Delivered via email: March 17, 2025
The Education Policy Committee also heard testimony on HB2503, which would require ISBE to establish the State Instructional Technology Advisory Board to provide guidance for school districts on the use of AI and the development of literacy. Members of the committee expressed concerns about the lack of teachers on the advisory board and reporting requirements for schools. HB2503 passed committee 9-4-0, with the understanding that a future amendment would be coming to the legislation.
The Personnel and Pensions Committee met on Thursday, April 13 for a subject matter hearing on HB2711 and HB2854. HB2711 expands retirement benefits for current Tier 2 members and new hires, including school personnel, by applying reciprocal retirement systems, adjusting pension formulas, clarifying benefit calculations and ensuring compliance with funding obligations. This bill could serve as a vehicle for addressing federal safe harbor requirements.
The Illinois House and Senate Committee deadline is Friday, March 21. The IASB Governmental Relations team anticipates a busy week of session as some education committees are already scheduled for two hearings.
HCA2 to HB1366 (Rep. Michael Crawford) requires school districts to provide a notice to parents or guardians of a student with an IEP that they may invite others to an IEP meeting. HCA2 to HB1366 was adopted out of the Education Policy Committee 13-0-0.
HB3000 (Rep. Norine Hammond) requires school employees in grades 6-12 to have suicide prevention information on their I.D. cards, similar to the requirement for students. HB3000 passed the Education Policy Committee 13-0-0.
HCA1 to HB2537 (Rep. Michelle Mussman) requires an IEP team to inform a parent or guardian and student with an IEP that the student's IEP services will be terminated after they graduate. HCA1 to HB2537 passed the Education Policy Committee 13-0-0.
HCA1 to HB2337 (Rep. Laura Faver Dias) puts limitations on waivers and settlement agreements, including scope and duration of the settlement. IASB concerned that limiting the scope of settlements will cause hesitation among districts to settle, potentially leading to prolonged litigation and preventing the resolution of disputes. HCA1 passed the Education Policy Committee 13-0-0.
HB2952 (Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez) adds public and private schools, along with other venues, to the list of locations that must provide a baby changing station in at least one restroom in a building. HB2952 passed the Public Health Committee 5-3-0.
HCA1 to HB2986 (Rep. Diane Blair-Sherlock) is an ISBE clean-up bill which includes adjustments to the block grant system for Chicago schools, requiring auditing firms to submit the Annual Financial Report (AFR) to ISBE by February 15 (currently November 15) following each fiscal year, and repeals several grant programs that have not been used for years. The legislation passed the Education Policy Committee 13-0-0.
HB11 (Rep. Dave Severin) provides that schools would not have to exhaust all other interventions for suspensions and expulsions if the student is found with tobacco products. HB11 passed Education Policy Committee 13-0-0. Some concerns were noted and the sponsor committed to continue to work on the bill.
HB1861 (Rep. William "Will" Davis) addresses student residency for a limited group of students with extreme medical needs, but is very limited in scope. HB1861 passed the Appropriation Elementary & Secondary Education committee 6-3-0.
HB2446 (Rep Amy Elik) adds "abuse by an educator or authority figure" to the list of offenses that can result in disqualification for licensure or suspension/revocation of a license. It defines abuse as any sexual conduct or penetration with a student (ages 18 to 23) by someone in a position of trust. HB2446 passed the Rules Committee 8-4-0.
HB1830 (Rep. William "Will" Davis) allows the Professional Review Panel to study any proposed legislation impacting Tier funds through the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula or the adequacy targets. HB1830 passed the Appropriation Elementary & Secondary Education Committee 9-0-0.
HB2522 (Rep. Katie Stuart) provides that an employer must provide paid break time to an employee who needs to express breast milk for her nursing infant child each time the employee has the need to express milk for one year after the child's birth. HB2522 passed the Labor & Commerce Committee 18-5-0.
HB2574 (Rep. Sue Scherer) requires, on or before July 1, 2025, ISBE to report specified information for each assessment contract it enters into related to costs and vendors. HB2574 passed the Appropriation Elementary & Secondary Education Committee 9-0-0.
HB2685 (Rep. William "Will" Davis) requires the creation of the Licensed School Librarian Task Force to consider budget appropriate resources for, and employ licensed school librarians.
HB2707 (Rep. Stephanie Kifowit) requires high schools to prioritize granting school parking passes to students with disabilities. HB2707 passed the Elementary & Secondary Education & Licensing Committee 9-0-0.
HB2936 (Rep. Rita Mayfield) provides that a school district should not pay an administrative employee six times their monthly salary of the employee if terminated due to the unsatisfactory performance. HB2936 passed the Elementary & Secondary Education & Licensing Committee 9-0-0.
