Koehler law ensures child vloggers are accurately compensated

SPRINGFIELD – With the rise of social media influencing, all someone needs to reach fame now is a cell phone. While traditional child actors are protected by the Child Labor Law, there has been nothing on the books for young social media influencers until now, thanks to State Senator Dave Koehler.

“The rise of social media has given children new opportunities to earn a profit,” said Koehler (D-Peoria). “Many parents have taken this opportunity to pocket the money, while making their children continue to work in these digital environments.”

Under Senate Bill 1782, minors under the age of 16 featured in vlogs or other online content are covered under the Child Labor Law. The measure calls for the child – also known as a “kidfluencer”— to be accurately compensated.

The idea for the legislation came from Shreya Nallamothu, a 15-year-old high school student in Koehler’s district. Shreya brought her proposal to Koehler with concerns that money made by child influencers is not protected and that too many young people will fall victim to a parent or guardian taking the assets for their own use.

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New law will give more students access to Illinois universities

SPRINGFIELD – A new law spearheaded by State Senator Mike Halpin marks a significant milestone in the expansion of the AIM HIGH Grant Pilot Program.

“This will make it easier for students who live in Illinois to go to college in Illinois,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “We all want to keep more students in-state for college, and this new law will actually do something to help.”

Beginning with the 2019-20 academic year, the Aspirational Institutional Match Helping Illinois Grow Higher Education (AIM HIGH) program has provided merit-based, means-tested financial aid to first-time, full-time undergraduate students and transfer students who are Illinois residents attending any of the 12 Illinois public four-year universities. AIM HIGH-participating universities are required to provide matching funding for institutional awards for students who meet certain eligibility requirements, as well as those established by each individual university.

Senator Halpin’s legislation implements several changes, including making the AIM HIGH Grant Pilot Program permanent, increasing transparency in the program to allow more students to take advantage, increasing access for part-time students and making changes to the matching requirements for the public universities.

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Villanueva champions equitable restroom law

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Celina Villanueva championed a newly signed law to allow gender-neutral, multi-occupancy restrooms to be installed in private and public businesses.

“Businesses now have the autonomy to decide how to best show up for their communities,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “The inclusivity of this law not only benefits members of the LBGTQ community, but also those with disabilities, the elderly, and people with young children.”

A 2020 law, required that all single occupancy public bathrooms in Illinois become gender neutral.

House Bill 1286 expands on that law, allowing businesses to create gender-neutral multi-occupancy restrooms. However, the legislation is permissive – gender specific multiple-occupancy restrooms are still allowed.

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Comprehensive plan to improve services for children with behavioral and mental health needs signed into law, thanks to Feigenholtz

SPRINGFIELD – To set forth concrete guidelines, supports and collaborations that will transform the way Illinois delivers high quality behavioral and mental health care to children and youth, State Senator Sara Feigenholtz championed the Interagency Children’s Behavioral Health Services Act, which was signed into law Friday.

“Families of children with behavioral health challenges seeking help have faced barriers for far too long,” said Feigenholtz (D-Chicago). “The evidence-driven solutions in this plan will create a more streamlined, accessible and responsive system of care for youth in Illinois.”

The plan implements recommendations from the Governor’s Behavioral Health Transformation Blueprint that was released in February. The initiative, which set out to research the current state of mental and behavioral health issues facing children in Illinois and develop recommendations to better help families, was spearheaded by Dr. Dana Weiner and Senator Feigenholtz in collaboration with experts and state agencies that currently serve youth and families.

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