Spring Session 2010:
The General
Assembly will return to session on May 24, 2010
General Election: November 2,
2010
*This
Legislation page will be updated during the summer months as bills are signed by
the Governor.
Legislation signed into law: As of September 14, 2009
Senate
Bills:
Senate
Bill 54, Public Act. # 96-0555, ETHICS REFORM
Ethics reforms and requirements for state government including quarterly
financial report, review of state’s finances, and a review of statewide
employment practices, among other requirements. Also requires ethics training
for lobbyists, monthly lobbying reports with weekly reports during legislative
session, and an exemption to required lobbyist registration for units of local
governments and school districts. Effective date: January 1, 2010.
Senate
Bill 79, PA # 96-0119,
PRE-SCHOOL FOR ALL
Requires Pre-School for All programs to enter into a memo of understanding
with the appropriate local Head Start agency no later than 3 months from
receiving the grant. Effective date: August 4, 2009
Senate
Bill 187, PA #96-0056, CHIEF SCHOOL BUSINESS OFFICIAL
Allows for a Chief
School Business Official endorsement for certificate holders with 2 years of
University approved practical experience. Effective date: January 1, 2010.
Senate
Bill 189 (Public
Act #96-0542), FOIA
This legislation makes wide spread changes to the Freedom of Information
Act. Please view this legislation at
www.ilga.gov . Effective date: January 1, 2010
Senate
Bill 269, Public
Act. # 96-0616, BUS DRIVER FEES
Increases fees for bus driver training from the current $4 to $6 in 2010,
$8 in 2013 and $10 in 2016 and after. Effective date: January 1, 2010.
Senate
Bill 1215, PA # 96-0042, FY 2010 APPROPRIATIONS
Amends the FY 2009
line item appropriations for ISBE and makes re-appropriations. Also makes FY
2010 appropriations. Effective date: July 15, 2009
Senate
Bill 1276, PA # 96-0062, SUPERINTENDENT MENTORING
Superintendent mentoring program to be established by ISBE for
superintendents new to the state for their first 2 years. Other provisions.
Effective date: July 23, 2009
Senate
Bill 1412, PA # 96-0423, BLOCK GRANT FOR ZERO TO THREE
Requires that
not less than 11% of the Early Childhood Education Block Grant be used
to fund programs for children ages 0 – 3. Effective date: August 13,
2009
Senate Bill 1508, PA #96-0628, STUDENT RECORDS – CONFIDENTIALITY
Amends Student Records Act to provide that nothing shall impair or limit the
confidentiality of information obtained in confidence by school social workers,
counselors, psychologists, or psychologist interns. Also provides protection to
school employees who act to protect confidential information. Effective date:
January 1, 2010.
Senate
Bill 1557, PA # 96-0629, DEPORTATION OF MEXICAN-AMERICANS IN GREAT DEPRESSION.
The requirement to
study the role of Hispanics in U.S. History shall include the study of the
events related to the forceful deportation of Mexican-American U.S. Citizens
during the Great Depression. Effective January 1, 2010.
Senate
Bill 1570, PA #96-0725, WIND AND SOLAR FUND
Creates the School
Wind and Solar Generation Program to fund wind and solar generation projects for
schools and community colleges. Effective date: August 25, 2009.
Senate
Bill 1718, PA # 96-0633, FIREARMS IN SCHOOL
Clarifies expulsion
and suspension for weapon violations in schools. Requires compliance with the
federal Gun Free Schools Act. Also requires expulsion for firearm, and other
weapons in school but allows superintendent to modify the expulsion on a case by
case basis. Effective date: August 24, 2009.
Senate
Bill 1769, PA # 96-0424, LAWN CARE AND PEST CONTROL
Requires school
districts to designate a staff person to be responsible for compliance and
allows schools and day care centers to give notice in writing or by telephone to
parents four days before application. Effective date: August 13, 2009.
Senate
Bill 1828, PA #96-0107, P-20 LONGITUDINAL DATA SYSTEM
Creates the P-20
Longitudinal Education Data System Act to track student learning from early
learning to the post-secondary level. Effective date: July 30, 2009
Senate
Bill 1912, PA # 96-0045, EMERGENCY BUDGET
Creates the Emergency
Budget Implementation Act of FY 2010. Effective date: July 15, 2009.
Senate
Bill 1926, PA # 96-0731, CONSTRUCTION GRANTS FOR VOCATIONAL CENTERS
Vocational Centers
with joint agreements with schools are eligible for grants under the School
Construction Grant Law. Effective date: August 25, 2009
Senate
Bill 1956, PA # 96-0640, CLOCK HOURS FOR INSERVICE/INSTITUTES & CONFERENCE ON
HOLIDAYS.