HCA1 to HB2971 (Rep. Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar) authorizes withholding 3% in administrative fees for charter schools for the purpose of conducting administrative duties related to the charter. HCA1 to HB2971 passed the Elementary & Secondary Education & Licensing Committee 8-1-0. IASB is opposed to the bill.
HB2976 (Rep. Curtis Tarver, II) allows a child to miss a school day to attend the induction of a family member or close family friend as newly elected government official. HB2976 passed the Education Policy Committee 12-0-0.
HB3039 (Rep. Janet Yang Rohr) allows a 7 or 8 grader to enroll in a required high school course if the course is offered by the high school and the student passes the end of course exam. HB3039 passed the Elementary & Secondary Education & Licensing Committee 9-0-0.
HB3081 (Rep. Aarón M. Ortíz) creates the Out-of-School Time (OST) Advisory Council for the purpose of providing information and advice on funding issues affecting out of school time programs. HB3081 passed the Appropriation Elementary & Secondary Education Committee 9-0-0.
HB3096 (Rep. Theresa Mah) provides that each high school must have at least one staff member as a contact for Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA). HB3096 passed out of Elementary & Secondary Education: Administration, Licensing & Charter Schools Committee with a vote of 9-0-0.
HB3097 (Rep. Theresa Mah) requires schools to provide time during the school day for students to fill out a FAFSA. IASB staff will meet with ISAC representatives to discuss a possible amendment. HB3097 passed the Elementary & Secondary Education & Licensing Committee 9-0-0.
In an effort to ensure that IASB members can monitor all bills the Governmental Relations team is tracking, legislation has been broken down into ten different topics:
This Week in Springfield
All the attention was focused on the Illinois House this week as the Senate was not in session. The House Education Policy Committee passed several bills on Wednesday, April 12, including HB3037, the Right to Play Act, which would allow high school students the right to participate on both school-sponsored teams and non-school teams in the same sport at the same time. Testimony was given by high school students who said they were disqualified by the IHSA for the rest of their school sports season because of participating in other non-school sponsored teams. Some lawmakers expressed concerns with the legislation, saying that the IHSA rules are in place for safety and health reasons and that changes could create friction between coaches and players. HB3037 passed out of the Education Policy Committee 12-0-1.The Education Policy Committee also heard testimony on HB2503, which would require ISBE to establish the State Instructional Technology Advisory Board to provide guidance for school districts on the use of AI and the development of literacy. Members of the committee expressed concerns about the lack of teachers on the advisory board and reporting requirements for schools. HB2503 passed committee 9-4-0, with the understanding that a future amendment would be coming to the legislation.
The Personnel and Pensions Committee met on Thursday, April 13 for a subject matter hearing on HB2711 and HB2854. HB2711 expands retirement benefits for current Tier 2 members and new hires, including school personnel, by applying reciprocal retirement systems, adjusting pension formulas, clarifying benefit calculations and ensuring compliance with funding obligations. This bill could serve as a vehicle for addressing federal safe harbor requirements.
The Illinois House and Senate Committee deadline is Friday, March 21. The IASB Governmental Relations team anticipates a busy week of session as some education committees are already scheduled for two hearings.
Other Legislation Passed out of Committee
HCA2 to HB1366 (Rep. Michael Crawford) requires school districts to provide a notice to parents or guardians of a student with an IEP that they may invite others to an IEP meeting. HCA2 to HB1366 was adopted out of the Education Policy Committee 13-0-0.HB3000 (Rep. Norine Hammond) requires school employees in grades 6-12 to have suicide prevention information on their I.D. cards, similar to the requirement for students. HB3000 passed the Education Policy Committee 13-0-0.
HCA1 to HB2537 (Rep. Michelle Mussman) requires an IEP team to inform a parent or guardian and student with an IEP that the student's IEP services will be terminated after they graduate. HCA1 to HB2537 passed the Education Policy Committee 13-0-0.
HCA1 to HB2337 (Rep. Laura Faver Dias) puts limitations on waivers and settlement agreements, including scope and duration of the settlement. IASB concerned that limiting the scope of settlements will cause hesitation among districts to settle, potentially leading to prolonged litigation and preventing the resolution of disputes. HCA1 passed the Education Policy Committee 13-0-0.
HB2952 (Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez) adds public and private schools, along with other venues, to the list of locations that must provide a baby changing station in at least one restroom in a building. HB2952 passed the Public Health Committee 5-3-0.
HCA1 to HB2986 (Rep. Diane Blair-Sherlock) is an ISBE clean-up bill which includes adjustments to the block grant system for Chicago schools, requiring auditing firms to submit the Annual Financial Report (AFR) to ISBE by February 15 (currently November 15) following each fiscal year, and repeals several grant programs that have not been used for years. The legislation passed the Education Policy Committee 13-0-0.
