As we have noted in the past, things move very quickly in veto session. We wanted to be sure to provide all of you with information about where we stand as of today since the first week of veto session is now complete.
A bit of a recap:
On Sunday afternoon, our team orchestrated a call between the leaders of several organizations to attempt to seek clarity and come to agreement on final language for the bill. We are really proud of the people who were on this call for us and the collaboration that occurred on this call because it allowed us to understand some of the differences that existed between our organization and some groups who wanted to see other language in the bill. While there was a deal reached during that meeting, there were some details that needed to be ironed out between some parties on Monday morning.
On Monday morning, as we sent the update message to all of you, negotiations around the bill continued. Teams of people were discussing the issue in Louisville, KY (site of the CASE/NASDSE Conference), Springfield, IL (as the veto session began) and in several other satellites all throughout the state. One thing became clear to all of us - we needed more time to address the challenges with this bill and come to agreement about how to move forward.
Given this, we agreed to make changes to the bill so that the bill becomes effective on July 1, 2020 (instead of being effective now). The updated bill language is available as SB 460 (click here). We strongly believe that this date will allow IAASE leadership to negotiate a bill with our colleagues in other groups that is agreeable to parent groups and that also is not a tremendous burden to special education professionals. That also means that the current bill language is in effect (unless and until the legislature acts to change the date of implementation and the governor signs it).
SB 460 was sponsored in the Senate by Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (D-Joliet) and it was passed by the Senate Education Committee in the early part of the afternoon of Tuesday. The full Senate then voted on the proposal and it was passed unanimously.
Where we stand now
The measure has now been sent to the House of Representatives where it will be carried by Rep. Fred Crespo (D-Hoffman Estates). The first thing that will need to happen is that it will be assigned to a committee and the committee will hear it. If it is passed by the committee then the full House will hear the bill and it must be passed by the full House. If the full House passes the bill, then it is sent to the Governor for his signature or veto.
What we need from you
We strongly encourage all members and people who care passionately about this issue to begin contacting your State Representative to ask them to support this bill when it comes up for a vote. Please click here to find the phone number for your State Representative. Then call them in their Springfield office and ask them to vote YES on SB 460. Here is a sample script that you can use:
A bit of a recap:
On Sunday afternoon, our team orchestrated a call between the leaders of several organizations to attempt to seek clarity and come to agreement on final language for the bill. We are really proud of the people who were on this call for us and the collaboration that occurred on this call because it allowed us to understand some of the differences that existed between our organization and some groups who wanted to see other language in the bill. While there was a deal reached during that meeting, there were some details that needed to be ironed out between some parties on Monday morning.
On Monday morning, as we sent the update message to all of you, negotiations around the bill continued. Teams of people were discussing the issue in Louisville, KY (site of the CASE/NASDSE Conference), Springfield, IL (as the veto session began) and in several other satellites all throughout the state. One thing became clear to all of us - we needed more time to address the challenges with this bill and come to agreement about how to move forward.
Given this, we agreed to make changes to the bill so that the bill becomes effective on July 1, 2020 (instead of being effective now). The updated bill language is available as SB 460 (click here). We strongly believe that this date will allow IAASE leadership to negotiate a bill with our colleagues in other groups that is agreeable to parent groups and that also is not a tremendous burden to special education professionals. That also means that the current bill language is in effect (unless and until the legislature acts to change the date of implementation and the governor signs it).
SB 460 was sponsored in the Senate by Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (D-Joliet) and it was passed by the Senate Education Committee in the early part of the afternoon of Tuesday. The full Senate then voted on the proposal and it was passed unanimously.
Where we stand now
The measure has now been sent to the House of Representatives where it will be carried by Rep. Fred Crespo (D-Hoffman Estates). The first thing that will need to happen is that it will be assigned to a committee and the committee will hear it. If it is passed by the committee then the full House will hear the bill and it must be passed by the full House. If the full House passes the bill, then it is sent to the Governor for his signature or veto.
What we need from you
We strongly encourage all members and people who care passionately about this issue to begin contacting your State Representative to ask them to support this bill when it comes up for a vote. Please click here to find the phone number for your State Representative. Then call them in their Springfield office and ask them to vote YES on SB 460. Here is a sample script that you can use:
Hi there – my name is Dave Director. I live in Robert Representative’s district and I wanted to ask him to vote YES on SB 460. We need to make sure that the bill is passed when it comes to the floor for a vote during veto session.A few final thoughts:
- You can share this post with others (teachers are definitely heavily impacted and should be aware of this. General education administrators should be making calls as well).
- Please be sure to contact your own State Representative (not the bill sponsors).
- If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to a member of the IAASE Leadership Team.
- THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to the hundreds of people who have called, tweeted, texted, asked questions, or just given a smile of support during this process. We really appreciate everything that you have done during this process.
- A special thanks to a few people who have been doing more than their fair share of the work - Melissa Taylor, Jami Hodge, Shannon Miller Bellini, Judy Hackett, and Teri Engler.
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