HB4232—Lang.  Amends the Governor's Office of Management and Budget Act and the School Code. Provides that anything submitted by the State Board of Education to the Governor or the Governor's Office of Management and Budget under the Governor's Office of Management and Budget Act must also be submitted simultaneously to the General Assembly. Terminates the term of each member of the State Board of Education who is in office on the effective date of the amendatory Act and provides for new appointed members to take office. Provides for successors to be appointed for terms of 6 (instead of 4) years. Establishes a Nomination Panel to provide a list of nominees to the Governor for appointment to the State Board. Provides that members of the Nomination Panel must be appointed by majority vote of the following appointing authorities: the Governor, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of State. Provides that candidates for nomination to the State Board may apply or be nominated. Requires the Nomination Panel to recommend 27 nominees for appointment to the State Board. Provides that the Governor may choose only from these nominations, and, after reviewing the nominations, the Governor may select 9 nominees, including the chairperson, for appointment to the State Board, to be confirmed by the Senate. Provides that if the Governor does not select all appointees within a certain timeframe, the Nomination Panel may appoint those members not yet selected for appointment by the Governor. Provides that appointments by the Governor and Nomination Panel must be confirmed by the Senate by two-thirds of its members by record vote. Provides that any appointment not acted upon within a certain timeframe shall be deemed to have received the advice and consent of the Senate. Makes changes concerning vacancies on the State Board. Provides that the State Board may remove for incompetence, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office any member of the State Board by a two-thirds vote in favor of removal. Makes changes concerning the appointment of a State Superintendent of Education. Creates a State Board of Education Advisory Board. Adds provisions governing ex parte communications received by the State Board, the State Superintendent of Education, or other State Board employee from the Governor or his or her official representative, employee, or attorney. Makes other changes. Contains a severability clause. Effective immediately.Requires the State Board of Education to provide the General Assembly with a separate budget that shows what is need to fully fund all State mandates and to meet the educational needs of this State (instead of an "ideal world" budget that shows what is needed to fully fund everything). In the Section of the School Code concerning the powers and duties of the State Board, provides that there is no rulemaking authority under the amendatory Act, but that the Governor may suggest rules by filing them with the General Assembly and requesting that the General Assembly authorize such rulemaking by law, enact the suggested rules into law, or take other appropriate action in the General Assembly's discretion. Provides that the State Board of Education Advisory Board shall be composed of members of the General Assembly. Makes changes concerning the selection of co-chairpersons and reimbursement for necessary expenses. Makes a technical correction.
Second Reading, House.

HB 4292—Lindner.  Appropriates $500,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Human Services for hippotherapy (horse therapy) services for autistic children and other persons suffering from conditions including, but not limited to, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, developmental delay, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and learning or language disabilities who could benefit from such services. Effective July 1, 2008.  Assigned to Human Services Appropriations.

HB 4443—Flowers. Appropriates $1,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the State Board of Education for autism programs. Effective July 1, 2008.  Second Reading House.

HB 4537—Flider.  Amends the School Code and various Acts relating to the governance of public universities in Illinois. Requires the State Board of Education to promote and implement an annual campaign about disability history and awareness in this State during 2 weeks in September and 2 weeks in January. Requires the State Board to file an annual report with the General Assembly on the status and implementation of the campaign. Requires a school district to provide in each grade instruction on disability history, people with disabilities, and the disability rights movement during the campaign, which instruction may be included in the courses of study regularly taught therein. Allows each public university to conduct and promote activities during the campaign that provide education on, awareness of, and an understanding of disability history, people with disabilities, and the disability rights movement.  House Elem. And Sec. Ed. Committee.

HB 4642—Jakobsson and Ford.  Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to compile information on (i) how to educate teachers and other providers about the unique needs of gifted and twice-exceptional children, (ii) how to train teachers in research-based methods for identifying and teaching gifted and twice-exceptional children, and (iii) research-based guidelines for unique programming for twice-exceptional children. Requires the State Board to provide this information to each school district.  Assigned to House Elem. And Second Ed. Committee.

HB 4772—Coulson and Pihos.  Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Increases by a specified amount the special education reimbursement to school districts for teachers, professional workers, directors, school psychologists, and non-certified employees for each school year from the 2007-2008 school year through the 2010-2011 school year. Effective immediately.   Assigned to House Rules.

HB 4773—Coulson. Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Increases the special education reimbursement amount to school districts for teachers, professional workers, directors, and school psychologists (from $9,000 to $11,000) and non-certified employees (from $3,500 to $4,900) for the 2007-2008 school year and thereafter. Effective July 1, 2008.  Assigned to House Rules.

