103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY:
The Illinois General Assembly stands adjourned for the week. Both chambers were in session Tuesday through Thursday of this week, primarily considering legislation at the committee level. The Illinois House reconvenes on Tuesday, February 28th for three days of session. The Senate is off next week and will reconvene on Tuesday, March 7th.
Bill Introduction deadlines have passed in both chambers. In total, 2,442 Senate Bills and 3,974 House Bills were filed prior to the deadline. Of those, 1,901 Senate Bills remain in the Senate Assignments Committee while 2,150 House Bills remain in the House Rules Committee.
Friday, March 10th is the deadline to pass substantive Senate Bills and House Bills out of Committee in the chamber of origin. The Senate has one session week left prior to the committee deadline; the House has two session weeks prior to the committee deadline.
Governor Pritzker appointed Representative Fran Hurley to the Labor Relations Board. Hurley is expected to resign her seat by the end of the month. Local Democrats will have one month from the creation of the vacancy to fill the appointment.
Insurance Committees:
The House Insurance Committee moved several bills into House Insurance Sub-Committee. HB 2203 (Rate Regulation-Auto), HB 1059 (Use of Credit Info in Auto), HB 1068 (Discrimination Against Felony in Underwriting), HB 2070 (Dental Loss Ratio), HB 2071 (Dental Care Reimbursement), and HB 2072 (Dental Network Plan Change) were all moved into the sub-committee. While this is a win for the moment, we are still working these bills to make sure they are not heard in committee.
The House Insurance Committee passed two bills out of committee this week HB 47 (Guaranty Fund Cybersecurity) and HB 2089 (DOI Omnibus). The DOI omnibus bill includes reduction to late penalty filing fees for surplus lines.
The Senate Insurance Committee also met and passed one bill out of committee SB 1494 (Domestic Stock Company Division). The deadline to pass bills out of the originating committee is fast approaching on March 10th.
2023 Key Dates:
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
May 11: Deadline – Third Reading Substantive House Bills in Senate
May 12: Deadline – Third Reading Substantive Senate Bills in House
May 19: Adjournment
GOVERNOR’S HIGHLIGHTS:
Executive Order: In order to allow the state to better mobilize and coordinate response efforts during any future disasters and emergencies, the Governor is changing the name (and scope) of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS).
Executive Order 2023-03 will include review and discussion by both the Illinois House and Senate and will go into law 60 days after submission unless affirmatively disapproved by one of those chambers. The transition will be phased over the next one to two years, and when complete, will provide IEMA-OHS with administrative capabilities to help respond to disasters, threats, or emergencies more effectively.
New Laws: Governor Pritzker signed SB 1001 which reduces the fees for First Class Wine Makers.
Bond Rating Upgraded: S&P Global Ratings upgraded Illinois bonds, for the third time since July of 2021. S&P Global upgraded Illinois’ rating on its General Obligation bonds to A- (stable outlook) from BBB+ (stable outlook) and upgraded Build Illinois sales tax bonds to A (stable outlook) from A- (stable outlook).
Reproductive Freedom Alliance: Governor JB Pritzker will join the Reproductive Freedom Alliance (RFA), a non-partisan group of state Governors focused on working alongside one another to identify best practices for legislative and executive action to protect reproductive rights. The RFA will work in partnership with The Raben Group to facilitate conversations and share information on successes and risks in the fight for reproductive justice. Twenty states have signed on to the Alliance: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Unsewered Communities Construction Grants: The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency awarded $21,046,025 in grants to six communities across the State through EPA’s Unsewered Communities Construction Grant Program (UCCGP). This is the second of five planned funding rounds for this program, which provides funding to areas currently without wastewater collection and/or treatment facilities. More information is here.
Gubernatorial Appointments: Governor Pritzker appointed the following:
- Arnie Rivera will serve as the new chair of the Illinois Tollway Board
- James Rivera has been appointed to serve as Illinois State Fire Marshal
- Alyssa Murphy will serve as a Member of the Illinois Racing Board
- Angela Oberreiter will continue to serve as a member of the State Board of Health
- Fran Hurley will serve as a Member of the Illinois Labor Relations Board
- Michelle Hoy-Watkins will serve as a Member of the Illinois State Police Merit Board
- Mona Noriega will continue to serve Chair of the Human Rights Commission
OTHER NEWS:
Gun Violence Grants: In response to high levels of gun violence experienced since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Illinois Department of Human Services Office of Firearm Violence Prevention (OFVP), together with Cook County’s Justice Advisory Council (JAC), announced $25 million in grants to fund 74 service providers focused on supporting residents at risk of experiencing gun violence in Chicago and Suburban Cook County. More information about Cook County’s Gun Violence Prevention and Reduction Grant Initiative is available here.
BIPA Court Ruling: Last Friday, in a divided ruling, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that claims under Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) accrue every time the law is violated – or each time a person’s biometric data is scanned and transmitted without prior consent. The full ruling is here. More information is here.
SAFE-T Act: The Illinois Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments regarding the elimination of cash bail under the SAFE-T Act on March 14.
