HB 5370 (Lightford)

URGENT!  MEMBERS ARE BEING ASKED TO CALL THEIR STATE SENATOR ASAP TO SUPPORT HB5370.  PHONE NUMBERS CAN BE FOUND LISTED AT WWW.ILGA.GOV   YOU CAN ALSO FIND OUT WHO YOUR SENATOR IS BY ENTERING YOUR ZIP CODE ON THE LEGISLATOR LOOK-UP LINK ON THE ILGA HOME PAGE. THIS BILL HAS PASSED THE HOUSE AND COULD BE VOTED ON IN THE SENATE STARTING THURSDAY, MARCH 23RD. CALL NOW!

Reforming the General Assembly process for School Waivers

• Changes the process by which the General Assembly addresses waiver reports.  Under current law, both chambers must specifically disapprove the report in whole or in part to prevent a waiver request from being granted. 
  
  Under HB 5370, the General Assembly must act upon the waiver report, or all requests will be disapproved.  This means that both chambers must identify and disapprove any waiver requests that fail to meet the statutory guidelines, and must draft and approve a resolution that considers all of the waivers included in the report.  This change is to address past instances where the failure of one chamber to consider the waiver resolution resulted in the approval of all waiver requests without adequate legislative review.
  
  HB 5370 does notchange the process for school districts to apply for waivers to the Illinois State Board of Education. 

• Allows for greater participation by all members of the General Assembly in the waiver process.  When the waiver law was passed, the General Assembly was charged with deciding under what circumstances schools may qualify for waivers.  The process only works if both chambers of the General Assembly are given an equal role in considering waiver requests, and participate fully in the process through committee hearings and floor debate. 

• Requires that the waiver resolution be introduced in the House and Senate in alternating years.  The provision will prevent either chamber from monopolizing the waiver review process, will counter past claims that one or another chamber has prevented adequate review of the resolution by the other chamber, and will provide both the House and Senate with the opportunity to be the chamber of origin in alternating years. 

Supported by:

• American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
• Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance
• Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT)
• Illinois Education Association (IEA)
• Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC
• Chicagoland Bicycle Federation
• Healthy Schools Campaign
• Cook County Health Department
• Illinois Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics

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