Makes changes in days
used for in-service training for teachers and parent/teacher conferences with
regard to average daily clock hours. Allows institutes and conferences on
certain holidays.
Effective date: July 1, 2009.
Senate
Bill 1977, PA # 96-0734, SCHOOL CODE CHANGES
Multiple changes in
School Code for: State aid claims, Teacher dismissal, driver safety, food
service, Childhood Hunger Relief Act, Truants Alternative and Optional Education
Program, School Safety Drill, and review of facilities. Effective date: July 1,
2009.
Senate
Bill 1995, PA # 96-0787, BUILDING BONDS EXTENDED - Elgin and Lockport
Authorizes Lockport High School and Elgin Community College to
issue bonds for building purposes for 25 years (instead of 20 years). Effective
date: August 29, 2009.
Senate
Bill 2014, PA # 96-0430, PSAE
Reduces the
opportunities for students to take the PSAE test from two to one. Effective
date: August 13, 2009.
Senate
Bill 2051, PA # 96-0152, NO REDUCTION IN GSA WITH REFERENDUM SUCCESS
Changes GSA
calculation for school districts who have passed a limiting rate increase by
referendum in counties under PTELL. After the 2010 year, the increase in local
resources will not result in a decrease of GSA for the approved duration of the
limiting rate increase. Effective date: August 7, 2009.
Senate Bill 2270, PA # 96-0343, SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS SALARY REPORTS
Requires school districts to annualy itemize all salaries for employees
holding an administrative certificate, to present the report at a school board
meeting, post it on their website and submit it to their ROE. The report is to
include base salary, pension amount, retirement increases, insurance provided,
paid sick day and vacation payouts, annuities and any other form of
compensation. Effective date: August 13, 2009.
Senate
Bill 2277, PA # 96-0647, PILOT PROGRAM FOR DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES
Authorizes ISBE to
provide a pilot program to test digital technologies as an alternative to
textbooks in 3 school districts - subject to appropriation. Effective date:
August 24, 2009.
House
Bills:
House
Bill 72, PA # 96-0131, NO CELL PHONE USE IN SCHOOL OR CONSTRUCTION ZONE
Prohibits use of a
cell phone by the driver of a car in a school speed zone or construction zone.
Effective date: January 1, 2010.
House
Bill 78, PA # 96-0153, FARM FRESH SCHOOLS
Requires the Dept. of
Agriculture, ISBE and the Dept. of Public Health to create the Farm Fresh
Schools Program. Competitive grants would be established for schools to apply
for funds to implement such programs. Effective date: August 7, 2009.
House
Bill 242, PA # 96-0501, DEBT SERVICE INCREASE
Provides that debt service extension base must be increased by CPI
each year during the 12 month calendar year preceding the levy year, not to
exceed 5%. Effective date: August 14, 2009.
House
Bill 272, PA # 96-0132, RANDOM DRUG TESTING FOR IHSA PARTICIPATION
Prohibits IHSA from allowing students to participate in athletic
competition unless the student agrees not to use performance-enhancing drugs and
submits to random drug testing. Also requires all IHSA coaches to complete
program on prevention of abuse of performance-enhancing drugs and to take an
exam on the subject. Requires at least 1,000 athletes to be tested from at
least 25% of schools in IHSA. Effective date: August 7, 2009.
House
Bill 281, Public Act # 96-0349, LIFE THREATENING FOOD ALLERGIES
Requires ISBE and the
Dept. of Public Health to develop, and make available to schools, guidelines for
management of students with life threatening food allergies. Requires school
boards to implement a policy on guidelines and provide in-service training every
two years.
Effective date: August 13, 2009.
House
Bill 325, PA # 96- 0538, COOK COUNTY SCHOOL TREASURER ON BOE
Allows a school
treasurer in Cook County to also serve as a member of a school board. Effective
date: August 14, 2009.
House
Bill 493, PA # 96-0504, PTELL TRUTH IN TAXATION NOTICE - EXPLANATION
Allows taxing
districts to add an explanation of the PTELL to the Truth in Taxation Notice.
Effective date: August 14, 2009
House
Bill 628, PA # 96-0657, EDUCATIONAL EVALUATOR – ACCESS TO FACILITIES
Provides that if a mutually agreeable date and time can be established between a
school district and an independent educational evaluator and a parent, the
school must allow reasonable access to the educational facilities, personnel,
and to the child. The evaluator must receive a sufficient time to conduct an
evaluation. Effective date: August 25, 2009
House
Bill 645, PA # 96-0367, CHIROPRACTORS TO VERIFY SICK LEAVE
Allows chiropractors
to provide verification for schools that require a doctor’s note for sick leave
for employees or student absence. Effective date: August 13, 2009.
