Illinois is now home to a federally-recognized tribal nation
DEKALB – Illinois is, once again, home to a federally recognized tribal nation.
175 years ago, Potawatomi Chief Shab-eh-nay left his home in DeKalb County to visit family in Kansas.
He returned home to find the U.S. government had illegally sold 1,280 acres of his northern Illinois land.
The tribe says the U.S. Department of the Interior has now placed portions of that land into a trust for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.
Prairie Band Chairman Joseph Rupnick, who is Shab-eh-nay’s fourth-generation great-grandson, said in the announcement that it was a step towards righting a historical wrong and continuing their place as an original part of DeKalb County.
Democratic Representative Lauren Underwood’s 14th Congressional District includes the area now in trust. According to the statement, she applauded the move and said she’s proud to represent the first federally recognized reservation in Illinois.
Several bills have been introduced in Congress over the past few years to compensate the tribe for the stolen land.
At the state level, Illinois state representative Mark Walker recently filed a bill seeking to transfer ownership of the 1,500-acre Shabbona Lake State Park to the Prairie Band Potawatomi.
Along with the Potawatomi, Illinois is the ancestral home of several native tribes, including the Ojibwe and Odawa.
Expansion of postpartum coverage, ban on kangaroos among hundreds of measures to pass House
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois kangaroo owners are one step closer to being forced to surrender their marsupials this week after the House passed a bill criminalizing their possession.
That was one of more than 300 bills to pass the House ahead of a Friday procedural deadline.
If it becomes law, House Bill 4446 would expand the list of outlawed animals to include two species of wild cats – servals and caracals – along with wallabies and kangaroos. Animals, like lions, tigers and bears are already banned from being pets under current law.
Bill sponsor Rep. Daniel Didech, D-Buffalo Grove, assured Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, his district’s petting zoo would be allowed to keep its kangaroo, assuming it is under the care of a licensed handler.
“We are not closing petting zoos in Illinois,” Didech said during debate. “This is actually a very serious bill that was brought to me by law enforcement.”
He said it was in response to aggressive animal encounters in Vernon Hills, Decatur and Bloomington.
The bill currently grants exemptions for films produced in Illinois to use outlawed animals. It also prevents veterinarians who administer emergency medicine to banned animals from being sued unless it’s a case of malpractice.
The penalty for illegally owning one of the illegal animals remains a Class C misdemeanor. The measure passed the House 67-34 and heads to the Senate. – Alex Abbeduto & Cole Longcor/Capitol News Illinois
AI-generated child porn
A bill that would outlaw the creation and sharing of child pornography made using artificial intelligence unanimously advanced to the Senate this week.
House Bill 4623, which was backed by Attorney General Kwame Raoul, would expand current child pornography laws to also cover AI-generated child pornography.
The bill sponsor, Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, said if AI-generated child pornography rapidly increases, law enforcement’s ability to identify real cases would be more difficult. She also said “while no real child may be harmed with AI-generated content, the harm is that it normalizes abusive behavior” by depicting the crime. – Alex Abbeduto & Cole Longcor/Capitol News Illinois
Pregnancy and postpartum care
A bill expanding insurance coverage of pregnancy, postpartum and newborn care advanced to the Senate Thursday as well.
Under House Bill 5142, which is backed by Gov. JB Pritzker, insurance coverage through certain state-regulated plans would be extended to include doulas, midwives, home births, lactation consultants, breastfeeding supplies and more. Other insurance plans, like those federally regulated under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA, would be excluded.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Robyn Gabel, D-Evanston, said she thinks increasing coverage of this type of care will save women’s and babies’ lives.
Financial experts estimate implementing these changes would cost the Department of Insurance $260,000.
The bill passed out of the House 72-37. During debate, a few Republicans expressed concerns with this coverage also being extended to people undergoing abortion services. – Alex Abbeduto & Cole Longcor/Capitol News Illinois
Fighting Illini Football Offense wins spring game
CHAMPAIGN – The Fighting Illini football team played in their annual Orange and Blue Spring Game Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium. The Illinois offense scored 41 points against the Illini defense and gained a total of 581 yards. Quarterbacks Luke Altmyer, Donovan Leary, and Trey Petty threw for a combined 5 touchdown passes and 0 interceptions. Illinois will open up the 2024 regular season when they host Eastern Illinois on August 29. – Colin Hislope/IPM News
