Morrison: Children taking school buses should be safe from reckless drivers
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SPRINGFIELD- State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) advanced a bill to include community service as a possible punishment if a person speeds in a school zone or illegally passes a stopped school bus with its stop arm extended.
“Children taking the bus to school should be worried about their schoolwork, not worried about reckless drivers,” Morrison said. “This measure will further deter folks from speeding or passing school buses and really reflect on how their actions could harm members of their community.”
Morrison is a longtime advocate of transportation safety. She previously added community service as a possible punishment for violations of Scott’s Law, which requires that drivers reduce speeds and change lanes for emergency vehicles. She hopes that her latest measure will emphasize the importance of driving safely around school buses to keep children and bus drivers out of harm’s way.
Read more: Morrison: Children taking school buses should be safe from reckless drivers
Peters measure to make the Capitol more accessible advances
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Springfield- A measure to make the capitol complex more accessible for visitors with disabilities clears an important hurdle thanks to State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago).
“The Capitol grounds belong to all of the people,'' said Peters. “Everyone, regardless of ability, should be able to freely move about the Capitol and be able to navigate their way through our public spaces.”
Senate Bill 0180 requires the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate to each appoint an accessibility coordinator to work in consultation with the Architect of the Capitol to address accessibility needs for each chamber.
Read more: Peters measure to make the Capitol more accessible advances
Pacione-Zayas measures to support students with post-graduation plans pass Senate
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SPRINGFIELD – To offer students more options following graduation from high school, State Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago) advanced two measures out of the Senate Wednesday.
“Many students are pushed toward college from a young age, but it’s important for them to know that there are other options if that’s not what they want to do,” Pacione-Zayas said. “From furthering education in the trades or going straight into a career, these young adults deserve to know what else is out there.”
Senate Bill 3990 requires school counseling services to include Career and Technical Education to help students consider secondary education plans following high school. Notably, provisions in Illinois’ Clean and Equitable Job Act will create new opportunities for technical jobs in the clean energy sector.
Read more: Pacione-Zayas measures to support students with post-graduation plans pass Senate
Villanueva’s measure supporting students with dependents advances
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SPRINGFIELD – Thanks to the work of State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago), a measure to inform college students who are parents or have dependents of child care and other assistance programs passed the Senate Wednesday.
“Being a parent requires an enormous amount of time and mindfulness, and it has the potential to make other areas of life far more challenging,” Villanueva said. “The demands of receiving an education on top of being a student make balancing the two lifestyles extremely difficult, which is why we should do what we can to support our most vulnerable students.”
Senate Bill 3149 will help student parents focus on their education by ensuring they are notified of child care assistance available to them. It also gives higher learning institutions the ability to create a student-parent liaison to assist with applying for public benefits programs. The idea behind the measure was brought to Senator Villanueva by Young Invincibles, an organization working to bring equity to the political, educational, social and economic structures in the country.
Read more: Villanueva’s measure supporting students with dependents advances
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