If you would like to know where our IEA initiatives are in the legislative process, or other education-related legislation, go to the 2023 Legislative Session.Ěý

Legislative wins – IEA initiatives:

• HB 2147 (Yang Rohr/Villivalam) TRS credit for student teachers​ – allows TRS members that were paid as a student teacher to purchase that service credit.
• HB 2392 (Scherer/Lightford) National Education Association Director advocacy days​ — provides up to 10 days in any school year for our NEA Directors to represent the association in federal advocacy work.
• SB 1235 (Martwick/Kifowit) State Universities Retirement System recalculation​ – ensures that our SURS members will receive full pension credits for their years of service as an educator that participates in SURS.
• SB 1351 (Lightford/Scherer) Waiver of final year evaluation — a teacher set to retire in their last year can waive their evaluation if the previous overall evaluation was proficient or excellent. ​
• SB 1352 (Lightford/Carroll) Teacher resignation timeline — the timeline to submit a resignation during the school term must be concurred by the board.Ěý If the resignation is after the school term, the resignation letter must be submitted 30 days prior to the first student attendance day.Ěý This legislation also sets the timeframe for when a district must notify the teacher of submitting their license to the state superintendent as well as when the state superintendent must notify the teacher once a decision has been made.
• SB 1468 (Bennett/Stuart) 120 return to work TRS provision​ – Until 2026, retired teachers are allowed to return to the classroom for up to 120 days without impairing their TRS annuity.
• SB 1872 (Lightford/Vella) Reduces tenure track from four years to three​ — Teachers hired on or after July 1, can attain tenure in three years with an overall evaluation of proficient in their second and third years. They can attain tenure in two years with two years of overall excellent on their evaluations.
• SB 2017 (Holmes/Croke) Education Support Professionals paid holidays​ — ensures ESPs receive school holidays off without a deduction in pay or time.
• HB 3817 (the budget implementation bill) contained an agreement to stabilize the College Insurance Program. The proposal will return CIP to fiscal stability over the next 10 years. This program provides retiree health insurance to former full-time community college staff and faculty. The agreement requires increased state, member and community college contributions to fund the program. Members and colleges will pay the following percentages of salary/payroll: fiscal year 2024: 0.75%, fiscal year 2025: 0.85%, fiscal year 2026: 0.95%. Fiscal year 2027 and beyond will be limited to an increase of no more than 105% from the previous year. The agreement will create a CIP Advisory Taskforce to monitor the program.

Other bills of interest

• HB 300 (Stuart/Belt) Indexing of minimum teacher salary​ – negotiated bill that clarifies how the minimum teacher salary will be indexed each year after the 2023-24 school year.
• HB 1297 (Elik/Harriss) Purchasing of parochial service credit for Teachers’ Retirement System members​ – allows TRS members to purchase up to two years of private or parochial school service credit until 2028.
• HB 2396 (Canty/Lightford) requires all school districts to provide full-day kindergarten beginning in the 2027-28 school year and allows school districts unable to comply to seek an implementation extension from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
• HB 2789 (Stava-Murray/Murphy) establishes a policy of the state to protect the freedom of libraries to be protected against attempts to ban or restrict access to books or other materials.
• HB 3680 (Benton/Faraci) in compliance with Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act, allows students with Individualized Education Plans to have accommodations for crisis drills. Requires the administrator and school support personnel to include the student’s IEP or 504 plan team in determining the accommodations for the student.
• HB 3690 (Mussman/Villivalam) makes numerous changes to in-service training requirements for teachers, support staff and administrators. The bill is a result of a collaboration of all public education stakeholders’ recognition of the ever-growing time commitment for school staff to comply with in-service training requirements.
• SB 90 (Murphy/West) requires school districts to implement a policy that prohibits discrimination, harassment and retaliation based on race, color​ and national origin. The policy must be posted; the district must establish procedures for responding to complaints; and must report data on reported allegations to ISBE yearly.
• SB 1488 (Bennett/Stuart) Teacher candidate evaluation — Creates Teacher Performance Assessment Task Force to evaluate potential performance based and objective teacher performance assessment systems for educator preparation programs statewide. The intention of the task force is to create a well-rounded and thoughtful licensure system that is consistent throughout the state. Members appointed to the task force must represent the racial, ethnic and geographic diversity of the state. The bill outlines the specific members of the task force and includes members of both management and labor.
• SB 2243 (Lightford/Mayfield) requires ISBE to develop and adopt a comprehensive statewide literacy plan for implementation beginning Jan. 31, 2024.

