ILA Takes Positions on Additional Bills in the Illinois General Assembly

March 10, 2014

House Bill (HB) 4207 Cyber-bullying
At the February 7, 2014 ILA Executive Board meeting, the board voted to oppose this bill because it was overly broad in regulating student speech.  It would extend the current Illinois law prohibiting cyber-bullying to electronic communications unrelated to school and speech which was clearly covered by the First Amendment.  The sponsors of the bill:  Representatives Laura Fine (D-17-Glenview), Linda Chapa LaVia (D-83, Aurora), Al Riley (D-38, Hazel Crest), and  Lou Lang (D-16, Skokie) have agreed to an amendment we requested to delete the section of the bill that covered protected speech. As such, ILA has changed its position from opposition to neutral on the bill.

Senate Bill (SB) 3288 Secretary of State initiative
Amends the General Assembly Operations Act.  Provides that the printer's copy shall be furnished and delivered to the Secretary of State by the Enrolling and Engrossing Department of the 2 Houses, in such format as the Secretary of State and the Enrolling and Engrossing Departments may agree.  Provides that electronic copies of the bound volumes of the session laws of the General Assembly may be made available upon agreement.  Sponsor:  Senator Pat McGuire (D-43, Crest Hill).  This initiative is consistent with, and corresponds nicely, with Senate Bill (SB) 1941, which the ILA Executive Board voted to support.

Senate Bill (SB) 3071 Libraries and Contract Bids
Amends the Illinois Local Library Act and the Public Library District Act of 1991.  Provides that libraries are not required to accept the lowest contract bid for certain projects when the cost is in excess of $20,000 if the bid does not meet the library's established specifications, terms of delivery, quality, and serviceability requirements.  Sets forth the types of contracts that are not subject to competitive bidding.  Exempts emergency expenditures from competitive bidding when the emergency expenditure is approved by 3/4 of the members of the board.  Sponsor:  Senator Bill Cunningham (D-18, Chicago).  ILA supports.

 

Please click here to see the complete list.

(Click on See All Current Legislation at the bottom in the very small type for the full listing including ILA's positions.)  The ILA website also includes a link to the full text of every bill, the bill's status, and information about the bill's sponsor(s).  The website will be continually updated as additional bills are filed, amended, and reviewed.

ILA will continue to monitor and inform the Illinois library community of any developments in the Illinois General Assembly impacting libraries and our key concerns.  Most importantly, we will call upon you to take action at the appropriate time.  Thank you for interest and support!  

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