SPRINGFIELD — July 25 is now officially Emmett Till Day in Illinois.

Gov. JB Pritzker signed legislation codifying the designation ahead of what would have been Till’s 85th birthday. It was one of 78 bills the governor signed last week.

Till, a 14-year-old from Chicago, was kidnapped, beaten and brutally lynched by two white men while he was visiting family in Mississippi in 1955. It came after he allegedly whistled at a white female store clerk. The men accused of murdering Till were acquitted by an all-white, all-male jury, though they later confessed to a journalist the details of their crime.

Till’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, held a public, open-casket funeral for her son, exposing his severely mutilated body in an event that served as a catalyst for the American Civil Rights Movement.

“In Illinois, we understand that we cannot build a more just future if we are unwilling to confront the injustices of our past,” Pritzker said. “This legislation ensures that Emmett Till and his mother Mamie Till-Mobley will never be forgotten, their legacy will continue to challenge us to be better, and their example will continue to inspire us to build a state and a nation that lives up to its highest ideals.”

Pritzker signed the legislation, House Bill 4323, at Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Bronzeville, the site of Till’s funeral that was designated a national landmark by President Joe Biden in 2023.

Boater’s insurance

Pritzker also signed Senate Bill 2972, which would require the owners of boats with at least a 50-horsepower engine or that are at least 21 feet long to obtain liability insurance.

Violations carry a fine of at least $500 but no more than $1,000. First-time offenders who obtain the required coverage by their court date will have their punishment reduced to a $100 fine and court supervision.

It takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.

Pet custody

The governor signed House Bill 4540, which creates a legal pathway for separated couples or roommates to go to court to fight for custody of an animal.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, said pet custody is already a subject for divorce cases, but there was no existing legal mechanism for nonmarried cohabitants to determine custody of a pet that may be jointly owned.

The bill will allow courts to consider who has been responsible for caring for the pet, paying for vet visits, emotional bonds between a pet and human, the living environment and documentation on who bought the animal.

It takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.

Early high school credit

Seventh- and eighth-grade students soon will be able to take high school-level coursework and receive high school credit.

House Bill 4239, sponsored by Sen. Laura Ellman, D-Naperville, provides that middle school students may enroll in high school courses offered by the high school they would attend, provided the course is taught by a properly licensed teacher and can be taken at the student’s current school.

“Students learn at different paces, and our policies should reflect that,” Ellman said in a statement. “This law will ensure that motivated middle school students have clear, equitable access to high school coursework, without unnecessary barriers, while maintaining the high standards families expect.”

The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.

Teacher evaluations

Senate Bill 2913 clarifies that student growth can only be used as a factor in teacher evaluations if the district and the teachers — or their teachers union — agree to do so in advance.

Student growth factors were a required element in teacher evaluations until 2025 when the law was changed to say districts “may” incorporate those factors, subject to negotiation between the district and the teachers.

Under the new law, starting July 1, 2026, if the district and the teachers, or their collective bargaining unit, cannot agree on whether to use student growth data as a factor in evaluations, then the default policy will be not to use such data.

Teacher discipline

Teachers now have greater ability to challenge written warnings about alleged misconduct.

Under Senate Bill 2914, before a school board can vote to issue a written warning to a teacher for alleged misconduct, the teacher has a right to challenge the findings in the proposed warning, either in person or in writing. And if the board votes to issue the warning anyway, it allows the teacher to take the issue to binding arbitration.

The new law takes effect immediately.

Service windows

Illinois consumers will soon have new protections against lengthy service appointment windows.

Senate Bill 3066 will require companies such as cable, plumbing and other home service providers to provide at least one hour notice via phone call of their arrival at a residence if the service appointment window they provide is more than two hours.

If a company fails to provide the required notice and the customer isn’t home when they arrive, they will be prohibited from charging fees associated with the missed appointment.

“I don’t think that people should be left holding the bag if a company failed to communicate with them,” said Sen. Christopher Belt, D-Swansea, the bill’s sponsor. “If a service provider fails to follow the rules and shows up without proper notice, we shouldn’t be stuck paying extra fees.”

The bill takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.

Cash refunds

House Bill 4044 will prohibit retailers from limiting refunds on returns of unopened or unused merchandise to store credit. Instead, they must offer another form of refund, such as cash or the original payment method.

“This is about fairness and protecting the hard-earned dollars of working people by ensuring their right to a return is not arbitrarily restricted,” said Rep. Marcus Evans, D-Chicago, the bill’s sponsor.

The bill does not cover medicine, medical equipment or food or beverage items.

Violations of the act will carry fines of up to $25. Businesses will be notified by a county state’s attorney and if the violation is remedied within 30 days, no fine will be imposed.

Businesses cannot be fined more than $500 per year for violations.

The law takes effect July 1, 2027.

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