Budget highlights:

• $350 million increase to the evidence-based funding formula for PreK-12 schools in Illinois and a $570 million increase overall;
• $250 million increase for early childhood;
• More than $100 million for students going to college and those who want to teach for a living;
• $80.5 million increase for public universities and an additional $19.4 million for community colleges;
• $35 million increase in transportation;
• Our members’ TRS and SURS pension funds will once again be funded as required by law. TRS will receive $6.273 billion and SURS will receive $2.133 billion;
• And, TRIP/TRAIL will receive $65.4 million

| View more information on HB 2778

Pensions
(McClure, R-Springfield) allows for active members in TRS to purchase up to two years of private or parochial school service credit if that service was rendered prior to becoming a public school teacher. The IEA supports this bill. The bill passed out of committee unanimously and will proceed to the Senate floor for debate.Ěý

Education Policy
(Harper, D-Chicago) requires charter schools to hire an outside financial auditor that is not affiliated with the charter school in any way, shape, form or fashion. IEA is in support of this bill. The bill passed out of committee unanimously and now moves to the house floor for debate.

(DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights) requires that a school board must have three public hearings, one per month, over three consecutive months before making a final decision to close a school. IEA is in support of this bill. The bill passed out of committee unanimously with a commitment from the sponsor to return the bill to the committee at a later date with an agreed upon amendment.

(Scherer, D-Decatur) provides that starting no later than Sept. 1, 2021, teachers rated as “excellent” or “proficient” would then be formally evaluated once every three years and informally evaluated once every two years. IEA is in support of this bill. The bill passed out of committee unanimously and now moves to the house floor for debate.

(Manar-D)
IEA supports this provision that allows retired teachers to return to work for 120 days, instead of 100 days in a school year, without impacting their retirement status. This provision is currently the law and this bill extends this provision until the year 2022 in an effort to assist with the substitute teacher shortage. The bill passed out of the Senate Education committee unanimously.

(Morrison -D)
IEA supports this resolution that urges local emergency response planning officials to partner with school districts to disseminate information pertaining to safety threats related to the storage and transport of hazardous substances. This resolution is an effort to better inform parents, faculty and staff about any potential risk of these incidents. The resolution has been adopted.

Higher Ed
(Costa Howard, D-Lombard) provides that if a vacancy occurs on the board of trustees of a community college district, the secretary of the board must publish the vacancy through at least one public notice for a minimum of 30 days before the remaining board members meet to fill the vacancy. The IEA supports this bill. The bill passed out of the House Higher Education committee with a vote of 16-0.

TRIP/TRAIL Update:
The Governor’s fiscal year 2021 budget includes a restructuring of the funding for the health insurance plans for retired teachers and retired community college professionals. The Teachers’ Retirement Insurance Plan (TRIP/TRAIL) provides subsidized health insurance for retired teachers outside the city of Chicago. These benefits are funded by the state, school districts, active teachers and retirees. The College Insurance Program (CIP) provides subsidized health insurance benefits for community college retirees outside the city of Chicago. These benefits are funded by the state, active community college professionals, community college districts and retirees. While the two plans have similar funding sources, the structuring of these plans differ in several ways. The most significant difference is the way the contributions from these sources are adjusted annually to consider inflation and the increasing cost of health care. Under TRIP/TRAIL, contributions from the school districts, the state and active teachers are all adjusted based upon the projected funding needs of the plan. In addition, retiree premiums are adjusted annually. All four revenue sources for the TRIP/TRAIL plan cannot exceed an increase of 5 percent, year over year. This “escalator” has resulted in a plan that is fiscally healthy and currently up to date with paying the expenses of the plan. In fact, projections show that by fiscal year 2028, the plan will have an $800 million over and above the amount needed to maintain the current payment cycle. Currently, TRIP/TRAIL requires an estimated $450-$475 million on an annual basis to operate. In contrast, CIP does not have this escalator and as a result the plan has fallen into financial distress. The plan is projected to have a $300 million deficit by fiscal year 2028.

As a result, the Governor has proposed to alter the plans in the following ways:

Proposed TRIP/TRAIL changes beginning in fiscal year 2021:

• Reduce active teacher contribution rate to .80 percent from 1.24 percent.
• Reduce school district rate to .60 percent from .92 percent.
• Reduce fiscal year 2021 state contribution to $89 million, a reduction of $54 million.
• Maintain the 5 percent cap on all four funding sources of the program.

