Latin American history, pet custody bills advance in Springfield ahead of deadline

SPRINGFIELD — Public school teachers in Illinois may soon have to add Latin Americans to the list of ethnic groups whose contributions to American history and culture must be taught in class.

The new curriculum mandate is one of dozens of measures that have advanced in the General Assembly this week ahead of a Friday deadline for moving bills from one chamber to the other. The deadline is a key milestone in the legislature’s annual push toward its May 31 adjournment.

The Illinois House voted Wednesday to pass House Bill 4372, which would amend a portion of the school code that defines how United States history is taught in schools.

That law already requires history classes to include the study of contributions from “African Americans and other ethnic groups, including but not restricted to, Native Americans, Polish, Lithuanian, German, Hungarian, Irish, Bohemian, Russian, Albanian, Italian, Czech, Slovak, French, Scots, Hispanics, Asian Americans, etc.”

The bill would insert “Latin Americans” in that list, just before “Hispanics.”

Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, the bill’s lead sponsor, said the term “Latin American,” or “Latine,” is more inclusive than “Hispanics” because it encompasses people from all of South America, including Brazil, and not just people from Spanish-speaking backgrounds.

Some Republicans, including Rep. Brad Halbrook, of Shelbyville, called the bill a mandate on local schools that would ultimately raise people’s property taxes.

“We have the highest real estate property taxes in the nation,” he said. “This could continue to increase our property taxes when our residents or constituents or citizens are asking from some level of relief.”

But Rep. Laura Faver Dias, D-Grayslake, argued that American history education too often centers on the study of white males. “That isn’t history,” she said. “That’s a fairy tale, and this mandate will not raise your property taxes.”

The bill passed  74-34. It next moves to the Senate for consideration. If it becomes law, it would take effect in the 2027-28 school year.

Child care worker background checks

The Illinois House passed legislation this week that takes another step in transferring authority over early childhood education and services to the new Department of Early Childhood.

House Bill 5099 would transfer the responsibility for conducting criminal background checks for child care workers to the new agency from the Department of Children and Family Services, beginning in 2027.

Gov. JB Pritzker called for creation of the new agency in 2024 to consolidate a vast array of programs and services currently spread across several agencies under one roof. Those range from managing a nearly $750 million block grant program for preschools around the state to the licensing and regulation of child care facilities and workers.

The new agency is scheduled to become fully operational in the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1. Its budget, still being negotiated in the General Assembly, is expected to total $4.4 billion from all funds, including $2 billion in general revenue funds. Most of that represents money currently allocated to other agencies.

Many lawmakers have been especially focused on the issue of background checks, saying they frequently hear from constituents who complain about the time it takes to complete them. But Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee, the bill’s lead sponsor, said she’s optimistic the process will improve under the new agency.

“Under the new system, background checks will stay with the individual rather than with the center or location, so that will allow them to move from location to location, or even employer to employer,” she said. “It will also allow them to do background checks in advance of getting a position, so their background check can be ready by the time they’re hired, rather than then waiting a month before their background check goes through and they can work.”

The bill passed unanimously out of the House. It now awaits action by the Senate before being sent to Pritzker’s desk for his signature.

Speculative ticket ban

Hours after a federal judge ruled that Ticketmaster’s parent company operated a monopoly on event ticket selling, the House passed House Bill 4984 to ban speculative ticket selling.

Speculative tickets are event tickets that sellers offer even though they don’t have a certainty of obtaining that ticket. Consumers often don’t know they’ve bought one, and could lose out on thousands of dollars in travel and hotel purchases for an event they can’t attend.

“There’s apparently an Usher concert that’s going to be happening in Chicago,” Rep. Nabeela Syed, D-Palatine, said. “There are event ticket resellers attempting to sell these tickets on the basis that they might somehow obtain them without a clear pathway of doing so.”

The bill passed unanimously and now moves to the Senate.

Pet custody

House Bill 4540 would create a legal pathway for separated couples or roommates to go to court to fight for custody of an animal.

Custody of pets is already an item for debate in divorce cases for married couples, but bill sponsor Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, said nonmarried cohabitants also need a way to determine custody of a pet that may have been jointly owned.

“If you are in a long-term relationship and you break up in an amicable way, then you might not need this,” Hernandez said. “However, there are certain cases —  we’ve seen it a lot in domestic violence cases — where they use the animal as leverage and unfortunately those are the situations that we’re trying to prevent.”

The bill would allow courts to consider who has been responsible for caring for the pet, paying for vet visits, emotional bonds between a pet and human, the living environment and documentation on who bought the animal.

The bill passed the House 72-38 and now heads to the Senate.

Construction bathrooms

Senate Bill 3465 would require construction sites with 10 or more workers and a worker who menstruates to have a separate bathroom on site for the woman to use. Menstrual hygiene products would also have to be available for free. Accommodations would also have to be available for lactation.

“Women and anyone who menstruates have a right to care for their bodies in a dignified and sanitary way,” bill sponsor Sen. Graciela Guzmán, D-Chicago, said in a statement. “Whether in the office or on the job site, we need common sense accommodations for those who menstruate and those who are lactating.”

The bill passed the Senate 37-14 with Republicans arguing the bill would raise already high construction costs. It now moves to the House.

Female CPR

House Bill 4788 would require students in secondary schools to have the opportunity to learn CPR on breasted manikins to simulate the live-saving practice on women.

“People with breasts are 27% less likely to receive bystander CPR than people without breasts,” bill sponsor Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-Batavia, said. “And largely due to this disparity, men have a 23% higher likelihood of survival after a cardiac arrest.”

The bill passed 73-38, with Republicans expressing concerns about the cost of purchasing supplies for school districts. The bill now heads to the Senate.

Prescription hormone therapy

Under House Bill 5492, insurance providers would have to cover up to a year of hormone therapy when prescribed. The bill came out of situations in which insurers were denying claims for yearlong supplies of medication, said bill sponsor Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville.

“I get frustrated with insurance companies when they don’t let patients and doctors work together for what’s the best way to access care,” Stuart said. “Pharmacists have the authority to dispense the full 12 months, that already exists.”

The bill passed 74-37 along party lines.

Lions, tigers and bears

The House passed a bears bill, but it does not involve the football team. House Bill 4255 would ban traveling animal acts from using cougars, jaguars, leopards, lions, tigers, bears and primates. State law already bans acts with elephants. The bill passed 75-33 and awaits Senate consideration.

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