IL
Illinois Senate Bill SB1555

Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

Illinois Senate Bill SB1555 Compare Versions

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1+104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1555 Introduced 2/4/2025, by Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 105 ILCS 5/14-3.01 from Ch. 122, par. 14-3.01 Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Adds the Secretary of Early Childhood or his or her designee as a member of the Advisory Council on the Education of Children with Disabilities. Provides that the Council shall establish a committee charged with ensuring that all children aged 3 to 5 with disabilities have access to high-quality, inclusive, early-childhood services, provided in the least restrictive environment, across all early learning settings. Effective immediately. LRB104 10971 LNS 21053 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1555 Introduced 2/4/2025, by Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 105 ILCS 5/14-3.01 from Ch. 122, par. 14-3.01 105 ILCS 5/14-3.01 from Ch. 122, par. 14-3.01 Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Adds the Secretary of Early Childhood or his or her designee as a member of the Advisory Council on the Education of Children with Disabilities. Provides that the Council shall establish a committee charged with ensuring that all children aged 3 to 5 with disabilities have access to high-quality, inclusive, early-childhood services, provided in the least restrictive environment, across all early learning settings. Effective immediately. LRB104 10971 LNS 21053 b LRB104 10971 LNS 21053 b A BILL FOR
2+104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1555 Introduced 2/4/2025, by Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
3+105 ILCS 5/14-3.01 from Ch. 122, par. 14-3.01 105 ILCS 5/14-3.01 from Ch. 122, par. 14-3.01
4+105 ILCS 5/14-3.01 from Ch. 122, par. 14-3.01
5+Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Adds the Secretary of Early Childhood or his or her designee as a member of the Advisory Council on the Education of Children with Disabilities. Provides that the Council shall establish a committee charged with ensuring that all children aged 3 to 5 with disabilities have access to high-quality, inclusive, early-childhood services, provided in the least restrictive environment, across all early learning settings. Effective immediately.
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311 1 AN ACT concerning education.
412 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
513 3 represented in the General Assembly:
614 4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
715 5 14-3.01 as follows:
816 6 (105 ILCS 5/14-3.01) (from Ch. 122, par. 14-3.01)
917 7 Sec. 14-3.01. Advisory Council. This amendatory Act of
1018 8 1998, in compliance with the reauthorization of IDEA in 1997,
1119 9 makes changes in the membership and responsibilities of the
1220 10 Advisory Council on the Education of Children with
1321 11 Disabilities. The Council shall provide advice and policy
1422 12 guidance to the Governor, General Assembly, and the State
1523 13 Board of Education with respect to special education and
1624 14 related services for children with disabilities. The State
1725 15 Board of Education shall seek the advice of the Advisory
1826 16 Council regarding all rules and regulations related to the
1927 17 education of children with disabilities that are to be
2028 18 promulgated by the State Board of Education. The State Board
2129 19 of Education shall seek the advice of the Advisory Council on
2230 20 modifications or additions to comprehensive plans submitted
2331 21 under Section 14-4.01. The Council shall consider any rule or
2432 22 regulation or plan submitted to it by the State Board of
2533 23 Education within 60 days after its receipt by the chairperson
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37+104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1555 Introduced 2/4/2025, by Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
38+105 ILCS 5/14-3.01 from Ch. 122, par. 14-3.01 105 ILCS 5/14-3.01 from Ch. 122, par. 14-3.01
39+105 ILCS 5/14-3.01 from Ch. 122, par. 14-3.01
40+Amends the Children with Disabilities Article of the School Code. Adds the Secretary of Early Childhood or his or her designee as a member of the Advisory Council on the Education of Children with Disabilities. Provides that the Council shall establish a committee charged with ensuring that all children aged 3 to 5 with disabilities have access to high-quality, inclusive, early-childhood services, provided in the least restrictive environment, across all early learning settings. Effective immediately.
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3468 1 of the Council.
3569 2 Additionally, the Advisory Council shall: (1) advise the
3670 3 General Assembly, the Governor, and the State Board of
3771 4 Education on unmet needs in the education of children with
3872 5 disabilities; (2) assist the State Board of Education in
3973 6 developing evaluations and reporting on data to the United
4074 7 States Secretary of Education; (3) advise the State Board of
4175 8 Education relative to qualifications for hearing officers and
4276 9 the rules and procedures for hearings conducted under Section
4377 10 14-8.02 or 14-8.02a; (4) comment publicly on any rules or
4478 11 regulations proposed by the State regarding the education of
4579 12 children with disabilities and the procedures for distribution
4680 13 of funds under this Act; (5) advise the State Board of
4781 14 Education in developing corrective action plans to address
4882 15 findings identified in federal monitoring reports pursuant to
4983 16 the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; (6) advise
5084 17 State and local education agencies regarding educational
5185 18 programs and materials that may be provided to children with
5286 19 disabilities to enable them to fully exercise their
5387 20 constitutional and legal rights and entitlements as citizens,
5488 21 including those afforded under the Federal Rehabilitation Act
5589 22 of 1973, as amended, and the Illinois Human Rights Act; and (7)
5690 23 advise the State Board of Education in developing and
5791 24 implementing policies relating to the coordination of services
5892 25 for children with disabilities.