Proposed CIP changes beginning in FY 2021:

• Increase active community college professionals’ contribution to .80 percent from .50 percent.
• Increase community college contribution to .60 percent from .50 percent.
• Increase fiscal year 2021 state contribution by $38 million, for a total of $42 million.
• Establish an escalator clause for the revenue streams that will be capped at 5 percent.

The goal of these changes is for TRIP/TRAIL to maintain their current payment cycle while eliminating the backlog of bills under CIP by 2028. IEA is in discussion with the administration about these plans and will be monitoring this issue closely this session.

In the address, Governor Pritzker outlined his main priorities for the budget:

• Early childhood programs (birth to age 5)
• K-12 education
• Higher education
• Health and social services programs
• Criminal justice reform and public safety
• Environmental and cultural resources
• Economic development and infrastructure

In addition to the priorities listed here, it is also important to point out that the Governor’s budget calls for the full funding of the required payment due to Illinois’ pension systems. This sort of commitment to our members’ futures is a very encouraging sign from this administration.

The Governor’s proposed budget refers to a $350 million increase to the state’s recently enacted Evidence Based Funding formula. However, $150 million of that increase would be directly tied to the passage of the Fair Tax constitutional amendment, which will be voted upon in the November general election. While the IEA is pleased to see any increase to the funding formula, it is imperative Illinois keeps its commitment to ALL the children of Illinois to provide the best education possible. The IEA is in full support of the Fair Tax and will work hard to see that it passes. However, holding out much needed resources until its passage is not good for the students, or schools, of Illinois.

Another provision of the budget reduces the state’s required commitment to the Teachers’ Retirement Insurance Program (TRIP/TRAIL) by $54 million. The IEA has always and will continue to oppose any reduction to the funding of TRIP/TRAIL that may jeopardize the programs stability. The IEA will work with Governor Pritzker and urge him to ensure Illinois keeps its’ financial commitments to retired educators.

The budget address merely signifies the beginning of the budget making process in Illinois. This budget plan represents the commitment Governor Pritzker has made to ensure every educator succeeds in his or her mission to elevate the students of Illinois. With that, this budget is not perfect, and IEA leadership and staff look forward to their continued work with the Governor and making sure our members’ voices are reflected in its final version.

protects the privacy of public employees, affirms collective bargaining rights and clarifies dues deduction procedures. SB 1784 passed both legislative chambers and now heads to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk for his signature. This legislation is a victory for all union members and public employees in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling in theĚýJanus v. AFSCMEĚýcase, which overturned 40 years of settled collective bargaining law.Ěý

re–establishes a pathway for paraprofessional candidates to gain licensure through taking a test of basic skills (WorkKeys) coupled with having earned a high school diploma. During the spring session, erroneously eliminated this pathway for candidates. SB 10 passed both chambers this week and will be sent to the Governor.

pushes the implementation date for three-day reporting requirements for student IEP meetings to July 1, 2020. This will allow school districts, school staff and parents time to determine the proper procedures and resources needed in order to best educate students in need of an IEP.ĚýSB 460 passed both chambers this week and will be sent to the Governor.

We have a budget! Yes, a real functioning budget that is supported with revenue. This year, due in large part to an atmosphere of “let’s get stuff done,” there are many sources of revenue being used to support K-12 education, higher education, vertical and horizontal capital bills and many other projects.

And, we successfully repealed the 3 percent threshold on pensionable salaries for members of the Teachers’ Retirement System and State Universities Retirement System. Here’s a .

Fiscal year 2020 budget

contains the budget for the Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Community College Board, state universities and Monetary Award Program (MAP) grants. Unlike in most recent years when higher education faced cuts, this year community colleges received an increase in funding of $14.9 million, a 6.1% increase. Similarly, public universities received an increase of 5%. MAP funding was appropriated $451 million, a $50 million increase over 2019. PreK-12 also received about a 5 percent increase, including $375 million in evidence-based funding model dollars.

Teachers’ and universities’ to receive full pension contribution

The budget passed by the General Assembly and approved by the Governor includes the full certified pension contribution for the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS) and for the State Universities Retirement System (SURS).ĚýFor fiscal year 2020, TRS will receive $4.81 billion and SURS will receive $1.856 billion. It is important to note that the Governor unveiled his initial budget proposal in February, which contained an $800 million reduction in the TRS and SURS pension contributions.ĚýFortunately, the state recently experienced higher than anticipated tax collections and it is expecting to receive increased revenue moving into the new fiscal year. This positive news allowed the Governor to make the right decision and fully fund our members’ TRS and SURS pension systems in the upcoming budget year.

