SPRINGFIELD — A minimum salary for public school teachers is just one of the 300 bills Illinois lawmakers passed a flurry of legislation last week as the General Assembly’s spring legislative session that wrapped up Sunday.
The minimum salary for public school teachers would increase to $40,000 by the 2023-2024 school year under legislation given final approval Saturday in the House.
The minimum salary would kick in at $32,076 in the 2020-2021 school year and after reaching $40,000 would continue to increase annually based on the rate of inflation.
The bill also creates a panel to determine how state funding can be used to help school districts meet the minimum salary requirements. It was one of several measures approved this spring that aim to address the state’s ongoing teacher shortage.
Also passing both chambers and awaiting Gov. JB Pritzker’s signature is a measure that would prohibit smoking in any vehicle carrying someone younger than 18.
The restriction would apply regardless of whether the vehicle is in motion or stopped or whether the windows are down.
Police wouldn’t be allowed to stop drivers solely for this violation, but it would carry a fine of up to $100 for the first offense.
And Illinois’ medical marijuana program would become permanent through a bill that received final approval Sunday in the Senate. Established as a pilot program in 2013, medical cannabis was set to expire July 1, 2020.
In addition to making the program permanent, the bill adds new conditions such as autism, chronic pain and migraines to the list of those that qualify patients for access.
