).
As the 101st Illinois General Assembly’s lame-duck session came to a close, lawmakers rushed to send 23 bills to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk – but not the one he wanted.
In session overnight from Jan. 12 and into the morning Jan.13, lawmakers failed to support a small business tax increase, which was Pritzker’s top priority for lame duck session. Pritzker wanted to eliminate state-level tax benefits created as a form of economic relief when Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. He estimated the tax revenue loss at $500 million, but during floor debate early Jan. 13 the number was projected as high as $1 billion.
Social studies classes in Illinois public schools are about to get a major overhaul, with more emphasis on Black history and the contributions of other underrepresented groups to American culture.
A year or a semester of Each?
I was surprised at the foreign language requirement.
Most universities don’t require it, and there are often ways to get in without it. Typically starting second semester, going elsewhere first semester and then transferring in, and other ways.
Two years of a foreign language.
Best time to learn a foreign language is in elementary school.
Best time to forget a foreign language is in junior high.
The best time to learn foreign language is early, but that is not a reasonable criticism of having a foreign language requirement.
- Just a Citizen - Thursday, Jan 21, 21 @ 12:12 pm:
JUSTIN FOWLER/STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER VIA AP
Some members of the Illinois State Board of Education are voicing concerns that the state will soon adopt high school graduation requirements too burdensome for schools to enforce.
ISBE members made their comments during an ISBE board meeting Wednesday, one week after the General Assembly passed an omnibus education bill pushed for by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, which included the new requirements.
The bill, one of a slate of equity-focused legislation passed by lawmakers during Lame Duck session last week, includes requirements for three new courses: computer science, laboratory science, and foreign language.
RAYMON TRONCOSO
Capitol News Illinois
Editorâs note: This story is part of an ongoing âLame Duck Look Backâ series in which Capitol News Illinois is following up on the major bills that passed both chambers of the General Assembly in the Jan. 8-13 lame duck session. This is the first of multiple stories examining the criminal justice reform backed by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus
SPRINGFIELD â The Illinois General Assembly passed a massive criminal justice omnibus bill on Jan. 13 with only Democratic support, navigating initial opposition from labor unions and municipal interest groups, as well as intense Republican and law enforcement pushback.