Health insurance fully funded for retired teachers

In the upcoming budget year, the Teachers’ Retirement Insurance Program (TRIP) and the Total Retiree Access Illinois Program (TRAIL) will receive more than $132 million to maintain the high level of retiree health insurance coverage that our retired members expect. The IEA lobbying vigilantly ensures during every legislative session that TRIP/TRAIL is fully funded.

Capital projects

There had been a lot of discussion as to whether there was enough time to bring forth a complex capital bill with revenue and bipartisan support in the two weeks before session was scheduled to adjourn. Well, it turns out there is plenty of time when all of the caucuses and the Governor’s office are willing to get into a room and hammer out the details. With the passage of , the vertical construction portion, and , the horizontal construction portion, we now have a $45 billion capital improvements program, which will be funded, in part, by the expansion of gaming (). There will be improvements to roads and bridges, and the vertical construction will provide much needed construction and maintenance funds for early childhood facilities, school districts, community colleges and universities. The balance of the capital project will address the needs of state facilities, environmental conservation projects, the deployment of broadband internet and healthcare and human services facilities.

Funding for the horizontal program will come from a combination of a 19-cent-per-gallon increase in the state gasoline tax, increases in vehicle registration fees and a variety of other fees.

The funding for the vertical infrastructure projects will be derived from legalized sports betting, the expansion of casino gambling, a $1 per pack increase in cigarette taxes, new taxes on parking fees and extending the state sales tax to purchases made remotely, including online purchases from out-of-state retailers that do not have a brick-and-mortar nexus in Illinois.

Bills that passed both chambers this week

is the Budget Implementation Bill, or BIMP, which contained the 3% repeal language, restoring the threshold on pensionable salary to 6 percent for members of the Teachers’ Retirement System and the State Universities Retirement System. The IEA supported this bill.

provides that a school district that contracts with a third party to teach a driver education course must ensure the teacher meets the educator licensure and endorsement requirements under the school code and must follow the same evaluation and observation requirements that apply to non-tenured teachers. The IEA supported this bill.

requires each school district to report the information required for the state board’s report no later than Nov. 16, 2021, and annually thereafter, and also make that information available on its website. The IEA supported this bill.

provides that if an educational support personnel employee is removed or dismissed as a result of a decision of the school board to decrease the number of educational support personnel employed by the board, or to discontinue some particular type of educational support service, and he or she accepts the tender of a vacancy within one calendar year from the beginning of the following school term, then that employee shall maintain any rights accrued during his or her previous service with the school district. The IEA supported this bill.

directs districts to develop a threat assessment team that shall include specified personnel and other members and expands the countywide 1-cent sales tax dollars raised to pay for building projects to pay for team members and safety improvements. The IEA supported this bill.

provides that in fixing the salaries of teachers, a school board shall pay those who serve on a full-time basis a rate not less than $32,076 for the 2020-2021 school year, $34,576 for the 2021-2022 school year, $37,076 for the 2022-2023 school year, and $40,000 for the 2023-2024 school year.ĚýThe IEA supported this bill.

provides that a school district’s decision to allow a student to take a portion of a driver education course through a distance learning program must be approved by the school’s administration, including the student’s driver education teacher and the student’s parent or guardian. The IEA supported this bill.

creates the Mental Health Early Action on Campus Act. Provides for intent, legislative findings, purposes of the Act, and definitions. Provides that to raise mental health awareness on college campuses, each public college or university in this State must complete specified tasks. The IEA supported this bill.

provides that a TRS benefit recipient who has overpaid shall be entitled to a refund of overpayments for up to seven years of past payments. The IEA supported this bill.

provides that if an employee was in the service of more than one employer described in provisions concerning certain educational employers, then the sick leave days from all such employers, except for employers from which the employee terminated service before the effective date of the amendatory act, shall be credited, as long as the creditable service attributed to those sick leave days does not exceed 12 months. Corrects a cross-reference. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement by the state. The IEA supported this bill.

