Advocacy Report
Chamber Supports Business Interests in Committees
The Illinois General Assembly had a flurry of activity this past week because of the deadline for bills to get out of substantive committees in their respective chambers. The Chicagoland Chamber submitted position statements on several bills in House and Senate committees. The following list includes bills that the Chamber weighed in on and their current status.
Chamber Supported:
House Bill 3740 (Kay) - HB 3740 makes comprehensive changes that are supported by the employer community to the Workers’ Compensation Act. The bill was not called for a vote in the Labor and Commerce Committee and will remain in a subcommittee.
House Bill 4609 (Feigenholtz) – HB 4609, as amended, establishes a Task Force on Fire Prevention and Fire Safety with nominees appointed by the Governor from a broad range of affected industries and citizens. The purpose of the Task Force is to research, analyze, and consider the benefits and costs of fire sprinkler systems within high-rise buildings, as well as to provide public education pertaining to fire drills and other prevention measures. The amendment further regulates the Office of the State Fire Marshal regarding the adoption of rules requiring the installation of fire sprinkler systems in existing structures. The bill passed the State Government Administration Committee 17-2 and is on second reading in the House
Chamber Opposed:
House Bill 4211 (Franks) – HB 4211 prohibits an electronic system as the only method for payment of rent in residential real estate. The bill passed the House Judiciary Committee and is on second reading in the House.
House Bill 5638 (Mitchell) - HB 5638 prevents employers from conducting criminal history checks until after the employer has received an application from and interviews an applicant. The bill was not called for a vote in committee. A similar bill, House Bill 2378(Mayfield), passed the House and advances to the Senate.
House Bill 4420 (Berrios) HB 4420 provides for mandatory paid sick time to employees. This bill and a companion Senate Bill 2789 (Munoz) were not called for votes in their respective committees. Neither is expected to advance during this session.
House Bill 4465 (Thapedi) – The so-called carbon tax, HB 4465 would have capped greenhouse gas emissions in industrial facilities. The bill was strongly opposed by a coalition of business groups and did not get called for a vote in committee.
Senate Bill 3287 (Raoul) - Amends the Workers' Compensation Act to provide changes regarding the right to recover damages for injury or death from a service organization that is wholly owned by the employer or the employer's insurer or broker. SB 3287 advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and is on second reading in the Senate.
Also of Note:
House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 51 (Madigan) - Proposes a constitutional amendment be put on the November ballot to: provide that an additional income tax shall be imposed on individuals in an amount equal to 3% of the portion of the individual's income that is greater than $1,000,000 for the taxable year; and, that the revenue collected from the tax shall be distributed to school districts on a per pupil basis. HJRCA 51 advanced out of the House Revenue and Finance Committee and will be considered on the House floor before the May deadline for constitutional amendments.
