schools and teachers, and that most teachers were already providing that kind of instruction.
The legislation, House Bill 2263, passed by a vote of 69- 39. It now moves to the Senate.
Here’s a look at other bills that passed the House late this week:
HB 3462: Allows school districts to offer courses on hunting safety, based on possible guidelines developed by the State Board of Education. Vote: 114-0
HB 2847: States that employers cannot retaliate against an employee for requesting leave to donate blood, organs, or bone marrow. Vote: 114-0
HB 3302: Updates the state’s law to allow two years for someone to file complaints concerning delays and denials of special education services. Timeline contingent on the creation of the State Board of Education’s “student-specific corrective action plan.” Vote: 114-0
HB 2121: Removes the lifetime ban on becoming a school bus driver for those convicted of a cannabis misdemeanor in the past 20 years. Vote: 108-0
HB 2259: Requires the Department of Heathcare and Family Services to create a list of preferred medical drugs in collaboration with the state’s Medicaid managed care organizations. Vote: 112-0
HB 2: Creates a list of 21 rights for women in pregnancy and childbirth, for which the Department of Public Health must create rules to protect. Aimed at addressing disparate rates of infant and mother mortality and health care for minorities. Vote: 67-35
HB 190: Requires school districts to connect “at-risk” students with academic support programs, and to notify parents of such support programs, both within the school and the community. Vote: 91-22
HB 2540: Allows for the creation and regulation of blockchain companies in Illinois. Also tasks the state with producing a blockchain study and report, both for the regulation of it and for how it relates to the banking sector. Vote: 113-0
HB 2766: Requires one mental health specialist for every 1,000 people employed by sheriff offices, police departments, and firefighter stations. Creates the First Responders Suicide Prevention Act. Vote: 113-0
HB 1690: Defines rules for when a court may expunge or seal someone’s record for a DUI. Provides five conditions under which it could happen, among them a first offense causing no death or injury to others. Vote: 69-36
HB 331: Paves the way for more cameras to be placed along Cook County expressways. Allows use of images for investigations and roadway hazards, but not for the enforcement of petty offenses. Money for the cameras to come out of the Road Fund. Vote: 109-0
HB 3503: Requires insurers to offer coverage of hearing instruments for people 65 or over. Vote: 111-0
HB 3424: Creates the Veterans’ Disability Compensation Task Force to improve the rate that veterans’ disability claims are approved by the federal government, and to align Illinois’ veterans compensation with those of other states. Vote: 114-0
HB 471: Says the state’s Department of Insurance must approve the rates of individual and small group accident and health policies written in compliance with the Affordable Care Act. If the rate increases are found to be “unreasonable,” they will be disapproved. Vote: 73-41
HB 1613: Requires the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority provide a report every three years based on traffic stop data in the state. Estimated cost of $504,000 over next three years for a consultant to assist the study. The Illinois Department of Transportation will no longer be the office to contract out the study and data analysis, as it has in the past. Vote: 75-30
HB 2165: In order to get a high school diploma, at least one year of a student’s required three years of mathematics must be Algebra I, and one year must include geometry content. Vote: 115-0
HB 359: Allows college and university Boards of Trustees to sell surplus real estate, and use the proceeds for deferred maintenance and emergency repairs. Vote: 114-0
HB 124: Requires police officers must be at least 21 years old, or 20 if they have completed a certain number of college credit hours. Vote: 115-0
HB 2625: Says the General Assembly must redraw the subcircuit boundaries of the circuit court of Cook County after the 2020 census. Vote: 98-12, 3 present
HB 907: Requires the Department of Public Health create an online database for mental health resources geared toward school counselors, parents, teachers, school social workers, and school support personnel. Specifically in regard to school shootings and bullying. Vote: 114-0
HB 254: Requires school boards to report number of actively employed teachers, pupil-teacher ratios, class instructors, and class sections to the State Board of Education, which will then post a publicly-available report on that information in 2021. School boards must annually give information to SBOE thereafter for continuing reports. Vote: 84-30
HB 840: Requires the Illinois Commerce Commission create a biannual report, beginning in April 2020, concerning the decommissioning of nuclear power plants in the state. Vote: 73-40
HB 1587: Allows that when a court is imposing sentences for offenses that require mandatory minimum imprisonments, it may instead sentence an offender to probation, conditional discharge, or a lesser term of imprisonment on three conditions: if the offense involves the use or possession of drugs, retail theft, or driving on a revoked license due to unpaid financial obligations; if the defendant does not pose a risk to public safety; and if the “interest of justice” requires the alternative sentences. Vote: 61-48
HB 938: Allows non-home rule municipalities to use the proceeds of the non-home rule municipal retailers’ occupation tax for municipal operations, expenditures on public infrastructure, or property tax relief. Vote: 98-13
HB 2562: Creates a Public Defender Quality Defense Task Force to study public defenders’ caseloads and quality of legal services throughout the state. Vote: 111-2
HB 94: Allows inmates who were sentenced before June 19, 1998, to receive sentence credits on the completion of programs determined by the Illinois Department of Corrections. Vote: 61-47
HB 2244: Says those on parole or mandatory supervised release may not frequent “places where controlled substances are illegally sold, used, distributed, or administered.” Adds they may not knowingly associate with other persons on parole or mandatory supervised released without permission of the parole agent. Lastly, adds they may not knowingly associate with organized gang members. Vote: 62-51
HB 1115: Defines rules for the electronic monitoring of sex offenders on parole or mandatory supervised release. Vote: 62-49
HB 465: Provides various rules on the disclosure and listing of “maximum allowable costs” of prescription drugs in contracts between health insurers and pharmacy benefit managers. Vote: 113-0
HB 122: Creates the Office of the Ombudsman for Behavioral Health Access to Care within the Department of Human Services to help Illinoisans access behavioral health care, including for mental health conditions and substance use disorders. The new office would be subject to appropriated funds from the General Assembly. Vote: 79-33
HB 1440: Tasks the Illinois State Police with creating a sexual assault evidence tracking system based on the recommendations made by the Sexual Assault Evidence Tracking and Reporting Commission in its June 26, 2018 report. Vote: 112-0
HB 2247: Subject to funds from the General Assembly, the Department of Human Services’ Division of Mental Health should develop and implement a slew of community-based pilot programs for counseling and mental health services to underserved communities. Includes social media campaigns. Vote: 113-0
HB 3606: Adds rules for the publishing of online information about K-12 students. Creates the Student Data Protection Oversight Committee, which must give recommendations on legislation and policy revisions. Adds parental consent to publishing some types of student data in directories, for example. Vote: 71-40, 2 present
HB 2028: Says the Illinois Department of State Police shall pay or reimburse up to $20,000 (an increase from the current level of $10,000) for the burial expenses of state officers killed on duty. Provides an identical monetary change for the burial benefit paid to the surviving spouse or estate of an officer or fireman killed on duty. Vote: 112-0
HB 3390: Requires dog and cat boarding kennels to have at least one fire alarm system or fire sprinkler system in every building that houses animals, if the kennel is not staffed at all times. Vote: 95-16
HB 2670: Reduces the restrictions on opening a business for those with past criminal offenses. Defines terms and provides flexibility to various state departments, including the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, in reviewing the circumstances around past offenses. Vote: 69-42