Villa pushes for legislation to support grieving families

SPRINGFIELD – To help support families grieving the loss of a child, State Senator Karina Villa advanced legislation from the Senate Labor Committee that will create the Zachary's Parent Protection Act.

“No family should have to endure the loss of a child, and my heart goes out to all of those who have ever grieved over the unthinkable happening,” said Villa (D-West Chicago). “This legislation attempts to offer support to families who are grieving by allowing them the proper time to themselves after a loss.”

This bill was inspired when mother Laura Kane lost her son to suicide, yet she was expected to return to work merely three days later. Kane was let go due to not being able to perform her job while grieving the loss of her child. She started a non-profit, Marshmallow’s Hope, in honor of her son and to help children struggling with depression and families struggling with the loss of a child due to suicide.

Read more: Villa pushes for legislation to support grieving families

Senate Democrats seek protections for young influencers

SPRINGFIELD – A decade ago, young superstardom was rare, left for the television stars and professional singers. However, with the rise of social media influencing, all you need to reach fame now is a cell phone. 

While traditional child actors are protected by the Child Labor Law, there’s nothing on the books for young influencers. Under a measure led by State Senators Dave Koehler and Linda Holmes, that would change.  

“Too often these days, you hear of children being exploited by parents or guardians due to the success they make online,” said Koehler (D-Peoria). “A digital footprint a young person did not agree to create should not follow them for the rest of their lives.”

Under Senate Bill 1782, minors under the age of 16 featured in vlogs or other online content would be covered under the Child Labor Law. The measure calls for the child – also known as a “kidfluencer”— to be accurately compensated and would allow them to request deletion of the content upon turning 18.

Read more: Senate Democrats seek protections for young influencers

Cervantes spearheads legislation to protect marginalized employees

SPRINGFIELD – To allow residents working in Illinois to know for certain that their employment is safe, State Senator Javier Cervantes is working to pass legislation that will protect immigrant employees who are working legally within the United States.

“Currently, employers can use the E-Verify system to target and discriminate against immigrant employees, creating undue stress on their employment,” said Cervantes (D-Chicago). “When someone goes to work, they shouldn’t have to worry about their employer reporting them unknowingly and should be given some reasonable transparency to this process.”

Currently, federal immigration law requires employers to verify that their employees are lawfully authorized to work in the United States. Immigrants who are employed have the possibility of receiving a “no match” letter from the Social Security Administration for a variety of reasons such as name changes, work authorizations, employment visas and other bureaucratic errors. Usually, employers terminate employees who receive a “no match” letter even though these employees could be legally working in the United States.

Read more: Cervantes spearheads legislation to protect marginalized employees

Senator Fine and Representative LaPointe respond to DHS plan to improve Choate Mental Health Center

SPRINGFIELD – This morning, the Illinois Department of Human Services and Governor Pritzker announced their comprehensive plan to improve care at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center. Following this announcement, State Senator Laura Fine and State Representative Lindsay LaPointe, chairs of the Mental Health Committees in the Senate and House respectively, responded to this plan.

“I am encouraged by the proposed changes from DHS. The safety of mental and behavioral health patients needs to be the top priority,” said Senator Fine. “I applaud DHS and the Governor for announcing a plan that prioritizes patients. I look forward to continuing to collaborate with them and other partners to best support patients at Choate and their caregivers.” 

Equip for Equality, the independent, federally mandated Protection and Advocacy organization; the IDHS Inspector General; and the Illinois State Police have all been reviewing abuse and neglect allegations at Choate and making constructive recommendations to the state about the center’s future. To address the issues found, DHS has proposed a comprehensive plan including:

• Repurposing the Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center (“Choate”) over three years in partnership with the SIU School of Medicine, and   
• Implementing new safety enhancements at Choate and across all state-operated developmental centers including appointing a chief resident safety officer, and
• Expanding support for families and individuals to pursue opportunities for community-based living while continuing to invest in provider capacity.

Read more: Senator Fine and Representative LaPointe respond to DHS plan to improve Choate Mental Health Center