Amends the Open Meetings Act. Provides that a law enforcement agency, an officer employed by a law enforcement agency, or a person contracted by a law enforcement agency may not conduct a background check of speakers at meetings of public bodies, including police disciplinary boards, except to provide security for the premises in which the meeting is to occur and for the protection of public officials and other persons who attend the meeting. Provides that information obtained in violation of this provision may not be used for purposes, other than those permitted purposes, and may not be admitted as evidence in any criminal or civil proceeding or as evidence in an administrative hearing. Provides that a person who violates this provision is guilty of official misconduct under the Criminal Code of 2012. Amends the Criminal Code of 2012 to make conforming changes. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 2 Deletes reference to: 5 ILCS 120/2.07 new 720 ILCS 5/33-3 Adds reference to: New Act Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Creates the Empowering Public Participation Act. Provides that a law enforcement agency or an officer employed by a law enforcement agency may not knowingly and intentionally conduct a background check of a person for the sole reason of that person speaking at an open meeting of a public body, including police disciplinary boards. Provides exemptions whenever an agency or officer develops a reasonable suspicion of criminal conduct or a reasonable suspicion of a threat to security for the premises in which the meeting is to occur or for the protection of public officials and other persons attending the meeting. Provides that a violation of the prohibition is a Class C misdemeanor. Effective immediately. Senate Committee Amendment No. 2 Provides that the provision prohibiting a law enforcement agency or an officer employed by a law enforcement agency from knowingly and intentionally conducting a background check of a person for the sole reason of that person speaking at an open meeting of a public body does not apply whenever the person speaking at an open meeting of the public body is also under consideration for appointment to a government position by that public body. Provides that the Act creates no claims for damages or other relief for violations of the Act.
Sponsored bills
Amends the School Code. Requires trustees of schools in Class II county school units to maintain an Internet website on which specified information shall be available for public viewing. Requires township school treasurers in Class II county school units to submit to each school district that they serve, within 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter, an investments report that includes specified information. Effective immediately.
Amends the Re-Entering Citizens Civics Education Act. Expands the program to persons committed to a Department of Juvenile Justice facility. Provides that the workshop held at the Department of Juvenile Justice shall consist of 270 minutes of instruction. Provides that the civil education program in the Department of Juvenile Justice shall be taught by 2 co-facilitators. Provides that one of the co-facilitators shall be a member of an established nonpartisan civil organization and the other a committed person at the Department of Juvenile Justice who is specifically trained in voting rights education and who has been trained by an established nonpartisan civil organization. Effective January 1, 2022.
Amends the Courses of Study Article of the School Code. Provides that a course in financial literacy may be taken towards the fulfillment of the mathematics requirement that each pupil entering the 9th grade must successfully complete to receive a high school diploma. Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Courses of Study Article of the School Code. Provides that of the 2 years of social studies required to receive a high school diploma, one semester, or part of one semester, may include a financial literacy course beginning with pupils entering the 9th grade in the 2021-2022 school year and each school year thereafter. Effective immediately.
Amends the Right to Privacy in the School Setting Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title. Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 Deletes reference to: 105 ILCS 75/1 Adds reference to: 105 ILCS 5/2-3.25o 105 ILCS 5/10-22.25b from Ch. 122, par. 10-22.25b 105 ILCS 5/27A-5 105 ILCS 5/34-2.3 from Ch. 122, par. 34-2.3 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the School Code. Provides that a non-public elementary or secondary school registering with the State Board of Education must provide assurances that the school will not prohibit hairstyles historically associated with race, ethnicity, or hair texture. Provides that a non-public elementary or secondary school that has obtained or seeks to obtain recognition status from the State Board may not prohibit hairstyles historically associated with race, ethnicity, or hair texture. Provides that a school uniform or dress code policy adopted by a school board or local school council shall not include or apply to hairstyles, including hairstyles historically associated with race, ethnicity, or hair texture. Sets forth a penalty for noncompliance with the school uniform or dress code policy provisions. Requires the State Board to make available, on its Internet website, resource materials developed in consultation with stakeholders regarding hairstyles. Amends the Charter Schools Law of the School Code to require a charter school to comply with the school uniform or dress code policy provisions. Effective January 1, 2022. House Committee Amendment No. 1 Provides that the Act may be referred to as the Jett Hawkins Law.
Amends the Mental Health Early Action on Campus Act. Provides that if a public higher education institution issues student identification cards to its students, the institution must provide contact information for certain suicide prevention and mental health resources on each student identification card. Provides that if an institution does not issue student identification cards to its students, the institution must publish the contact information on its website. Effective July 1, 2022. Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Requires the contact information to be provided on each student identification card issued by the public college or university after the effective date of the amendatory Act (rather than requiring the contact information to be provided on each student identification card issued by the public college or university).
