U.S. Rep. Mary Miller is reintroducing legislation to “strengthen parental rights” following the state’s new law mandating mental health screenings for public school students. The Parents Opt-In Protection Act would require written parental consent before schools conduct mental health or sensitive-topic surveys, replacing Illinois’ current opt-out system under SB1560 starting in 2027–2028.

Commissioners would be barred from considering political party registration or voting history data when drawing maps.

A new Illinois law will create a student investment program within the state treasurer’s office. Some Republican lawmakers criticized the idea and argued that the state is in a financial crisis due to similar programs.

State Rep. Paul Jacobs, who serves on the higher education appropriations committee, says Senate Bill 1475 is another unnecessary expense for taxpayers. “We have to cut expenses instead of doling out expenses that are really completely unnecessary in my estimation,” said Jacobs. “I just don’t see a state that has the problems that this state has with finances extending out for more expenses.”

While the program saw a third of its funds wiped away for the 2026 fiscal year that began July 1, $50 million in state funds are available. The reduction came as rents in Chicago keep rising and after the state grappled with serious fiscal challenges when balancing its budget this year. The state rental assistance program was previously funded by federal aid distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“State lawmakers, in their haste to pass well-intentioned legislation, sure did leave a heck of a lot of details to unelected bureaucrats. … That’s not to say serious illness doesn’t exist — of course it does. Navigating these situations with children is a delicate process that must be led by parents or caregivers, alongside the kids themselves.”

Most crucially, Illinois could be on the hook for an additional annual $700 million bill to pay for some of the benefits, according to the governor’s office, though that contribution could be eliminated if the state manages to bring down a measure known as the payment error rate.

The bill reads that “a student who is an Illinois resident and who is not otherwise eligible for federal financial aid, including, but not limited to, a transgender student who is disqualified for failure to register for selective service or a noncitizen student who has not obtained lawful permanent residence, shall be eligible for financial aid and benefits.”

The legislation is currently the subject of a court challenge from Republican lawmakers, who argue the law is invalid under the Illinois state constitution. The state constitution requires legislative bills to be “read” on three separate days in both the state House and state Senate before they can be approved. However, Democrats used an increasingly employed legislative tactic to push SB328 within hours of its introduction. And they are relying on a constitutionally questionable legal doctrine, known as the Enrolled Bill Doctrine, to uphold the law.

Gov. JB Pritzker did not issue a response to the departure of the Texas Democrats, but a campaign aide pointed to a series of tweets the governor made Saturday: “When the @TexasHDC first asked me for help in their fight against Trump and Abbott’s power grab, I told them they had me at hello. For the past few weeks, that fight has been here in Illinois, as we provided safe haven for members enduring threats of violence and arrest. Thanks to them, the world knows what’s happening in Texas and Democrats have a plan to push back.”