October
16, 2017
In
This Issue:
· Veto Session to Debate Bills
· Providing Mental Health Counseling in Education
· Superintendents Discuss School Funding/Accountability Laws
· Residents See Benefits from Smart Grid Law
· Local Park Districts Receive Recognition
Veto Session To
Debate Bills
While the legislature’s fall session that
begins October 24 is intended to consider bills “vetoed” by the Governor, it
usually considers other legislation as well.
As of this writing, the Speaker has not indicated what bills will be
considered but there are a few pieces of legislation vetoed by the Governor that
are sure to come before the body.
HB3649 is the Debt
Transparency Act, an initiative of the State Comptroller Susana Mendoza. This bill requires state agencies to submit a
financial report of outstanding bills to the comptroller’s office every month
and detail which of those bills are subject to late payment interest fees. While this bill initially passed in the House
with 70 votes, Governor Rauner vetoed the measure and called it an unnecessary
oversight.
HB302
calls for life insurance companies to search electronic records for any unpaid
death benefits dating back to the year 2000.
This bill, sponsored by State Treasurer Michael Frerichs, is meant to
encourage life insurance companies to be more aggressive in searching for
beneficiaries following the death of policy holders. Frerichs’ office discovered more than $550
million in unclaimed death benefits between 2011 and 2015. The Governor issued a partial veto of this
bill, which prevents the Treasurer from bringing in auditors to check insurance
company records.
This
year the Attorney General sponsored an initiative to help address the growing
crisis with defaults on college student loans.
SB1351 would require loan
companies to tell borrowers about all of their repayment options.
The
Equal Pay Act, HB2462, prohibits
employers from asking job applicants for their prior wage information. It prevents a person’s future employer from
basing salaries off wages at previous jobs. The Governor vetoed the bill because the bill
includes compensatory damages, special damages of up to $10,000, and attorney
fees. He urged the legislature to pass a
bill modeled after Massachusetts’ “best-in-the-country” law.
HB2778 allows
Fire Protection Districts to annex property that is not currently assigned fire
and EMS service. The district must
notify the property owner, hold a hearing and vote to annex the property. This bill would end some properties getting
free service at the expense of other taxpayers.
HB732 allows
owners of business and commercial buildings to continue using employees to
perform reroofing and repairs but they must use a licensed contractor to
perform dangerous techniques like torching.
The occupants of these buildings and neighboring buildings are put in
unique danger when a fire originates on a roof.
Fires can spread quickly on a roof and neither smoke alarms nor
sprinkler systems will quickly detect a roof fire.
Finally,
a bill is expected to be introduced to “clean up” errors in the school funding
bill SB1947. The changes being drafted
will allow the counting of prekindergarten students who are required to receive
English language services and continue the current accounting method for
determining the value of property in certain (PTELL) tax limited districts.
Providing
Mental Health Counseling in Education
The
DeKalb County Mental Health Board celebrated its 50th anniversary
last week by noting the growth in mental health treatment yet recognizing that the
sigma of mental illness still exists.
Executive Director Deanna Cada told an audience that mental illness is
similar to physical illness and friends need to help the patient get treatment.
This
message paralleled the testimony at a joint House Committee held on October 2 to
discuss expanding mental health services in education. Those testifying said communities with the
highest levels of need for mental health counseling often have the least amount
of resources.
School
counselors and organizations providing mental health services for youth
reported that there is a significant and unmet need for mental health services
in schools. Children are experiencing
violence on the streets and in their homes, physical abuse, parents with drug
addiction, and social media bulling.
These students can’t focus on learning when there are mental and emotional
issues.
Children’s Home + Aid, an
organization that provides community-based, behavioral health services to
students in Rockford and the Chicago area, said research shows one in every ten
students in Illinois suffers from mental illness severe enough to cause
impairment. Only about 20 percent of
these students receive treatment.
The organization has found
that putting mental health professionals inside schools provides easier access
to mental health treatment, and shows a greater success rate in treatment. Providing such services before, after, or
during school hours also helps lessen the burden on parents who may not
otherwise be able to get the child to the necessary appointments for treatment.