House Bill 4822—Coulson. Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Makes changes to a Section concerning transition goals, supports, and services. Removes certain provisions concerning transition goals and supports. Provides instead that beginning no later than the first individualized education plan (IEP) in effect when the student turns age 14 1/2 (or younger if determined appropriate by the IEP Team) and updated annually thereafter, the IEP must include (i) measurable postsecondary goals based upon age-appropriate transition assessments and other information available regarding the student that are related to training, education, employment, and, where appropriate, independent living skills and (ii) the transition services needed to assist the student in reaching those goals, including courses of study. Makes changes concerning additional IEP Team members, the IEP identifying each person responsible for transition services, the involvement of a public or private entity outside of the school district in transition services, the limit on a public school's responsibility for delivering educational services, and submitting a summary to the local Transition Planning Committee. Effective immediately.   Assigned to House Disability Services Committee.

House Bill 5497—Saviano. Amends the Illinois Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Practice Act. Provides that "the practice of speech-language pathology" includes the use of instrumental procedures, including the use of flexible endoscopes to observe the pharyngeal and laryngeal areas of the throat to (i) collect data and measure the parameters of communication and swallowing and (ii) guide communication and swallowing assessment and therapy. Provides that instrumental procedures may not be used by a speech-language pathologist as a diagnostic procedure without authorization from a physician licensed to practice medicine in all of its branches.Health Care Availability and Access Committee.

House Bill 5763—Brauer. Makes a supplemental appropriation of $400,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the State Board of Education for grants to the Illinois School Psychology Internship Consortium for Fiscal Year 2008. Effective immediately.  Assigned to House Elementary and Secondary Ed. Appropriations Committee.

House Bill 5764—Brauer. Appropriates $400,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the State Board of Education for grants to the Illinois School Psychology Internship Consortium for Fiscal Year 2009. Effective July 1, 2008.  Assigned to Elementary and Secondary Education Appropriations Committee.

Senate Bill 1874—Forby and Bomke. Makes a supplemental appropriation of $21,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the State Board of Education to be used exclusively for school districts that will receive less funding in the 2007-2008 school year as a result of Public Act 93-1022. .Passed Senate.  Now in House Appropriations—Elementary and Secondary Education Committee.

Senate Bill 1900—DeLeo.  Amends the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971, the Counties Code, the Illinois Municipal Code, the School Code, the Illinois Insurance Code, the Health Maintenance Organization Act, the Limited Health Service Organization Act, the Voluntary Health Services Plans Act, and the Illinois Public Aid Code to provide coverage for autism spectrum disorders to the extent that the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders are not already covered by the policy or plan. Provides that this coverage shall be subject to a maximum benefit of $36,000 per year, but shall not be subject to any limits on the number of visits to an autism service provider. Makes other changes. Effective immediately.  Assigned to Senate Rules.

Senate Bill 1953—Demuzio.  Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Provides that in implementing a response to intervention (RTI) process for a student suspected of having a specific learning disability or other disability that adversely impacts the academic progress of the student, a school district must comply with specified procedures prior to implementing RTI. Provides that if a student who is participating in RTI is alleged to have engaged in behavior that is in violation of a code of student conduct, the school district shall be deemed to have knowledge that the student is a student with a disability, pursuant to federal law, and shall follow the procedures set forth in federal law if the school district proposes to take disciplinary action against the student. Effective immediately.  Held in Senate Education Committee.

Senate Bill 2013—Garrett.  Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. With respect to the special education reimbursement to school districts for teachers, provides that the reimbursement is for staff working on behalf of certain children (instead of for those children), and provides for a specified increase in the reimbursement from the 2008-2009 school year through the 2013-2014 school year. For each school year thereafter, provides that the reimbursement amount shall equal the amount from the previous school year increased by a percentage increase equal to the percentage increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers for all items. Increases the reimbursement to school districts for certificated employees who work with or on behalf of students with disabilities full time (instead of teachers, professional workers, directors, school psychologists, and readers) and non-certified employees (instead of necessary non-certified employees) by a specified amount from the 2009-2010 school year through the 2013-2014 school year. For each school year thereafter, provides that the reimbursement amount shall equal the amount from the previous school year increased by a percentage increase equal to the percentage increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers for all items. Effective immediately.  Assigned to Senate Education.

Senate Bill 2042—Bond. Amends the School Code and the Juvenile Court Act of 1987. Makes changes relating to the residency of pupils in residential facilities and the payment of costs in provisions of the School Code concerning tuition for non-resident pupils, residency and the payment of tuition, determining the resident district with respect to children with disabilities, and special education classes for children from orphanages, foster family homes, children's homes, or in-State housing units and a provision of the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 concerning sentencing orders. Provides that certain of these changes apply to all placements in effect on July 1, 2007 and all placements thereafter. Contains a severability clause. Effective immediately.  Second Reading Senate.