Stadelman moves Illinois one step closer to a high-speed rail network

SPRINGFIELD – A measure sponsored by State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) that would create a commission to make a statewide network of new and existing passenger rail lines a reality passed committee on Tuesday.

“This measure would create a commission to help make a statewide network of high-speed rail services a reality,” Stadelman said. “Creating a high-speed rail network would provide a fast, safe and reliable way to travel across the state.”

The measure would create the High-Speed Railway Commission to assist the state and organizations like the High-Speed Rail Alliance, which produced a plan to create a high-speed rail from Chicago to St. Louis within the next 10 years, coordinate.

Read more: Stadelman moves Illinois one step closer to a high-speed rail network

Connor takes aim at racial bias in hiring processes that use AI

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation sponsored by State Senator John Connor (D-Lockport) to identify and report racial bias in hiring processes that rely on artificial intelligence to determine suitable applicants passed out of Senate committee Tuesday afternoon.

“We work every day to monitor and root out systemic racial bias in our institutions, but we also need to make sure we’re addressing it in our technology,” Connor said. “If companies are using systems that are inadvertently singling out people of color and keeping them from opportunities they deserve, we need to know and we need to put an end to it.”

Read more: Connor takes aim at racial bias in hiring processes that use AI

Loughran Cappel acts to bolster safety precautions in school zones

SPRINGFIELD – A piece of bipartisan legislation, led by State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood) and State Representative Mark Batnick, that would expand the period of time in which school zone speed limits are active passed the Senate Transportation Committee Tuesday.

“More students are taking advantage of the extra opportunities for help available to them before school,” Loughran Cappel said. “While this is encouraging, it’s important that we expand safety guidelines to accommodate their schedules.”

Under current school speed zone rules, children are to be assumed present between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. However, Plainfield-area high schools begin classes at 7:05 and students arrive during a timeframe when school zone rules are not yet active. Additionally, numerous students arrive before 7 a.m. to attend before school programs, tutoring or other extracurricular activities.

Read more: Loughran Cappel acts to bolster safety precautions in school zones

Glowiak Hilton advances measure to secure aid for local businesses hurt by pandemic

SPRINGFIELD – As businesses struggle to recover from pandemic-related financial hardship, State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) has advanced a measure out of the Senate Local Government Committee to help ease the burden.

“When making plans for economic recovery after the pandemic, it doesn’t make sense to take a one-size-fits-all approach,” Glowiak Hilton said. “To provide support where it’s needed most, this measure allows each local government to decide what is best for the community’s financial future.”

Read more: Glowiak Hilton advances measure to secure aid for local businesses hurt by pandemic