Amends the School Code. Makes changes concerning the adoption of rules by the State Board of Education governing time out and physical restraint in the public schools. Subject to appropriation, requires the State Board to create a grant program for school districts and special education cooperatives and charter schools to implement school-wide, culturally sensitive, and trauma-informed practices, positive behavioral interventions and supports, and restorative practices. Allows the State Board to contract with a third party to provide assistance with oversight and monitoring, and requires the State Board to establish reduction goals and a system of ongoing review, auditing, and monitoring. Makes changes in provisions concerning a school board's use of time out and physical restraint, including providing that isolated time out, time out, and physical restraint may be used only under certain circumstances, prohibiting the deprivation of necessities and prone, mechanical, and chemical restraint, and requiring a meeting with school personnel if requested by the parent or guardian, the provision of information to parents and guardians, and written procedures. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 2 Adds reference to: 5 ILCS 100/5-45 from Ch. 127, par. 1005-45 Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the contents of the bill with the following changes. Provides that the State Board of Education shall adopt rules governing the use of isolated time, time out, and physical restraint in public schools and special education nonpublic facilities (rather than just in public schools). Provides that the State Board shall, by the adoption of emergency rules if it so chooses, create (rather than must create) a grant program for school districts, certain special education nonpublic facilities, and special education cooperatives (rather than for school districts and special education cooperatives and charter schools approved by the State Board). Makes changes concerning the prohibition against the use of prone restraint to allow prone restraint to be used when specified conditions are satisfied. Amends the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to make a related change. Corrects grammatical errors. Effective immediately. Senate Floor Amendment No. 2 With respect to the grant program, requires the State Board of Education to prioritize grant funding to those school districts, special education nonpublic facilities, and special education cooperatives that submit a plan to achieve a significant reduction or elimination in the use of isolated time out and physical restraint in less than 3 years. In provisions allowing the use of prone restraint if certain conditions are satisfied, allows the use of prone restraint if the use of prone restraint occurs within the 2021- 2022 school year (rather than within the schools years of 2021-2022 and 2022-2023).
Amends the State Commemorative Dates Act. Provides that Juneteenth National Freedom Day shall be observed on June 19 of each year as a holiday throughout the State (currently, not a holiday and is observed on the third Saturday of June of each year). Provides that when June 19 falls on a Sunday, the following Monday shall be held and considered the holiday. Amends the Election Code, the Illinois Procurement Code, the School Code, and the Promissory Note and Bank Holiday Act to include Juneteenth National Freedom Day as a holiday. Effective immediately. Fiscal Note (Dept. of Central Management Services) Senate Bill 1965 will not require additional resources. Salaries will be paid, whether on holiday or at work. What is lost is productivity. If that equates to the cost of salaries, then CMS Bureau of Personnel's estimate is $11.3M statewide.
Amends the School Code. With respect to school districts with more than 275,000 inhabitants, requires a school to provide written notification to (i) the parent or guardian of any student who commits an act or acts of misconduct and (ii) the parent or guardian of any student who is the victim of that act of misconduct. Requires a copy of any statement made by the student who committed the act of misconduct to be provided to the student's or guardian within 24 hours after the statement has been made. Sets forth the information that must be included in the disciplinary report. Requires that a copy of the disciplinary report be provided to the parent or guardian of the disciplined student. Effective immediately. House Floor Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 105 ILCS 10-20.73 new Adds reference to: 105 ILCS 5/10-20.75 new Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the School Code. Requires a school to provide written notification to the parent or guardian of a student who commits an act of misconduct involving offensive touching, a physical altercation, or the use of violence. Provides that if a student makes a written statement to a school employee relating to an act of misconduct, the school shall provide the written statement to the student's parent or guardian, upon request. Provides that if the parent or guardian of a student involved in an act or acts of misconduct requests a synopsis of any statement made by the parent's or guardian's child, the school shall provide any existing records responsive to that request. Provides that a school shall make reasonable attempts to provide a copy of any disciplinary report resulting from an investigation into a student's act of misconduct to the student's parent or guardian within 2 school days after the completion of the report. Sets forth the information that must be included in the disciplinary report. Effective July 1, 2021. Senate Floor Amendment No. 1 Deletes reference to: 105 ILCS 5/10-20.75 new Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the contents of the engrossed bill, but removes the provisions amending the School Boards Article of the School Code. Effective July 1, 2021.
Amends the Property Tax Code. Provides that any taxing district that has an aggregate property tax levy of more than $5,000,000 for the applicable levy year shall make a good faith effort to collect and electronically publish data from all vendors and subcontractors doing business with the taxing district as to whether the vendor or subcontractor is a minority-owned, women-owned, or veteran-owned business or whether the vendor or subcontractor is a small business. Preempts the concurrent exercise of home rule powers. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective immediately.