Amends the Downstate Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension Code. In the definition of “teacher”, removes a provision specifying that an annuitant receiving a retirement annuity under the Chicago Teacher Article who is employed by a board of education or other employer as permitted under specified provisions is not a “teacher” for purposes of the Downstate Teacher Article. The IEA supported this bill.

provides that a check of the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer and Violent Offender against Youth Database must be conducted by the school district or regional superintendent, as applicable, once for every five years an applicant remains employed by a school district.ĚýThe IEA was neutral on this bill.

funds appropriated for the adult vocational community college scholarship program are insufficient to provide grants to each eligible applicant, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission may prioritize the distribution of grants based on factors that include an applicant’s financial need, duration of unemployment, prior level of educational attainment, or date of application.ĚýThe IEA supported this bill.

provides that the panel of qualified evaluators has the power to revoke the “unsatisfactory” rating it deems to be erroneous. Provides that the issuance of a rating to replace an “unsatisfactory” rating must be determined through bargaining between the exclusive bargaining representative and the school district. The IEA supported this bill.

the State Charter School Commission is abolished and the terms of all members end. Provides for transfer of authorization to a local school board or boards. Makes related changes. Removes the appeal process, and provides that final decisions of a local school board are subject to judicial review under the Administrative Review Law. The IEA supported this bill.

provides that if licensed school personnel or an administrator obtains mental health first aid training outside of an in-service training program, he or she may present a certificate of successful completion of the training to the school district to satisfy the training requirements. The IEA supports this bill.

Allows districts to pay for student teachers. It also removes the requirement of the passage of a test of basic skills for obtaining certain Professional Educator Licenses and Educator Licenses with Stipulations. The IEA supported this bill.

provides that if more school districts apply for relief than there are funds available, the State Board of Education must distribute the grants and prorate any remaining funds to the final school district that qualifies for grant relief. The IEA supported this bill.

Removes a provision that provides that a tax on income shall be measured at a non-graduated rate. Provides that the General Assembly shall provide by law for the rate or rates of any tax on or measured by income imposed by the State. Provides that the highest rate imposed on corporations may not exceed the highest rate imposed on individuals by more than a ratio of 8 to 5. The IEA supported this joint resolution.

With so little time left, there are still some major decisions that need to be made around revenue. Several weeks ago, we highlighted some of the likely revenue options for consideration by the General Assembly. But with time running short, the options appear to be diminishing quickly. As we often remind you, nothing in the GA is ever dead until the gavel falls. Here are the revenue options that appear to be rising to the top:

1. Cigarette tax: The Senate proposed a plan to raise the state’s cigarette tax by $1 per pack. That increase is about three times the 32-cents cigarette tax that Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker proposed in his budget plan. The increased cigarette tax would raise an additional $159 million in revenue for the state and save money on health costs.
2. Managed care organization assessment is a tax on insurance providers. Under Medicaid managed care, the state pays the organizations for Medicaid patients and they provide coverage. In essence, MCOs are the middleman managing the Medicaid money. The tax will not only bring in more money, but also free up state dollars currently spent on Medicaid to be used elsewhere. The proposal is expected to generate approximately $390 million in revenue to cover a portion of the state’s Medicaid costs.
3. Retailer’s Occupational Tax (ROT) is focused on taxing “remote” retailors. Under the proposal, marketplace facilitators would collect and remit ROT on behalf of third-party sellers, regardless of where their product comes from. Remote retailers selling directly to customers represent more than 40% of all online commerce. A conservative estimate is that the proposal would generate $260 million annually for Illinois.

We are encouraging the General Assembly to pass the revenue necessary to meet the budget proposal submitted by the Governor. That means increased funding for K-12 under the Evidence-Based Funding model and a 5% increase in funding for higher education.

Bills that passed out of the Senate chamber

provides that for a pupil of legal school age and in kindergarten or any of grades one through 12, a day of attendance shall be counted only for sessions of not less than five clock hours of school work per day. The IEA supports this bill and it passed the Senate with a vote of 41-14. This bill moves back to the House for concurrence.

the State Board of Education must make available on its website information about actively employed teachers within each school district, pupil-teacher ratios for each school district, class instructors by grade level and subject in each school district, and class size in each school. Requires each school district to report the information required for the state board’s report no later than November 16, 2021, and also make that information available on its website. The IEA supports this bill and it passed the Senate with a vote of 42-12-1. This bill moves back to the House for concurrence.

