Illinois state lawmakers return to Springfield on Tuesday morning and are scheduled to work through Friday. Even with the May 31st General Assembly adjournment date in sight, we mustn’t relax. Our adversaries are working diligently to pass dubious and dangerous bills.

HB 2827 – Terra Costa Howard (D-Lombard): The Homeschool (Registration) Act is still lurking in the wings. Rep. Costa Howard wants to pass something. She is working on an amendment to alleviate concerns about parents going to jail for non-compliance, but by no means is she giving up. One thing to keep in mind: no amendment she comes up with can improve this bill. Only total defeat can. We can assure you that if she picks up the needed votes by amending the bill and it passes, she will come back in the future with more regulations. It’s what they do.

SB 9  – Linda Holmes (D-Aurora): The physician-assisted suicide bill could be called this week. Members of the Illinois Medical Society voted overwhelmingly to oppose SB 9 instead of remaining neutral, which is good for those of us advocating the sanctity of human life. Despite this, the sponsors have been working tirelessly to get the votes necessary to pass it out of the Senate and over to the House. They’re getting very close. We are urging you to call the following state senators’ Springfield offices and respectfully urge them to oppose SB 9. Remind them of the Illinois Medical Society’s opposition.

Senator Steve Stadelman – 217-782-8022

Senator Mike Simmons – 217-782-8492

Senator Elgie Sims – 217-782-3201

Senator Kimberly Lightford – 218-782-8505

SB 1560 – Lindsey LaPoint (D-Chicago): This is an egregious piece of legislation that, once again, goes after public school students’ beliefs. It will mandate mental health screenings for students in school, starting in third grade and every year following. Who defines mental illness? What are the treatments? What will parental involvement, if any, look like? Will parents be considered unfit or derelict in parenting if they disagree with the diagnosis?

Moreover, there are no specifics as to what the buzzwords of “confidentiality and privacy considerations,” “communications with families and communities,” or “opt-out” actually mean and how they will be carried out. For example, does “opt-out” mean the parents will be notified directly about these mental health screenings? Or will a notification come home with the kids as another note they could lose? Or will it be lumped in with other courtesy notifications, such as vision and hearing screenings?

It was very clear during the committee hearing that we won’t know these answers until the bill passes and the rules to enforce it are created for the 2027-28 school year.

The most concerning aspect of having children screened for mental health in our woke public schools is that, for the most part, the values and norms taught in public schools conflict with the values being taught at home. Children are being taught they can be a girl or a boy, and they can marry a man or a woman. If the children are being taught at home that this is contrary to God’s Truths, and they answer truthfully when they are being screened, they could be flagged as having a mental health problem.

According to the Illinois State Board of Education, the screening is likely to be administered as a survey on their computers. It’s not scientific, it’s likely an invasion of privacy, and the results are likely to be faulty.

This is a vague bill in which the details won’t be known until it becomes law and the woke experts establish the rules and means to carry it out. We’re just told to trust these “professionals” to figure it out. It’s already passed in the Senate and out of the House committee. It now goes to the full House floor for a vote.

TAKE ACTION: Calls and emails to state reps’ offices are critically needed to stop SB 1560.  Click HERE for their Springfield and district office phone numbers. Your state rep is the last one listed. Click on his/her name.

MORE ACTION: Click HERE to email your state rep to oppose mental health screenings in public schools, SB 1560.

SB 42 – Curtis Tarver (D-Chicago): This bill will encourage drug-influenced drivers on the roads because SB 42 prohibits law enforcement from stopping and inspecting a vehicle based solely on the odor of cannabis being emitted from the car. It also removes the requirement of having to store cannabis in an odor-proof container, one of the few “safeguards” left since marijuana became legal. As we mentioned previously, this is exactly what they do. They pass a bad bill with so-called safeguards, and then remove them at a later time.

Many highways have billboards that urge drivers not to drive high, and yet SB 42 will protect those who do. It’s ridiculous, totally counter-productive, and makes you wonder who the lawmakers are trying to protect. The good citizens of Illinois, or the marijuana industry and those that consume their product?

TAKE ACTION: Click HERE to file a witness slip in opposition to SB 42.

MORE ACTION: Click HERE to email your state rep to oppose SB 42.

HB 1083 – Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago): This changes gender references to gender-neutral descriptions in the Religious Freedom Protection Act, the Civil Unions Act, and the Rights of Married Persons Act. Although God made us male and female, both with intrinsic value but different complementary roles, which will never change, removing these God-given distinctions is the progressives’ goal.

TAKE ACTION: Click HERE to file a witness slip in opposition to HB 1083.

MORE ACTION: Click HERE to email your state senator to oppose HB 1083.

WITNESS SLIP INSTRUCTIONS

(In any field where the system requires text to be submitted, such as Firm/Business or Title, type in self.)

Section I. Enter your name, address, city, and zip code. (Do not use punctuation.)

Section II. Leave it blank if you are not a representative of a group or business.

Section III. Check your position as Opponent or Proponent, depending on the bill.

Section IV. Unless you are filing a written statement, select Record of Appearance Only.

Lastly, agree to the terms of the agreement by checking the box. Click Create (Slip).

Thank you!