5993 26 The Council shall be composed of 28 27 members, including
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70104 1 23 voting members appointed by the Governor and 5 4 ex-officio
71105 2 voting members. Members shall be broadly representative of the
72106 3 State's population in regard to developmental, physical, and
73107 4 mental disabilities, race, ethnic background, gender, and
74108 5 geographic location. Nine members shall be parents of children
75109 6 with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 years currently
76110 7 receiving special education services at public expense. Five
77111 8 members shall be individuals with disabilities, including one
78112 9 student or former student who is at least 18 years of age and
79113 10 no older than 21 years of age at the time of his or her
80114 11 appointment to the Council and who is receiving special
81115 12 education services at public expense or received those
82116 13 services at the time his or her high school program
83117 14 terminated. Within 30 days after the effective date of this
84118 15 amendatory Act of 1998, the Governor or his designee shall
85119 16 invite statewide organizations, being as inclusive as possible
86120 17 and based upon a reasonable inquiry, and Parent Training and
87121 18 Information Centers representing parents of children with
88122 19 disabilities, individuals with disabilities or both, to
89123 20 convene for the purpose of recommending to the Governor twice
90124 21 the number of individuals required to be appointed as members
91125 22 from each of the categories described in this paragraph, from
92126 23 which the Governor may appoint the 14 members of the Council
93127 24 who are parents of children with disabilities and individuals
94128 25 with disabilities. The 9 members who are parents of children
95129 26 with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 21 years receiving
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106140 1 special education services at public expense and the 5 members
107141 2 who are individuals with disabilities shall not be current
108142 3 full or part-time employees of school districts, special
109143 4 education cooperatives, regional service areas or centers, or
110144 5 any agency under the jurisdiction of any elected State
111145 6 official.
112146 7 In addition, the Governor shall appoint one regional
113147 8 superintendent of schools, one representative of an
114148 9 institution of higher education that prepares special
115149 10 education and related services personnel, one teacher of
116150 11 students with disabilities, one superintendent of a public
117151 12 school district, one director of a special education
118152 13 cooperative or special education administrator from a school
119153 14 district of less than 500,000 population, one representative
120154 15 of a public charter school, one representative of a private
121155 16 school serving children with disabilities, one representative
122156 17 of a vocational, community, or business organization that
123157 18 provides transition services to children with disabilities,
124158 19 and one at-large member from the general public. In addition,
125159 20 the Secretary of Human Services or his or her designee, the
126160 21 Director of Children and Family Services or his or her
127161 22 designee, the Director of Corrections or his or her designee,
128162 23 the Secretary of Early Childhood or his or her designee, and
129163 24 the Director of Special Education for the City of Chicago
130164 25 School District #299 or his or her designee shall serve as
131165 26 ex-officio voting members of the Council.
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142176 1 All Council members shall be legal residents of the State
143177 2 of Illinois and shall be selected, as far as practicable, on
144178 3 the basis of their knowledge of, or experience in, the
145179 4 education of children with disabilities.
