Illinois House returns to Springfield for one day only

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS/WRSP) — The Illinois House of Representatives made a one-day return to Springfield on Thursday, March 18.

House legislators have introduced about 4,000 bills for the 102nd legislative session, and work is underway to organize them all into committees.

The House also voted on several major pieces of legislation on Thursday, including the establishment of curbside voting statewide(HB 1871) and healthcare reform aimed at aiding communities of color(HB 158).

The healthcare reform bill passed 72-41 in the House, while the curbside voting bill passed 70-41. Both bills now need Senate approval and then the governor's signature to become law.

“We look to collectively rid systematic racism in the area of healthcare,” State Rep. Camille Lilly, D-Chicago, said.

The healthcare reform bill is one of four pillars that make up the policy platform of the Legislative Black Caucus. That group also passed criminal justice and education reform bills this year.

Arguments made against the healthcare bill include the potential cost. Some estimates say it will cost anywhere from $5 billion to $12 billion to fully implement.

The bill includes a moratorium on hospital closures and teaching more implicit bias in medical schools.

Another bill that passed the House 69-33 is the Federal Emergency Assistance Act (HB 2877).

If signed into law, the bill would create a process to distribute $1.4 billion in federal rental relief funds to those in need of emergency help. It would also seal eviction court records until July 2022.

The bill in part reads:

“The state deems it necessary to protect public health, life, and property during this declared state of emergency by protecting residential tenants, homeowners, and housing providers from certain evictions and other hardships during this public health and economic crisis.”

House committee hearings throughout the week also pushed forward legislation some lawmakers hope to pass during this legislative session, such as the Clean Energy Jobs Act, or CEJA (HB 804). The bill passed out of a committee on Monday, March 15, in a vote of 18-11 along party lines.

One of the major changes includes requiring the state’s energy sector to move to 100% renewable energy by 2050. In addition, CEJA implements new energy infrastructure that includes statewide electric car charging ports and public transportation systems, and an expansion of rooftop solar statewide.

"We need to put the people of Illinois first, not utility company profits, and that's what CEJA does," State Rep. Ann Williams, D-Chicago, said. "And while CEJA isn't the panacea to solve all these problems, it certainly can help us to make some important steps forward."

RELATED: Illinois Democrats seek to transform state's energy sector to 100% renewable by 2050

Another major focus of CEJA is addressing environmentally polluted communities and creating more clean energy jobs within them.

Gov. JB Pritzker, D-Illinois, has previously indicated his support for passing renewable energy legislation.

The House also took a moment of silence to acknowledge the recent rise in attacks against Asian-Americans, and a mass shooting in Georgia this week that left eight dead, including six women of Asian descent.

State Rep. Theresa Mah, D-Chicago, gave a passionate speech condemning the gruesome incident.

“The murder of these women needs to be seen in the context of racism in this country, and more than a year of heightened xenophobia against Asian-Americans,” Mah said.