State Senator Karen McConnaughay sent a list of the new laws taking effect this year.
Education
Photographic Evidence (SB 211/PA 99-0685): Allows law enforcement agencies to use undercover drug money for other purposes while the criminal case is pending, by allowing photographs of the currency to be admissible as evidence in court to the same extent as the currency itself.
Community College Residency Requirements (SB 232/PA 99-0845): States that all students will be classified as residents of the community college district without meeting the 30 day residency requirement of the district if they are currently residing in the district and are youth: 1. Who are currently under the legal guardianship of DCFS or have recently been emancipated from DCFS and 2. Who had previously met the 30 day residency requirement of the district, but who had a placement change into a new community college district.
School Transportation (SB 1582/PA 99-0888): Allows a student in grades K-12 with an Individualized Education Plan and a staff to student ratio of 1 to 5 may be transported in a multi-function school activity bus for any curriculum-related activity except for transportation on regular bus routes from home to school or from school to home. This bill is for only six (6) small schools.
Community College Audits (SB 2155/PA 99-0691): Requires that part of recognition granted by ICCB must include regular peer audits of the finances and operations of community colleges. Every community college shall be subject to a peer audit every 5 years. The peer audit shall review compliance with all State law including: transparency, contract formation, renewal, extension or termination, bonuses payments, and Open Meetings Act requirements.
Community College Trustee Training (SB 2157/PA 99-0692): States that all trustees elected or appointed after the effective date must complete training covering community college and labor law, opening meetings law, freedom of information law, ethics, financial oversight and accountability, audits, contract law and the fiduciary responsibilities of a community college trustee.
Community College Contract Blackout Period (SB 2158/PA 99-0693): Establishes a blackout period beginning 45 days prior to local elections in April of odd numbered years and continuing until the first organizational meeting of the community colleges board of trustees. During that blackout period no addendum to modify and amend an employee agreement between a community college district and the district’s president, chancellor, or chief executive officer nor may an employment contract be made and entered into between the Board and the president, chancellor, or chief executive officer.
Higher Education Transparency (SB 2159/PA 99-0694): Establishes new requirements and limitations on community college and public university contracts with the president or chancellors. Requires contracts to be agreed to in open meetings. Makes changes that would put severance payments and buyouts into an escrow account if there are pending charges against a president or chancellor.
Board of Trustees Training (SB 2174/PA 99-0695): Requires every voting member of the governing board of a public university appointed for a term beginning after January 1, 2016 to complete a minimum of 3 hours of professional development training within 2 years after beginning service and within every 2 years of service thereafter. Requires the university to maintain on its website the names of all members who have completed training.
School Bus Owner Insurance (HB 2262/PA 99-0595): Establishes a $2 million dollar liability insurance requirement for school buses may be met a single commercial policy of $2 million or a combined $1 million primary with $5 million of coverage under an umbrella policy. This was required to bring school districts in line with recently enacted minimum insurance requirements.
Breakfast After the Bell (SB 2393/PA 99-0850): Requires all school districts in Illinois to implement and operate a “breakfast after the bell” program in accordance to federal guidelines. If the school falls below a certain threshold they don’t have to continue participating, but can voluntarily choose to participate.
Sale of Student-Built Homes (SB 2823/PA 99-0794): Permits a real estate broker to be used when a school board determines to sell a residential property constructed or renovated by students as part of a curricular program, but the property must be listed for 14 days.
Homeless GED Tests (SB 2840/PA 99-0742): Provides that anyone who qualifies as a homeless person, child or youth, is under the age of 25, has completed a prep course and is taking the test at an ROE or the Cook County High School Equivalency Office does not have to pay any fees associated with taking a high school equivalency exam.
CPS Student Council (HB 3239/PA 99-0597): Allows a student who is 17 or older to run as a community resident for the local school council. Redefines “community resident.”
Illinois Articulation Initiative Act (SB 3301/PA 99-0636): Requires all public universities and community colleges to participate in the Illinois Articulation Initiative. Intends to ease transfer for students enrolled in participant Illinois community colleges and public universities.
State Seal of Biliteracy (HB 4330/PA 99-0600): Requires Illinois public universities to accept the State Seal of Biliteracy as two years of high school foreign language credit if student’s high-school transcript indicates that he or she will be receiving or has received the State Seal of Biliteracy.
Non-resident Student Hearings (HB 4606/PA 99-0670): For non-Chicago schools: changes the process for determining whether a pupil is a nonresident of a district and requires additional detail in the notification process as well as specific disclosure of evidence to be used in a hearing. Provides for a process in which the person who enrolled the pupil can petition the regional superintendent if the school board determines the pupil to be a non-resident. For Chicago Public Schools (CPS): codifies that, if a hearing concerning residency is requested, the pupil may continue to attend the school district pending the final decision of the CPS board of Education. However, the person enrolling the pupil is still obliged to pay the tuition charged if the pupil is determined to be a non-resident.
P-20 Council (HB 5566/PA 99-0643): Allows the chairperson of the Illinois P-20 Council to authorize the creation of a working group to focus on tuition, financial aid, and other issues related to keeping postsecondary education affordable for Illinois residents.
Charter School Renewal (HB 5918/PA 99-0840): States that new charters can only be granted for an initial term of five (5) years. Currently new charters may be granted for not less than five and not more than ten (10) years. Established charters can be renewed in incremental periods not to exceed ten (10) school years if they meet established standards and goals. Currently they can only be renewed for five (5) year periods. The State Charter School Commission can still only renew for five (5) year periods. Allows the State Board to offer loans from the Charter Schools Revolving Loan Fund of up to $750 (rather than $250) per student.
Professional Development Hours Rollover (HB 6181/PA 99-0591): Allows a teacher who earns more than the required professional development hours during the renewal cycle to carry the extra hours over to the next renewal cycle if the hours were earned between April 1 and June 30.