Illinois General Assembly Spring Session
The 2012 Spring Session of the 97th Illinois General Assembly will convene on Tuesday, January 31. The final date of the session is scheduled for Thursday, May 31. The time between those the dates will be spent on the budget and many other bills that will impact educators and students.
Any bill that was not passed last year was referred back to the Rules Committee (in the House) or the Assignment Committee (in the Senate) and typically remains there. Often, bills that didn't move in the first year are then refilled as new bills in the second year; on occasion they are used as amendments and added to other bills in the second year.
Many issues were carried over from last year. Task forces, commissions, or panels were formed to look into school district consolidation, streamlining of Regional Offices of Education, instructional mandates in schools, and pension reform. These panels have either submitted their reports or will be preparing their reports this spring, thus likely leading to legislation regarding their recommendations.
The budget will be one of the main issues. Revenue projections are not promising any substantial increases for the next fiscal year. This in turn creates another lean year with potential for loss of funding for education due to the loss of federal stimulus funds and other grants. Other social programs are expecting less funding at a time when demands for services remains high.
The Legislation Committee will be tracking those bills that impact educators and students during this session. A summary of bills and action in regards to those bills will be posted as an attachment to the Legislation Committee web page. This will begin shortly after February 16 the deadline for bills to be filed in both the Senate and House. Chapter Legislation Committee Chairs will receive an e-mail announcement when updates are posted to the web page.
Here are the key dates for this session:
