SPRINGFIELD — Bills creating new insurance requirements for boaters and establishing local pension buyout programs are moving forward in the Statehouse.

The Illinois Senate faces a Friday deadline to move bills out of committee for consideration on the floor. While many state lawmakers have an eye on Tuesday’s primary election, it was business as usual in Springfield, though many big ticket items like the state budget will be on the docket later in the spring.

The Senate Transportation Committee voted 16-1 on Tuesday to advance a bill that will require more boat owners to have liability insurance.

Under Senate Bill 2972, the insurance requirement would apply to boats with at least a 50-horsepower engine or that are at least 21 feet long.

“Anyone who has a boat this length and with that much horsepower on it, that’s an investment, that is not something that is an inexpensive toy or hobby, and I would think that a lot of people already have insurance,” Sen. Julie Morrison, D-Lake Forest, who is sponsoring the bill, told the committee. “This is to cover the people who don’t.”

Sen. Craig Wilcox, a McHenry Republican who represents the boater-friendly Chain O’Lakes, was the only member of the committee who voted against the bill. He said he’d rather see revenue from fines for improper insurance go toward waterway managers rather than the court system.

Pension buyout

The Senate Pensions Committee advanced a bill that would require local governments to establish a version of the state’s pension buyout program.

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Senate Bill 3404, sponsored by state Sen. Rob Martwick, D-Chicago, passed on an agreed bill list, though some changes are expected to address concerns from the Illinois Municipal League, Martwick told Capitol News Illinois.

Under the proposal, local governments would need to establish a pension buyout program, and it would remain at their discretion whether and when it is offered.

The state’s program, created in 2018 and extended twice, offers workers covered under the more generous Tier 1 pension system the option to receive a one-time lump sum payment in exchange for forfeiting future benefits, or the option to receive a smaller lump sum payment in exchange for forgoing future annual cost-of-living adjustments.

Gov. JB Pritzker’s office estimates that the voluntary program has reduced the state’s long-term pension liability by $2.9 billion.

A bill that would extend the state program an additional two years through fiscal year 2028 also passed committee unanimously. Pritzker’s office estimates that another $1.4 billion could be saved through the program’s extension.

Mobile ID cards

The Senate Executive Committee unanimously advanced Senate Bill 3449, a bill that specifies that anyone, including law enforcement, cannot take possession of a mobile device to verify the device owner’s identity if they use their device as identification cards.

“So much of our personal information, passwords and sentimental value is stored within our phones,” Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago, said in a statement. “People shouldn’t have to hand over their phones just to prove their identity, nor can we allow critical personal information to fall into the wrong hands.”

The bill also updates state law to change language and requirements on mobile IDs to ensure clarity as more people are using mobile IDs. The bill would take effect upon becoming law.

Professor workload

The Senate Higher Education Committee unanimously advanced a measure on Wednesday that is designed to provide more transparency around the course workload for college faculty members.

Senate Bill 3314 sponsored by Sen. Mary Edly-Allen, D-Libertyville, would require the Illinois Board of Higher Education to annually report beginning in 2027 the number of credit hours being taught by full- and part-time faculty and both public at private universities in the state. The state does not currently require public reports on the number of credit hours faulty members are reaching.

“This legislation helps shine a light on who is doing the teaching in our colleges and universities by making clear how many credit hours are taught by full-time versus part-time faculty,” Illinois Education Association President Karl Goeke said in a statement. “Our students and their families deserve to know who is leading the bulk of the classes at their colleges and universities. Plus, we know there are a lot of adjunct faculty teaching the same courses as tenured faculty, but they’re being paid less and receive fewer benefits.”

Rideshare unions

The Senate Labor Committee on Tuesday heard testimony on Senate Bill 2906, which would give rideshare drivers the right to unionize. While legislators did not vote on the bill, several said it seemed like a good idea, but questioned whether the bill might have unintended effects on drivers who work in rideshare and delivery.

“My concern is that while some folks might just be exclusively rideshare drivers and others delivery, from what I’ve heard from folks in my community, they do multiple things,” Sen. Omar Aquino, D-Chicago said.  “I want to make sure that while we’re upholding those rights, that we’re not inadvertently harming folks from not being able to do, you know, multiple things.”

Two union representatives and two rideshare drivers testified in support of the bill, citing low wages and limited bargaining opportunities. The Illinois Department of Labor and Labor Relations Board did not take a position on the bill but expressed concern over a provision implementing a 20-cent per ride administrative fee.

Bill sponsor Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, said he had met with the agencies on Monday and Tuesday to discuss an amendment filed last Friday.

“Right now, many drivers are leaving the market because the pay is behind so much,” rideshare driver Andrew Spiro said. “We need to make this work fair, stable and sustainable. Passing this bill will help make that possible.”

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.