Feigenholtz spearheads anti-bullying legislation

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation sponsored by State Senator Sara Feigenholtz that improves transparency, reporting and more timely notification of bullying incidents is one step closer to becoming law.

“Updating Illinois’ bullying laws to reflect the realities of cyberbullying on the internet and on social media sites will help school districts understand when these incidents are occurring,” said Feigenholtz (D-Chicago). “With rising mental health crises and suicide rates among our youth, this is a critical measure that will promote the safety and protection of all Illinois students.”

House Bill 3425 would require schools to alert parents and guardians of alleged bullying incidents involving their child within 24 hours after the school’s administration is made aware of the incident. This matter was brought to Senator Feigenholtz and Representative Margaret Croke last year by a family who tragically lost their son to suicide after being bullied and cyberbullied by his classmates.

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Senator Halpin finds a way to get children the benefits they deserve

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mike Halpin advanced legislation that would help stop parents who do not have primary custody of their child from skipping on child support payments.

"This is an important initiative to ensure that parents who refuse to pay their child support can be tracked and held accountable," said Halpin (D-Rock Island). "This is a step in the right direction to ensure that children receive the support they need and deserve."

House Bill 3301 would include independent contractors in the definition of "employee" so that anyone who reports income on 1099 forms as an independent contractor would be reported to the National Directory of New Hires registry. The registry was established in 1996 to help track parents who are delinquent on child support payments across state lines.

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Villa progresses bill to address statewide nurse shortages

SPRINGFIELD – To help address the shortage of nurses in health care facilities across Illinois, State Senator Karina Villa moved a bill out of the Senate Labor Committee on Wednesday.

“Nurses are an instrumental part of our communities; they are the ones on the frontlines helping our loved ones when they are ill,” said Villa (D-West Chicago). “My hope is this legislation will help support nurses so more people will be inspired to join and stay in the profession.”

The growing scarcity of nurses in Illinois, especially in Southern Illinois, is negatively impacting patients, as well as existing nurses who have to work without a full staff in some of these health care facilities. House Bill 1615 amends the Nurse Practice Act to provide that the Nursing Workforce Center will develop strategies to ensure proper actions are being taken to address the statewide nurse shortages.

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Loughran Cappel advances measure increasing access to resources for grandparents raising grandchildren in Will County

SPRINGFIELD – To increase access to state resources, State Senator Loughran Cappel passed a measure through the Senate Executive Committee that would create a program for grandparents raising their grandchildren in Will County to have a better understanding of what state programs are available.

“Grandparents often take on the responsibilities to raise their grandchildren,” said Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). “There are a number of resources that people don’t know about and this initiative addresses that by streamlining the process and giving caretakers a direct, local contact to utilize the resources available.”

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