Caucus News

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Linda Holmes’ (D-Aurora) legislation to address a number of issues regarding animal shelters and foster groups, licensing fees and feral cat programs, as well as a measure to ban cosmetics testing on animals, have been signed into law.

Senate Bill 61 increases licensing fees and fines under the Department of Agriculture for the first time since 1971. It also changes rules regarding adopted dogs and cats and the facilities that provide foster homes and transport pets for adoption.

“This group of animal welfare measures brings several rescue and shelter issues up to date for Illinois,” Holmes said. “When I worked as a volunteer at the Humane Society, I learned how many pets find their forever homes through these facilities and fostering arrangements. This legislation can serve to increase the potential for that to happen while providing the Department of Agriculture with more resources to oversee these programs and facilities.”

In addition to increasing license fees and administrative fines, Senate Bill 61 as amended does the following:

• Changes definitions of terms related to animal shelters, rescue and transport groups and their functions;
• Addresses licensed animal groups’ Trap, Neuter, Release/Return (TNR) programs for sterilized and microchipped feral cats;
• Clarifies the limits of two litters of animals under eight weeks old in foster homes; and
• Removes a permit fee of $25 for foster homes.

OAKBROOK TERRACE – The addresses of Illinois survivors of sexual assault will now be kept confidential thanks to State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton.

Glowiak Hilton’s measure, House Bill 2818, which empowers the Attorney General's Office to help keep the home addresses of survivors private from their attackers and stalkers, was signed into law last week.

“When our survivors take the brave step of seeking justice, they aren’t just leaving a painful situation behind: they are often making themselves the target of a violent person who knows them intimately,” Glowiak Hilton said. “As they strive for justice, we must take the essential steps to protect them as they seek it.”

The new law will allow survivors of sexual abuse or stalking to list the Attorney General’s Office as their contact address instead of revealing their actual address, avoiding any risk that their abuser might locate them.

The program is currently established for victims of domestic violence. House Bill 2818 expands its availability to all survivors of sexual abuse and stalking.

The bipartisan measure goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2021.

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation sponsored by State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview) expanding the state’s medical cannabis program to include more conditions and a veteran opioid alternative program was signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker today.

"The medical cannabis program in Illinois has a proven track record of helping alleviate pain for many patients in our state," Senator Fine said. "By making the program permanent, expanding the number of qualifying conditions, and allowing veterans to enroll in the Opioid Alternative Pilot Program, we will vastly improve the quality of life for many people."

Senate Bill 2023 expands access to the medical cannabis program. It gives nurse practitioners and physicians' assistants the authority to certify a patient’s eligibility for medical cannabis. Currently, only doctors have this authority. The bill also adds 12 additional conditions for eligibility, bringing the total number of conditions to 54.

The legislation takes effect immediately, while the legalization of recreational cannabis takes effect on January 1, 2020. Unlike recreational cannabis, medicinal cannabis is specifically formulated to alleviate the discomforts associated with the qualifying conditions listed in the medical cannabis program.

SPRINGFIELD – The Department of Corrections will no longer be able to sue former inmates for the cost of their incarceration under a measure sponsored by State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago).

“‘Pay to stay’ is indentured servitude,” Peters said. “These folks served their time and were released from prison, so their punishment should be over. There’s no reason to continue punishing them and risk sabotaging their return to society by imposing a financial burden.”

House Bill 900 prevents the Department of Corrections from suing formerly incarcerated people for costs associated with their incarceration. The bill extends a restriction which already exists in certain jurisdictions to apply statewide.

Peters also noted the structural disadvantages that the “pay to stay” system reinforces.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Jacqueline Collins issued the following statement as Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law House Bill 51, the Peter Mendez Act:

“Peter Mendez was nine years old in 2017 when Chicago police, acting on inaccurate warrant information, raided his family’s home in error and pointed weapons at him. His harrowing story and others brought to light by CBS News reporter Dave Savini this past year spurred me to sponsor this law,” Collins said.

The law directs police training schools to include instruction on ensuring the physical safety and well-being of a child of an arrested parent or immediate family member while at the same time maintaining the integrity of the arrest and safety of officers, suspects, and other involved individuals. Instruction must also cover de-escalation tactics and procedures for inquiring whether a child will require supervision and care arrangements.

“This is about what we accept when we give police the authority to use force,” Collins said. “These incidents are not merely careless or erroneous, they are civil rights violations. We cannot tolerate the careless use of force.”

The law takes effect Jan. 1.

SPRINGFIELD – A new law sponsored by State Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago) that updates Illinois’ suicide prevention strategy was signed by the governor today.

Steans’ measure requires the Department of Public Health to strengthen efforts to prevent suicide in Illinois. In 2016, suicide caused more deaths than homicide, motor vehicle accidents, and prevalent diseases like liver disease, hypertension, and HIV.

“When suicide takes a loved one from us, we’re left wondering ‘What could I have done?’” Steans said. “By partnering with advocates and devoting state resources in support of all our knowledge about how to prevent suicide, we’re doing what we can do right now.”

Steans’ law requires the department, working with the Illinois Suicide Prevention Alliance, to develop recommendations to prevent suicide using evidence based practices and promote any coordinating activity needed to implement them.

“The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention thanks Senator Steans for guiding this bill through the General Assembly and Governor Pritzker for signing it into law,” said Steve Moore, the Co-Chair of the Illinois Chapter of the AFSP. “As the 11th leading cause of death in Illinois, suicide is a serious but preventable public health issue. By creating an effective state government structure for addressing suicide, the enactment of this law will save lives.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago) is continuing her effort to introduce an inclusive curriculum to Illinois schools that celebrates the contributions of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Steans’ law requiring public schools to include the contributions of LGBTQ individuals in their history curricula became law today.

“One of the best ways to overcome intolerance is through education and exposure to different people and viewpoints,” Steans said. “An inclusive curriculum will not only teach an accurate version of history but also promote acceptance of the LGBTQ community.”

Currently, Illinois schools are required to teach students about the role and contributions of African-Americans and other ethnic groups, as well as about women’s history, the history of the labor movement and disability history. Steans also thanked the efforts of advocates like Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, the Legacy Project and Equality Illinois for helping to raise awareness of the need for LGBTQ historical figures to be recognized similarly.

PLAINFIELD – Women across Illinois will have stronger remedies to fight sexual harassment and discrimination in work places, thanks to a measure supported by State Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.

Bertino-Tarrant (D-Shorewood) championed Senate Bill 75, which clarifies the ethics investigation process, including making the process more transparent and giving additional rights to victims of harassment and discrimination who file ethics complaints. The measure was signed into law today.

Senate Bill 75 will require hotels and casinos to provide employees who work in isolated spaces with panic buttons for use if they are sexually harassed or assaulted, and local governments will now be required to report and provide an independent review of allegations of sexual harassment made against local elected officials and makes harassment against contract employees illegal.

“Illinois’ employment laws will now match the needs of workers from the 21st century,” Bertino-Tarrant said. “As a state, it is our responsibility to put forth policies that promote inclusion and safety.”

The bipartisan measure passed the legislature with unanimous support.