SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — State lawmakers ended veto session in November with several bipartisan plans left on the table. WAND News is breaking down what you can expect during lame duck session and major topics that could be addressed throughout 2025.

The Illinois House could pass a plan next week to require the Department of Children and Family Services prioritize placing youth with their relatives. More than 10,000 Illinois youth in care live with their relatives, but more than 60% of those caregivers are currently denied foster care benefits.

House Bill 4781 could require DCFS to pursue federal funding to establish a kinship navigator program to help relatives who have youth in care.

"It directs the juvenile courts to provide necessary oversight to the department's obligation to maintain family connections," said Sen. Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago). "And it promotes equitable opportunities to youth and families to thrive with rational permanence."

The KIND Act passed unanimously out of the Senate in November. 

A separate proposal could expand treatment for people suffering from chronic pain. States implemented policies in 2016 that severely restricted doctors from prescribing opioids, even though chronic pain patients needed them. 

House Bill 5373 could allow physicians to make prescriptions for controlled substances without strict limitations based on dosage amounts.

"Doctors became reluctant to prescribe opioids to chronic pain patients for fear of being criminalized or losing their license," said Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview). "As a result, patients with legitimate need for these drugs are at risk of self-medicating and putting their mental and physical health in jeopardy."

The plan would also protect patient confidentiality by preventing release of treatment information without a legal order verified by the Illinois Department of Human Services or an administrative subpoena from the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

This bill passed unanimously out of the Senate in November. It will return to the House on concurrence due to a Senate amendment.

State lawmakers will also face a major challenge heading into budget discussions this year as Chicago public transit agencies face a $730 million fiscal cliff. Yet, central Illinois transit riders argue local bus companies need more funding too.

Chicago transit companies have asked lawmakers to provide a massive amount of funding to address their own mismanagement, and leaders on both sides of the aisle know that wouldn't be fair for taxpayers outside Cook and the collar counties.

"52 out of the 56 public transit agencies that are not in the Regional Transportation Authority region have the ability to present their needs, desires and the case for funding that their areas also deserve," said Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago).

Experts say 30% of the population can't drive, leaving many people with unsafe and inadequate options to get them where they need to go. Champaign-Urbana transit planner Cynthia Hoyle told the Senate Transportation Committee in October that people in small central Illinois communities desperately need rides.

"They want more frequent bus trips," Hoyle said. "They want more access to other areas that we currently don't serve. We have great transit for a mid-size American city, but it's not enough."

State lawmakers are expected to hold the lame duck session from Saturday to Tuesday. The 104th General Assembly inauguration ceremonies will take place Wednesday. 

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