House
Bill 684, Public Act # 96-0746, COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
Requires ISBE to
provide grants for programs at Community Schools. Effective date: August 25,
2009.
House
Bill 737, PA # 96-0373, MASTER PRINCIPAL PROGRAM
ISBE is authorized to
select, through a competitive process, a statewide entity or entities to receive
funds for a Master Principal Program, without consultation with the State
Teachers Certification Board. Effective date: August 13, 2009.
House
Bill 944, Public Act # 96-0668, NO FINANCIAL DIFFICULTY FOR LATE GSA
Disallows the
certification of financial difficulty for a school district soley as a result of
late payments by the state. Effective date: July 1, 2009.
House
Bill 973, PA # 96-0383, TEEN DATING VIOLENCE INSTRUCTION
Comprehensive Health
Education may include instruction in grades 8 through 12 on teen dating
violence. Effective date: January 1, 2010.
House
Bill 979, PA # 96-0187, POSTSECONDARY GOALS FOR IEP STUDENT
Provides that
students with an IEP at age 14 ˝ must have measurable postsecondary goals
included in their IEP that is based on age-appropriate transition and
independent living skills. Effective date: August 10, 2009.
House
Bill 999, PA # 96-0019, SCHOOL DISTRICT LINE OF CREDIT
Allows school
districts and other entities to establish a line of credit with a bank or other
financial institution, in an amount not to exceed 95% of their property taxes
most recently levied. Other provisions. Effective date: June 26, 2009
House
Bill 1035, Public Act # 96-0191, INSTRUCTION ON DISABILITY HISTORY
Requires school
districts to provide instruction on disability history, people with
disabilities, and the disability rights movement. Effective date: January 1,
2010.
House
Bill 1107, PA # 96-0252, EMERGENCY REPAIRS – LIFE/SAFETY BID
Provides that when an
emergency project is less than the amount specified in the bid provisions of the
school code, the district may proceed with repairs prior to approval by State
Supt. under certain conditions. Effective date: August 11, 2009.
House
Bill 1148, PA # 96-0546, PRIVATE SCHOOL PENSION CREDIT
Provides that a
teacher or administrator employed by a private school recognized by ISBE, must
apply in writing on or after August 1, 2009, and on or before August 1, 2012, to
establish service for pension purposes. Effective August 17, 2009.
House
Bill 2235, PA # 96-2235, SALARY REPORT TO ISBE
Requires the governing boards of school districts, universities and
community colleges to report annually to ISBE and the Board of Higher Education
on the base salary and benefits of all administrators and teachers. Effective
date: January 1, 2010
House
Bill 2362, PA # 96-0392, TRANSPORTATION FOR SPECIAL STUDENTS – EXEMPT FROM
LOWEST BIDDER
Adds contracts for transportation of special and disabled
students to list of exemptions for low bid requirements. Effective date:
January 1, 2010.
House
Bill 2448, PA # 96-0684, REMOTE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
Allows school
districts to pass a resolution to provide a remote educational program for
students at home or other locations. Effective Date: August 25, 2009.
House
Bill 2871, PA # 96-0403, NO FUND SWEEPS FOR TEACHER CERT REVOLVING FUND
Prohibits the Teacher
Certificate Fee Revolving Fund from being transferred into any other state
fund. Effective date: August 13, 2009.
House
Bill 3672, PA # 96-0299, IMRF SICK LEAVE – MULTIPLE EMPLOYERS
Provides that
employees in IMRF who worked for more than one school district during their
career will have sick leave from all employers credited for pension service.
Effective date: August 11, 2009.
House
Bill 3982, PA 96-0410, NO VAN FOR TRANSPORTING STUDENTS
Prohibits the
transporting of students in a van. The bill does allow use of a “multifunction
school-activity bus” which is defined as a school bus manufactured for the
purpose of transporting up to 15 persons, including the driver, whose purpose
does not include transporting students to and from home or school bus stops.
Effective date: July 1, 2010.
House
Bill 4223, PA # 96-0417, RECOMMENDATION FOR RADON TESTING EVERY 5 YEARS
Recommends that
schools be tested for radon every 5 years. Effective date: January 1, 2010.
FOR FULL LANGUAGE ON ALL BILLS, PLEASE VISIT:
www.ilga.gov
