Illinois Legislature Advances Dozens of Bills Including Latin American History Mandate
Latin Americans Added to Illinois School History Curriculum Mandate
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois lawmakers are pushing forward with a new requirement that school districts teach Latin American history in social studies classes. The bill passed the House on a partisan vote and now moves to the Senate.
House Bill 4372 would add Latin Americans to the list of ethnic groups whose contributions to American history must be taught in schools. The law currently 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, and others.
The bill would insert Latin Americans in that list, just before Hispanics.
Today, Hispanic is already part of that list. But for those of you who may not be aware, Latino is actually a broader term that includes more than just Hispanic Americans. It also includes South Americans, Brazilians, etc.
Rep. Eva Dina Delgado, D-Chicago, the bill's lead sponsor, said students could learn about Latino contributions to the economic, cultural, social and political development of the United States and Illinois.
Rep. Delgado was inspired to file the plan after hearing from several current high school students. Lane Tech High School senior Payton Johnson said her world history teacher brushed off Latin American history as too complicated. She stressed that Latinos make up nearly 30 percent of all students in Illinois schools.
Culture and education are extremely powerful tools. Learning about history and intercultural dynamics provides an excellent setting for inclusive and educational conversations while cultivating well-informed, empathetic and open-minded global citizens.
Rep. Laura Faver Dias, D-Grayslake, argued that American history education too often centers on the study of white males.
That is not history. That is a fairy tale, and this mandate will not raise your property taxes.
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. This could continue to increase our property taxes when our residents or constituents or citizens are asking from some level of relief.
The bill passed 74-34 in the House. It next moves to the Senate for consideration. If it becomes law, it would take effect in the 2027-28 school year. The Illinois State Board of Education would work to ensure school districts receive instructional materials and professional development opportunities to develop the curriculum.
Other Bills Advance on Capitol Hill
The Latin American history bill 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.
Child care worker background checks
The Illinois House passed legislation 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.
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. 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 are hired, rather than then waiting a month before their background check goes through and they can work.
Rep. Joyce Mason, D-Gurnee, the bill's lead sponsor, said she is optimistic the process will improve under the new agency. 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 do not have a certainty of obtaining that ticket. Consumers often do not know they have bought one, and could lose out on thousands of dollars in travel and hotel purchases for an event they cannot attend.
There is apparently an Usher concert that is going to be happening in Chicago. 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.
Rep. Nabeela Syed, D-Palatine, said. 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. However, there are certain cases we have seen it a lot in domestic violence cases where they use the animal as leverage and unfortunately those are the situations that we are 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. Whether in the office or on the job site, we need common sense accommodations for those who menstruate and those who are lactating.
Sen. Graciela Guzman, D-Chicago, said. 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 training
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 percent less likely to receive bystander CPR than people without breasts. And largely due to this disparity, men have a 23 percent higher likelihood of survival after a cardiac arrest.
Rep. Maura Hirschauer, D-Batavia, said. 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 do not let patients and doctors work together for what is the best way to access care. Pharmacists have the authority to dispense the full 12 months, that already exists.
The bill passed 74-37 along party lines.
Bears bill
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 and tigers in performances. The bill passed 75-35 and now heads to the Senate.
The Legislative Sprint
The Illinois General Assembly is in its final six-week stretch before adjournment on May 31. The Friday deadline for moving bills from one chamber to the other is a key milestone in the process.
House Democrats held a majority in the chamber and were able to advance their priority bills. The Senate is a closely divided chamber with 44 Democrats and 39 Republicans.
The state budget remains a work in progress. The General Assembly has been negotiating the final details of the state budget, which must be balanced under Illinois law.
Gov. Pritzker has been focused on consolidating state agencies and creating the new Department of Early Childhood. His administration has also pushed for several bills that would expand access to healthcare, education and child care services.
The legislature is also dealing with a backlog of bills introduced throughout the session. Many measures have moved quickly through the House and are now awaiting Senate action.
Lawmakers moving dozens of measures as legislature enters final six-week stretch.
The Latin American history bill, along with dozens of other measures, represents the legislature's final push to finish its annual work before adjournment.