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THIS WEEK’S LEGISLATIVE ACTION The Illinois House was the only chamber in session this week. This week’s docket was heavily dominated with committee hearings. The House International Trade and Commerce Committee met to hear Rep. Thapedi’s joint-resolution for the creation of the Trade Policy Taskforce within the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Laura Ortega, executive director of the Chamber’s International Business Council testified in support of the resolution. If adopted by both chambers, the task force would analyze important issues relative to growth of international trade from and to Illinois and to provide Congress and the White House with recommendations on trade policies that best serve Illinois. The Chamber, among other business and labor groups would be appointed to the task force. The resolution passed unanimously and now heads to the House floor. Below are a few bills that are worth mentioning from this week’s legislative action: HB 791 (Demmer) passed the House Cities and Villages Committee unanimously. This bill would prohibit units of local government from enacting an ordinance prohibiting autonomous vehicles on its roadways. The Chamber is in support. HB 813 (Hoffman) passed 16-11 out of the House Labor and Commerce Committee. This bill expands the Illinois WARN law to require employers of 65 employees (now 75) notice of layoff 90 days in advance of a layoff (now 60 days). The Chamber is opposed to the bill. Click here to view out one-pager. HB 2351 (Currie) passed 16-12 out of the House Labor and Commerce Committee. The bill would create the Wage Lien Act and allow for a lien to be placed on an employer’s property for the amount of unpaid wages owed to an employee. The Chamber is opposed to the bill. Click here to view out one-pager.
NEXT WEEK’S LEGISLATIVE SESSION PREVIEW The Illinois Senate is the only chamber scheduled for legislative session in Springfield next week. They are scheduled to be in session Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Although the Senate is not scheduled to be in Springfield next week, several subject matter hearings have been posted in Chicago. Please see below for a preview of next week: Employment Law SB 1296 (Hutchinson) is posted next week for Senate Labor Committee. This bill creates the Healthy Workplace Act and amends the State Finance Act. Requires employers to provide specified paid sick days to employees. Chamber is opposed. SB 1347 (Biss) is posted next week in Senate Labor. This bill creates the Living Wage Act. Provides that the State, its agencies, and political subdivisions shall ensure that new contracts and subcontracts include a provision specifying that, as a condition of payment of the contract, the minimum wage to be paid to workers in performance of the contract or subcontract shall be at least $16.36 per hour for new contracts created after January 1, 2018. Chamber is opposed. Transportation & Infrastructure SB 1320 (Sandoval) is posted next week in Senate Transportation Committee. This is IDOT’s design build legislation. Provides that the Department of Transportation may use design-build project delivery methods, Construction Manager/General Contractor project delivery methods, or Alternative Technical Concepts for design-bid-build project delivery of transportation facilities, provided that the delivery method does not exceed 20% of the Department’s multi-year highway improvement program, with no one year exceeding 30%. Chamber is in support. SB 1267 (Sandoval) is posted next week for Senate Transportation Committee. Creates the Railroad Supplier Diversity Act. Provides that each Class I railroad company shall, no later than April 15 of each year, submit to the Illinois Commerce Commission an annual report containing certain information concerning procurement goals and spending for female-owned, minority-owned, veteran-owned, and small business enterprises. The Chamber is opposed. Tax SB 1563 (Cunningham) is posted for the Senate Government Reform Committee next week. Provides that no tax credit may be granted under either of those Acts for any publicly traded company that reports a pay ratio between its chief executive officer’s compensation and its employees’ median pay of more than 200:1 on a disclosure filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission during the taxable year in accordance with the pay ratio disclosure requirement of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The Chamber is opposed. SB 1327 (McCarter) is a Chamber initiative and is posted for the Senate Revenue Committee next week. This bill would reinstate the graphic arts machinery and equipment exemption from Illinois sales and use taxes. Expand the statutory definitions of manufacturing machinery and equipment and graphic arts machinery and equipment to include production-related property as exempt from sales and use taxes. Chamber supports. Healthcare & Insurance SB 193 (Link) is posted for Senate Insurance Committee next week. This bill would amend the Insurance Code to provide that a group or individual policy of accident and health insurance must provide coverage for medically necessary preventative physical therapy for insureds diagnosed with multiple sclerosis without any treatment limitation or calendar year maximum. As currently drafter, the Chamber is opposed. However, new language may be forthcoming. SB 1522 (Steans) is posted for Senate Public Health Committee next week. This bill requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to develop, by rule, a process by which a facility experiencing cash flow problems can request a hardship payment from a managed care organization as an advance against money owed to the facility by the managed care organization.
Procurement The House State Government Administration Committee will be holding a subject matter hearing on March 2 in Chicago on procurement. Technology The House Cybersecurity, Data Analytics & IT Committee has posted a subject matter hearing on March 1 in Chicago on Privacy and Transparency implications of new and emerging surveillance and data collections technologies.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHAMBER’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL To receive our weekly Two-Minute Drill, subscribe to the Illinois Chamber’s YouTube channel today! The Two-Minute Drill is a great way to stay up to date on the legislative week ahead. The segment last no more than two minutes and is great for those who want to receive the word on the ground on the go. To subscribe, click here.
CHAMBER’S 2017 LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES RELEASED The Illinois Chamber’s 2017 legislative initiatives have all been drafted and filed in the House and Senate. This year’s package focuses heavily on tax incentives and reforms to Illinois’ tax codes, employment law reforms, and the expansion of public private partnerships that will spur economic growth in the state. |