HB11 (Rep. Dave Severin) provides that schools would not have to exhaust all other interventions for suspensions and expulsions if the student is found with tobacco products. HB11 passed Education Policy Committee 13-0-0. Some concerns were noted and the sponsor committed to continue to work on the bill.
HB1861 (Rep. William "Will" Davis) addresses student residency for a limited group of students with extreme medical needs, but is very limited in scope. HB1861 passed the Appropriation Elementary & Secondary Education committee 6-3-0.
HB2446 (Rep Amy Elik) adds "abuse by an educator or authority figure" to the list of offenses that can result in disqualification for licensure or suspension/revocation of a license. It defines abuse as any sexual conduct or penetration with a student (ages 18 to 23) by someone in a position of trust. HB2446 passed the Rules Committee 8-4-0.
HB1830 (Rep. William "Will" Davis) allows the Professional Review Panel to study any proposed legislation impacting Tier funds through the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) formula or the adequacy targets. HB1830 passed the Appropriation Elementary & Secondary Education Committee 9-0-0.
HB2522 (Rep. Katie Stuart) provides that an employer must provide paid break time to an employee who needs to express breast milk for her nursing infant child each time the employee has the need to express milk for one year after the child's birth. HB2522 passed the Labor & Commerce Committee 18-5-0.
HB2574 (Rep. Sue Scherer) requires, on or before July 1, 2025, ISBE to report specified information for each assessment contract it enters into related to costs and vendors. HB2574 passed the Appropriation Elementary & Secondary Education Committee 9-0-0.
HB2685 (Rep. William "Will" Davis) requires the creation of the Licensed School Librarian Task Force to consider budget appropriate resources for, and employ licensed school librarians.
HB2707 (Rep. Stephanie Kifowit) requires high schools to prioritize granting school parking passes to students with disabilities. HB2707 passed the Elementary & Secondary Education & Licensing Committee 9-0-0.
HB2936 (Rep. Rita Mayfield) provides that a school district should not pay an administrative employee six times their monthly salary of the employee if terminated due to the unsatisfactory performance. HB2936 passed the Elementary & Secondary Education & Licensing Committee 9-0-0.
HCA1 to HB2971 (Rep. Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar) authorizes withholding 3% in administrative fees for charter schools for the purpose of conducting administrative duties related to the charter. HCA1 to HB2971 passed the Elementary & Secondary Education & Licensing Committee 8-1-0. IASB is opposed to the bill.
HB2976 (Rep. Curtis Tarver, II) allows a child to miss a school day to attend the induction of a family member or close family friend as newly elected government official. HB2976 passed the Education Policy Committee 12-0-0.
HB3039 (Rep. Janet Yang Rohr) allows a 7 or 8 grader to enroll in a required high school course if the course is offered by the high school and the student passes the end of course exam. HB3039 passed the Elementary & Secondary Education & Licensing Committee 9-0-0.
HB3081 (Rep. Aarón M. Ortíz) creates the Out-of-School Time (OST) Advisory Council for the purpose of providing information and advice on funding issues affecting out of school time programs. HB3081 passed the Appropriation Elementary & Secondary Education Committee 9-0-0.
HB3096 (Rep. Theresa Mah) provides that each high school must have at least one staff member as a contact for Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA). HB3096 passed out of Elementary & Secondary Education: Administration, Licensing & Charter Schools Committee with a vote of 9-0-0.
HB3097 (Rep. Theresa Mah) requires schools to provide time during the school day for students to fill out a FAFSA. IASB staff will meet with ISAC representatives to discuss a possible amendment. HB3097 passed the Elementary & Secondary Education & Licensing Committee 9-0-0.
Legislative Tracking Lists
The IASB Governmental Relations team tracks all legislation that may impact K-12 public education and makes regular updates to those lists. As a reminder, although a bill may be filed, many factors influence whether it makes its way through the legislative process. Some of those factors include whether the bill gets assigned by leadership to a committee, the extent of any opposition, and the priorities of the sponsor.In an effort to ensure that IASB members can monitor all bills the Governmental Relations team is tracking, legislation has been broken down into ten different topics:
- Boards of Education(Opens in a new window)(Opens in a new window)
- Insurance(Opens in a new window)(Opens in a new window)
- Open Meetings Act(Opens in a new window)(Opens in a new window)
- Personnel(Opens in a new window)(Opens in a new window)
- Regional Office of Education(Opens in a new window)(Opens in a new window)
- School Finance(Opens in a new window)(Opens in a new window)
- School Safety and Health(Opens in a new window)(Opens in a new window)
- Students(Opens in a new window)(Opens in a new window)
- Taxation(Opens in a new window)