146180 5 The initial members to be appointed to the Council by the
147181 6 Governor under the provisions of this amendatory Act of 1998
148182 7 shall be appointed within 60 days after the effective date of
149183 8 that amendatory Act; provided that those persons who are
150184 9 serving as Council members on that effective date and who, as
151185 10 determined by the Governor after consultation with the State
152186 11 Board of Education, meet the requirements established by this
153187 12 amendatory Act for appointment to membership on the Council
154188 13 shall continue to serve as Council members until the
155189 14 completion of the remainder of their current terms. The
156190 15 initial members of the Council who are not Council members on
157191 16 the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1998 and who are
158192 17 appointed by the Governor under this amendatory Act of 1998
159193 18 shall by lot determine one-third of their number to serve for a
160194 19 term of 2 years (provided that person appointed as the student
161195 20 or former student member shall be included among those members
162196 21 who are to serve a term of 2 years), one-third of their number
163197 22 to serve for a term of 3 years, and one-third of their number
164198 23 to serve for a term of 4 years; provided, that if the total
165199 24 number of initial members so appointed by the Governor is not
166200 25 divisible into 3 whole numbers, all of the initial members so
167201 26 appointed shall by lot be assigned to 3 groups as follows: (i)
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178212 1 the members assigned to the first group, who shall include the
179213 2 student or former student member and who shall be equal in
180214 3 number to the number of members who are assigned to the second
181215 4 group, shall serve for a term of 2 years; (ii) the members
182216 5 assigned to the second group, who shall be equal in number to
183217 6 the number of members who are assigned to the first group,
184218 7 shall serve for a term of 3 years; and (iii) the members
185219 8 assigned to the third group, who shall comprise the remainder
186220 9 of the initial members so appointed by the Governor and whose
187221 10 number shall be either one more or one less than the number of
188222 11 members assigned to either the first group or second group,
189223 12 shall serve for a term of 4 years. Upon expiration of the term
190224 13 of office of a member of the Council who is not an ex-officio
191225 14 member, his or her successor shall be appointed by the
192226 15 Governor to serve for a term of 4 years, except that a
193227 16 successor appointed as the student or former student member
194228 17 shall be appointed to serve for a term of 2 years. Each member
195229 18 of the Council who is not an ex-officio member and whose term
196230 19 of office expires shall nevertheless continue to serve as a
197231 20 Council member until his or her successor is appointed. Each
198232 21 of the 4 ex-officio members of the Council shall continue to
199233 22 serve as a Council member during the period in which he or she
200234 23 continues to hold the office by reason of which he or she
201235 24 became an ex-officio member of the Council. The initial
202236 25 members of the Council who are not ex-officio members shall
203237 26 not, upon completion of their respective initial terms, be
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214248 1 appointed to serve more than one additional consecutive term
215249 2 of 4 years, nor shall any successor member of the Council be
216250 3 appointed to serve more than 2 full consecutive 4-year terms;
217251 4 provided, that a person appointed as the student or former
218252 5 student member shall serve only one two-year term and shall
219253 6 not be reappointed to serve for an additional term. Vacancies
220254 7 in Council memberships held by parents of children with
221255 8 disabilities or individuals with disabilities may be filled
222256 9 from the original list of such parents and individuals
223257 10 recommended to the Governor. The Governor shall reconvene the
224258 11 group of organizations that provided the original list of
225259 12 parents of children with disabilities and individuals with
226260 13 disabilities when additional recommendations for those Council
227261 14 memberships are needed, but at a minimum the group shall be
228262 15 convened every 2 years for the purpose of updating the list of
229263 16 recommended parents or individuals. A vacancy in an appointed
230264 17 membership on the Council shall be filled for the unexpired
231265 18 balance of the term of that membership in the same manner that
232266 19 the original appointment for that membership was made.
233267 20 The terms of all persons serving as Advisory Council
234268 21 members on the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1998
235269 22 who are not determined by the Governor, after consultation
236270 23 with the State Board of Education, to meet the requirements
237271 24 established by this amendatory Act for appointment to initial
238272 25 membership on the Council shall terminate on the date that the
239273 26 Governor completes his appointments of the initial members of
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250284 1 the Council under this amendatory Act, and the members of the
251285 2 Council as constituted under this amendatory Act shall take
252286 3 office and assume their powers and duties on that date.
253287 4 The Council as constituted under this amendatory Act of
254288 5 1998 shall organize with a chairperson selected by the Council
255289 6 members and shall meet at the call of the chairperson upon 10
256290 7 days written notice but not less than 4 times a year. The
257291 8 Council shall establish such committees and procedures as it
258292 9 deems appropriate to carry out its responsibilities under this
259293 10 Act and the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education
260-11 Act.
261-12 The State Board of Education shall designate an employee
262-13 to act as executive secretary of the Council and shall furnish
263-14 all professional and clerical assistance necessary for the
264-15 performance of its duties.
265-16 Members of the Council shall serve without compensation
266-17 but shall be reimbursed for the necessary expenses incurred in
267-18 the performance of their duties in accordance with the State
268-19 Board of Education's Travel Control Policy.
269-20 (Source: P.A. 89-397, eff. 8-20-95; 89-507, eff. 7-1-97;
270-21 90-644, eff. 7-24-98.)
271-22 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
272-23 becoming law.
294+11 Act, including a committee charged with ensuring that all
295+12 children aged 3 to 5 with disabilities have access to
296+13 high-quality, inclusive, early-childhood services, provided in
297+14 the least restrictive environment, across all early learning
298+15 settings.
299+16 The State Board of Education shall designate an employee
300+17 to act as executive secretary of the Council and shall furnish
301+18 all professional and clerical assistance necessary for the
302+19 performance of its duties.
303+20 Members of the Council shall serve without compensation
304+21 but shall be reimbursed for the necessary expenses incurred in
305+22 the performance of their duties in accordance with the State
306+23 Board of Education's Travel Control Policy.
307+24 (Source: P.A. 89-397, eff. 8-20-95; 89-507, eff. 7-1-97;
308+25 90-644, eff. 7-24-98.)
309+26 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
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