Illinois lawmakers have filed nearly 6,500 bills in the 103rd Illinois General Assembly spring session. As the session continues into March, bills involving same-sex marriage, equitable restrooms, and non-profit board demographics continue to make their way through committees.
Here are four more bills of particular interest to Baptists in the state:
HB 0001 creates the Compassionate Use and Research of Entheogens Act legalizing psychedelic mushrooms, LSD, and other hallucinogens including psilocybin and psilocin. Under the bill, home rule powers would be preempted and specified prior records would be expunged. Introduced by Rep. La Shawn K. Ford, the bill’s been assigned to the Executive Committee.
HB 1162 amends the Reproductive Health Act to prohibit mobile abortion services and other nonpermanent abortion clinics in the state. Rep. Cindy Jacobs filed the bill which has been assigned to the Reproductive Health Subcommittee.
HB 2463, the Deceptive Practices of Limited Services Pregnancy Centers Act, would allow pregnancy resource centers to be fined $50,000 by the State Attorney General for not offering clients abortion-related information. It would also give clients and non-clients the right to sue for not providing abortion-related information when requested. The bill was introduced by Rep. Terra Costa Howard and has been assigned to the Health Care Availability & Accessibility Committee. Its companion bill in the Senate, SB 1909, was introduced by Sen. Celina Villanueva and is pending in the Senate Assignments Committee.
SB 218 amends the Physician Assistant Practice Act of 1987 to allow physician assistants to prescribe drugs, including those that would induce an abortion, without a doctor’s authorization. Filed by Sen. Ann Gillespie, it has been assigned to the Licensed Activities Committee.
The General Assembly is scheduled to be in spring session through mid-May with a deadline to pass bills by May 31.
To contact your local representative or senator regarding any of these bills, visit the Illinois Family Institute’s website.