SPRINGFIELD — Road tests to renew driver’s licenses could be a thing of the past for many seniors in Illinois under a bill unanimously approved Wednesday by the Illinois House.

The House voted 114-0 to approve House Bill 1226, which would raise the age that seniors must take a driving exam to renew their licenses from 79 to 87. People age 79 and older would still have to go in person to a secretary of state facility to renew their license but wouldn’t have to take a driving test with a state employee until they turn 87.

The bill is an initiative of Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias.

“Study after study indicates that senior drivers are the most safe amongst us and there’s really no need for this onerous test to be administered when you are a senior,” said bill sponsor Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea.

The bill includes a number of safeguards, including that immediate family members can submit reports to the secretary of state if they are concerned a relative has a condition that makes it unsafe for them to drive.

The bill was conceived by a constituent of Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, last year.

“We have had a persistent issue with discriminating against older folks in this state,” Keicher said. “This bill goes part of the way towards resolving that.”

Women’s sports stadiums

Legislation approved on a 111-0 vote by the House on Wednesday adds women’s professional sports to the types of sports facilities the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority can oversee. Current law only allows the ISFA to oversee sports facilities for baseball, football and auto racing.

“What I wanted to accomplish with this bill is to make sure that women’s professional sports were being treated equally to men’s professional sports,” bill sponsor Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, D-Chicago, said in an interview.

The bill’s passage comes amid pushes by the Chicago Bears and Chicago White Sox for state funding to build new stadiums. But the Chicago Red Stars, a women’s professional soccer team that plays in suburban Bridgeview, are also interested in a new stadium with help from state funding. Team owner Laura Ricketts met with General Assembly leadership last year, Crain’s Chicago Business reported.

Delgado stressed the bill isn’t designed to move any specific stadium proposal forward and said the Red Stars have not approached her with any specific plan.

“Most of my colleagues are hesitant to do public funding for any kind of stadium at this moment in time,” Delgado said.

The bill would also require ISFA to notify the governor and General Assembly when a team formally requests funding from the state, and for the General Assembly to hold hearings on the proposal.

Municipal fines, fees as school-based discipline

Public school students would no longer be subject to municipal fines, fees, tickets or citations as a form of school-based discipline for many kinds of code violations if they occur on school grounds under a bill that cleared the state Senate on Wednesday.

Senate Bill 1519, sponsored by Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, would prohibit that practice. It would also require school districts that employ school resource officers – a sworn law enforcement officer assigned to a school – to sign a formal memorandum of understanding with the officer’s law enforcement agency to ensure the officers are properly trained and do not use fines or tickets as a form of discipline.

The bill would not apply to delinquent or criminal conduct or to violations of traffic, boating or fish and game laws.

“A student being ticketed for behavior at school can result in them being thrown into the system, hindering their future opportunities,” Villa said in a statement. “School discipline that mirrors law enforcement practices is ineffective at addressing the root causes of student behavior.”

A law passed in 2015 prohibits schools from issuing monetary fines for school behavior, but Villa said many schools get around the law by referring students to law enforcement. A 2022 ProPublica investigation found Black and Latino students received a disproportionate number of tickets.

The bill passed the Senate, 37-17, and will next be considered in the House.

AI in health insurance decisions

Health insurances companies could face new restrictions on how they use artificial intelligence under a measure approved on a 79-35 vote Wednesday.

House Bill 35 sponsored by Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, would prohibit health insurance companies from only relying on AI to deny, reduce or terminate coverage for patients receiving care ranging from prescriptions to surgery. Instead, those AI-made decisions would have to be reviewed by a human employee who can override it.

Read more: Democratic lawmaker grows concerned with use of AI in health care

Health insurance companies would also be required to disclose to the state when they are using AI.

“New disclosures to you, the consumer, you have the right to know if AI is being used to deny your health care,” Morgan said.

Commission would commemorate Underground Railroad

The Illinois Senate passed a bill Wednesday to preserve and promote resources in the state linked to the Underground Railroad – the network of secret routes and hiding places that enslaved African Americans used to escape bondage before the Civil War.

Senate Bill 1607 by Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, would establish a Freedom Trails Commission to identify, preserve and promote historic sites in Illinois linked to the Underground Railroad. The commission would also work with the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom program to serve as a liaison between the Park Service and local entities involved in the history of the Underground Railroad.

“Preserving our history is essential to building a better future,” Koehler said in a statement. “Through this commission, we can ensure the stories of bravery, perseverance, and freedom are told and remembered.”

The bill passed unanimously out of the Senate and moves to the House for consideration.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government. It is distributed to hundreds of print and broadcast outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, along with major contributions from the Illinois Broadcasters Foundation and Southern Illinois Editorial Association.