Home » Lobbying » 2007 Legislative Update
2007 Legislative Update
Session 2007, despite the current state of affairs and lack of a budget, was a productive one for the ACLU of Illinois. With the addition of Jim Ferg-Cadima, legislative counsel, we successfully championed a number of bills now awaiting the Governor’s signature.
| Issue |
Bill Number |
Information |
|
Relationship Recognition
|
House Bill 1826
|
It was a great pleasure to work with freshman Representative Greg Harris, (Democrat, Chicago) on House Bill 1826, the Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act, offering needed protection to gay and lesbian couples in our state. The bill was launched with a press conference in March, garnered many favorable editorials around the state, and is currently on Third or Final Reading in the House. Meantime we are gearing up for many legislative visits this Fall to continue education on the bill.
To learn more about what you can do to help pass this bill, visit http://www.aclu-il.org/civilunion/.
|
|
Reproductive Rights
|
House Bill 317
|
Our only, but significant, disappointment was the failure of the House to pass House Bill 317, the Adolescent Health Care Safety Act, championed by Representative John Fritchey. Along with our key ally on choice in Springfield, Illinois Planned Parenthood Council, we worked tirelessly to advance this legislation allowing pregnant teens to consult with a medical professional for all options counseling if she cannot advise a parent, stepparent, guardian, or grandparent about her unwanted pregnancy, but the bill fell five votes short of the needed 60 votes for passage. This summer, we and pro-choice advocacy groups in the state are strategizing our response to this failure by the legislature to protect these vulnerable teens.
|
|
Women's Rights
|
Senate Bill 1467
|
Thanks to Senator Don Harmon (Democrat, Oak Park) and Representative John Fritchey, (Democrat, Chicago) for their sponsorship of Senate Bill 1467, legislation banning gender discrimination, whether intentional or unintentional, by any unit of government.
Read our letter to the Governor about this bill. Governor Blagojevich signed this bill into law.
|
|
First Amendment
|
Senate Bill 1434
|
Senator Cullerton and Representative Jack Franks (Democrat, Woodstock) deserve high praise for their sponsorship of Senate Bill 1434, allowing expedited motions to dismiss Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPS) that are aimed at discouraging citizen petitioning of government against growth and development.
Read our letter and memo to the Governor about this bill. Governor Blagojevich signed this bill into law.
|
|
First Amendment
|
Senate Bill 729
|
Thanks also go to Senator Susan Garrett, (Democrat, Lake Forest) and Representative Naomi Jakobsson (Democrat, Urbana) for carrying Senate Bill 729, the College Campus Press Act, a ban on prior review of student-run campus media by administrative officials at state colleges.
Read our letters (one and two) to the Governor about this bill. Governor Blagojevich signed this bill into law.
|
|
Rights of the Disabled
|
Senate Bill 593
|
Senator John Cullerton (Democrat, Chicago) and Representative John Fritchey advanced Senate Bill 593 with our help, the help of key disability rights organizations and the help of Phil Milsk, advocate for the Illinois Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities. This legislation updates the Illinois Human Rights Act so that medical facilities are considered places of public accommodation under the Act, an important victory for HIV positive persons!
Read our letter to the Governor about this bill. Governor Blagojevich issued a confusing amendatory veto to this bill that we will work to override.
We continue to work on this issue, read our updated fact sheet on this bill.
|
|
Juvenile Justice
|
Senate Bill 121
|
Senate Bill 121, an initiative of Cook County States Attorney Dick Devine, and sponsored by Senator Kwame Raoul, (Chicago, Democrat) and Representative Annazette Collins (Democrat, Chicago), provides relief for rehabilitated youth who present no danger to the community who are required to be on sex offender registries for ten years or life, by allowing petitions for a court hearing for removal from the registry, two years after registration for misdemeanors, five years after registration for felonies.
Read our letter to the Governor about this bill. Governor Blagojevich vetoed this bill. We will work with a variety of organizations interested in overriding the veto session.
|
|
Juvenile Justice
|
House Bill 1517
|
A key piece of legislation, an initiative of the Juvenile Justice Initiative, awaits a House concurrence to a Senate amendment. House Bill 1517, sponsored by Representative Collins and Senator Cullerton, allows 17 year olds charged with misdemeanors to be treated as juveniles, instead of adults as they are under current law.
|
|
Data Privacy
|
House Joint Resolution 27
|
A House Joint Resolution, requiring no gubernatorial approval, passed both chambers and our thanks goes to Representaive Karen Yarbrough (Democrat, Maywood) and Senator Mattie Hunter (Democrat, Chicago) for advancing House Joint Resolution 27 calling on the U.S. Congress to repeal the federal REAL ID Act of 2005 for creating a de facto national ID.
|
|
Medical Privacy
|
Senate Bill 929
|
The Governor has already signed into law Senate Bill 929, legislation advanced by the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and the ACLU of IL, among others. The new law, sponsored by Senator Carol Ronen (Democrat, Chicago) and Representative LaShawn Ford (Democrat, Chicago), allows for written or verbal agreement of an HIV test, mandates pre-testing information (formerly know as a pre-test counseling), and retains the right to anonymous HIV testing.
|
|
|
|
