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LaSalle committee delays action on HB 2827 homeschool resolution
Summary
Committee members discussed a resolution concerning HB 2827, the proposed Homeschool Act, and agreed to hold off on a county resolution while the bill is rewritten in Springfield; members were advised to encourage constituents to contact legislators and submit witness slips when the bill is reintroduced.
Committee on Appointments and Legislation and Rules members discussed a resolution sent by board member Reid about HB 2827, dubbed the Homeschool Act, during their May 5 meeting in Room 250 and declined to take immediate action.
The issue drew legal and practical questions. Mr. Herman, a staff member, told the committee the bill is “in the beginning stage” and that much of its language appears to have been withdrawn or rewritten. He said the subject involves “individual freedoms, rights, responsibilities,” and that the county may not speak for all constituents on a matter that is primarily within state authority.
Why it matters: the proposed legislation would change state-level rules affecting parents who homeschool; a county resolution one way or the other could be premature while the language is in flux.
Committee members expressed concern about adopting a countywide position before the bill’s content is finalized. Several members said earlier witness slips filed in Springfield would likely be invalidated if sponsors substantially amend the bill. Mr. Herman advised board members to ask constituents to contact their legislators directly and to resubmit witness slips if the bill returns to committee.
The committee did not introduce or adopt a formal resolution. Members agreed to monitor the bill’s status, and one asked that the superintendent of schools be asked to brief the committee at a future meeting so the author of the county resolution would not feel “blown off.”
