Senate approves Feigenholtz 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 after the Senate voted to pass it on Thursday.

“Providing timely notification of these incidents as soon as possible has the potential to save students’ lives,” said Feigenholtz (D-Chicago). “School administrators have a responsibility to ensure their schools foster a healthy atmosphere for 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. A family who tragically lost their son to suicide after being bullied and cyberbullied by his classmates brought this matter to Senator Feigenholtz and Representative Margaret Croke last year in an attempt to address the failures that led to their son’s death.

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Simmons passes package of bills from the Senate to increase gender inclusivity

SPRINGFIELD – To prioritize gender inclusivity across the state of Illinois and within state agencies, State Senator Mike Simmons advanced two House Bills out of the Senate on Thursday.

“Everyone deserves to be addressed and represented with the pronouns they use and prefer, especially by their state agencies and laws,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “These bills will ensure the language we use in state statutes and codes is inclusive of all identities, and will quantify non-binary and gender non-conforming people accurately within the state workforce.”

House Bill 1596 changes various public acts concerning children to contain more inclusive language, such as changing certain pronouns to general nouns or the nouns to which the pronouns refer, and replacing "biological" family or parent with "birth" family or parent.

Read more: Simmons passes package of bills from the Senate to increase gender inclusivity

Ventura passes measure to protect vulnerable communities against deceptive tactics

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Rachel Ventura passed a measure through the Senate that would protect vulnerable individuals from deceitful tactics in legal proceedings.

“There needs to be a serious conversation on police tactics needing an overhaul across the country,” said Ventura (D-Joliet).  “We need to build trust with our police and move toward safe and practical measures that don’t prey on vulnerable members of society and penalize them for not understanding interrogation tactics.”

Currently, a confession by a minor that was made as a result of a custodial interrogation conducted at a police station or other place of detention is presumed to be inadmissible in a criminal proceeding or a juvenile court proceeding as evidence against the minor if, during the custodial interrogation, a law enforcement officer or juvenile officer knowingly engages in deception.

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Hunter initiative to reinforce DCFS’ permanency goal passes Senate

SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Mattie Hunter advanced a measure through the Senate to reinforce that services provided by the Department of Children and Family Services are intended to be temporary until the involved child can be safely returned home or find a permanent home.

“We have a responsibility to protect the safety and well-being of all children in our state, and that includes providing youth in care with stable and permanent homes,” said Hunter (D-Chicago). “This measure strengthens DCFS’ ability to provide appropriate placements for children and youth in their care, and helps to ensure they have the support and resources they need to thrive."

Read more: Hunter initiative to reinforce DCFS’ permanency goal passes Senate