The new school funding
formula will provide more mental health resources for schools over time. In the meantime, school boards and staff must
recognize the needs of their students.
Superintendents
Discuss School Funding /Accountability Laws
I invited State
Superintendent Tony Smith to DeKalb recently to give local school
administrators and board members a change to ask questions and gain insight
into the benefits and requirements they will see from two new education laws. The State Board of Education (ISBE) is
developing rules about implementing these laws and input now as the rules are
developed is most beneficial.
Smith said ISBE plans to
implement the two laws together and try to simplify school district
reporting. Districts will be given
additional resources over time and expected to use the funding on best
practices to improve student learning.
Gaps in learning among minority, low income and English Language
Learners must be addressed and closed.
Spending and outcomes must be reported by building and district levels.
The State Superintendent
said ISBE has set the following goals for every school district: 90 percent of students in 3rd grade
reading at grade level, 90 percent of 5th graders doing math at
grade level, 90 percent of 9th graders on track to graduate, and 90
percent of high school graduates ready for college or getting a job. While students at a few Illinois schools are
already at these levels, only about 30 to 40 percent of local students are at
these reading and math levels.
 |
Tony Smith, State Superintendent, and Robert Wolfe, ISBE Chief Financial officer, explain goals
|
Residents See
Benefits from Smart Grid Law
It’s been five years since the
legislature passed the Smart Grid Law with the goals of modernizing the
electric delivery system, reducing outages and duration of outages, and giving
customers ways to stabilize costs. I got
to see the fruit of that law last week as ComEd installed my smart meter and
shared its results since 2012.
So far, ComEd has installed more than
3.6 million smart meters throughout northern Illinois and is finally installing
them in DeKalb, Western Kane and Boone Counties. The smart meter technology involves a digital
electric meter that uses two-way radio communications to collect usage
information from consumers and notify ComEd when there is a service outage. Customers are able to track their electric
usage by time of day and modify their usage to when hourly electricity prices
are lower.
 |
I recently had a smart meter installed at my home and learned how technology is improving my electric service
|
The technology also provides smart
switches to re-route electricity when there is a downed or broken transmission
wire. As a result, ComEd has avoided 7.6
million customer interruptions since 2012.
The program also provides inspection and replacement of utility poles,
and replacement of underground cables. As
a result, electric outages have been reduced by 44 percent and the duration of
electric outages has been reduced by 48 percent.
Customers can also set up apps on their phones to
receive messages when their power is interrupted, view electric prices so they
can manage when they use electricity and easily access their electric bills.
ComEd will be sending area residents
more information through the mail about smart meters and the installation
process. In the meantime, if you would
like more information, visit ComEd’s website at www.ComEd.com/smartmeter.
Local Park
Districts Receive Recognition
The DeKalb Park District and Campton
Township Open Space received grants from ComEd at a special ceremony last
week. They were among 25 recipients in
the Green Region program that received funds for habitat restoration and trail
signage. ComEd sponsored the program in
conjunction with Openlands to fulfill its values for environmental stewardship.
DeKalb
Park District was also one of 25 recipients who received a ComEd grant in the
Powering Safe Communities program held in conjunction with the Metropolitan
Mayors Caucus. They will use funds to
buy flotation devices and a new public address system at their pool.
 |
Bob with DeKalb Park District Executive Director Amy Doll, Mayor Jerry Smith, and Park President Phil Young |
The
Sycamore Park District was recognized by the Illinois Association of Park
Districts as one of the best examples for “green” practices in the state. The district keeps stewardship of Sycamore’s
green space and tax dollars at the forefront of day-to-day operations and
planning.
 |
| Sycamore Park staff and spouses: Nate & Meghan Jourden-Messerich and Adam & Sarah Rex. Front row: Terri & Dan Gibble and Bob |
Have a great week and call my District Office to share your
opinions or if I can be of assistance.
-Bob
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