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Sen. Patrick Joyce

SPRINGFIELD – State employees will now be able to take time off for firefighter training thanks to a new law sponsored by State Senator Patrick Joyce.

“There are many communities in the state that rely on volunteer firefighters,” said Joyce (D-Essex). “If we continue to see a shortage in the number of volunteer firefighters, we are leaving these communities extremely vulnerable and without the immediate assistance they need.”

Fire departments across the state have faced a shortage of new recruits and volunteer firefighters in recent years. The new law aims to combat these shortages to give people the opportunity to undergo firefighter training courses by creating the Firefighter Training Leave of Absence Act. This will allow state employees to take a leave from their job to attend firefighter training.

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Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel

SPRINGFIELD – United States Submarine Veterans can now receive a special license plate, thanks to a measure spearheaded by State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel that was signed into law Friday.

“We have to uplift our veterans by honoring the sacrifices they have made,” said Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). “This is one way we can show our support and thank them for their service.”

The new law allows the Secretary of State to issue United States Submarine Veteran license plates to Illinois residents who served in the United States Navy as a submariner. New York and Connecticut offer similar submarine service license plates.

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Sen. Christopher Belt

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois has faced a teacher shortage in recent years, which encouraged State Senator Christopher Belt to champion a new law to address this ongoing issue.

“As an advocate for quality education and the well-being of our students, I am always looking for ways to confront issues that negatively affect our state’s schools,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “We should be attracting educators to our schools, not pushing them away. They deserve more from us.”

The new law will provide retention bonuses of $4,000 per year, for two consecutive years to teachers who are National Board Certified and are employed in hard-to-staff schools. A hard-to-staff school is a public school that no less than 30% of the student enrollment is considered low-income. Becoming a National Board Certified teacher is a career continuum for those who start in pre-service teacher preparation, leading aspiring teachers to pursue and achieve National Board Certification.

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Sen. Dave Koehler

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Dave Koehler passed a law to highlight future career opportunities for children living with disabilities.

“Children living with disabilities and their families often feel as if there aren’t many job opportunities after graduation,” said Koehler (D – Peoria). This new law will empower children living with disabilities with opportunities to be successful in our state’s workforce.”

Under House Bill 3224, students with individualized education plans – or IEPs – and their parents will be provided information on the school district’s career and technical education and dual credit opportunities.

More Articles …

  1. New landmark Simmons law requires air-conditioning in state-supported affordable housing while making living conditions for affordable housing residents safer
  2. Ventura food label standardization measure signed into law
  3. Gillespie plan to strengthen housing rights for immigrants now law
  4. New Holmes law modernizes state’s hiring process

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