will make the provisions removing the requirement of passage of a test of basic skills applicable until June 30, 2025. Provides that, on or before July 1, 2025, the State Board of Education must reevaluate the method it uses to score a content area knowledge test and may adopt rules to make any changes to those methods. IEA supports this bill. This bill passed the Senate with a vote of 55-0. Passed both Houses.Ěý

provides that if an education support personnel employee is removed or dismissed as a result of a decision of the school board to decrease the number of education support personnel employed by the board or to discontinue some particular type of education support service and he or she accepts the tender of a vacancy within one calendar year from the beginning of the following school term, then that employee shall maintain any rights accrued during his or her previous service with the school district.ĚýThe IEA supports this bill.ĚýThis bill passed the Senate with a vote of 56-0. Passed both Houses.

amends the Downstate Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension Code. In the provision defining “eligible employment” for the purpose of allowing a teacher to return to teaching in subject shortage areas without impairing his or her retirement status or retirement annuity, changes the ending date of the employment from no later than June 30, 2019 to no later than June 30, 2021. IEA supports this bill. This bill passed the Senate with a vote of 57-0. Passed both Houses.Ěý

provides that on or before Jan. 1, 2020, the task force shall prepare and submit a report to the General Assembly and the report shall, at a minimum: (1) recommend how the state can keep employers and jobs in Illinois; (2) identify and describe best practices to prevent outsourcing of Illinois jobs; and (3) identify employment sectors most affected by outsourcing. The IEA supports this bill.ĚýThis bill passed the Senate with a vote of 55-0. Passed both Houses.

the threat assessment team shall include specified personnel and other members. Provides that a threat assessment protocol adopted by the school board shall be a public document and be posted on the school district’s website.ĚýIEA supports this bill.ĚýThis bill passed the Senate with a vote of 58-0. This bill moves back to the House for concurrence.

provides that a school district’s decision to allow a student to take a portion of a driver education course through a distance learning program must be approved by the school’s administration, including the student’s driver education teacher and the student’s parent or guardian.ĚýThe IEA supports this bill. This bill passed the Senate with a vote of 52-0. Passed both Houses.

provides that the monitoring measures of local partnership programs must include the ratio of clinical, non-student staff to student population and the number of linkage agreements and contracts in place based on student population. The IEA supports this bill. This bill passed the Senate with a vote of 58-0. Passed both Houses.

provides that, upon request, the school board of a school district that maintains grades 10 through 12 may posthumously award a diploma to any service member who was killed in action while performing active military duty in the armed forces of the United States if he or she: (1) resided in an area currently within the district; (2) left high school before graduating to serve in the armed forces of the United States; and (3) did not receive a high school diploma. The IEA supports this bill. This bill passed the Senate with a vote of 55-0. Passed both Houses.

amends the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) Article of the Illinois Pension Code. Provides that if an employee was in the service of more than one employer described in provisions concerning certain educational employers, then the sick leave days from all such employers, except for employers from which the employee terminated service before the effective date of the amendatory act, shall be credited. The IEA supports this bill and it is passed the Senate with a vote of 56-0. This bill moves back to the House for concurrence.

Bills that passed out of the House chamber

provides that pupil participation in any of the following activities shall be counted toward the calculation of clock hours of school work per day: instruction in a college course in which a student is dually enrolled for both high school credit and college credit.ĚýThe IEA supports this bill. This bill passed the House on a vote of 114-0. Passed both Houses.

provides that if adequate funds are available, incentives under the program must include a one-time incentive of $3,000 payable to National Board certified teachers teaching in Tier 1 rural or remote school districts, an annual incentive of $3,200 for National Board certified teacher rural or remote candidate cohort facilitators, and an annual incentive of $2,500 for National Board certified teacher rural or remote liaisons. The IEA supports this bill. This bill passed the House with a vote of 110-1-2. Passed both Houses.

provides that if licensed school personnel or an administrator obtains mental health first aid training outside of an in-service training program, he or she may present a certificate of successful completion of the training to the school district to satisfy the training requirements.ĚýIEA supports this bill.ĚýThis bill passed the House with a vote of 115-0. Passed both Houses.

the Illinois Community College Board shall establish and administer a 21st Century Employment grant program. The board must give priority to plans that demonstrate a formal articulation agreement between a public high school and a community college district.ĚýIEA supports this bill. This bill passed the House with a vote of 116-0. Passed both Houses.

Important dates

A schedule for each chamber can be found on the General Assembly website.

Next week:

• Both the Senate and House are in session next week.
• The Senate and House are scheduled to remain in session through May 31.