Senate sends legislation improving Higher Education Savings Program to governor’s desk

SPRINGFIELD – In an effort to help children and families build a meaningful college savings fund, Senate Higher Education Chair Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) passed a measure through the Senate Thursday to improve the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program.

“The price of a college education can be overwhelming when you add up tuition, books and student fees,” Bennett said. “It’s important that families start building a savings account for their children now so they are prepared for the future.” 

In 2019, the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program, established as part of the Illinois treasurer’s existing Bright Start and Bright Directions programs, was signed into law. Under this law, the treasurer will automatically deposit $50 into a college savings account for every child born or adopted in Illinois.

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Johnson: Passage of plan to excuse students from PE during religious fasting shows Illinois’ commitment to kids of all communities

SPRINGFIELD – To ensure schools are sensitive to the health and wellness of students of all backgrounds, State Senator Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove) sponsored a plan to permit students to avoid rigorous physical activity during periods of religious fasting, which has been approved by both chambers of the Illinois legislature.

“Common PE activities like running and playing sports can be particularly exhausting—and even dangerous—when kids are hungry,” Johnson said. “The passage of this bill shows Illinois’ commitment to the health and safety of kids across all our communities.”

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Retirement program expansion passes General Assembly

SPRINGFIELD – According to a CNBC report, 15% of American have no retirements savings. State Senator Robert Martwick (D-Chicago) wants to change that by expanding the Secure Choice Savings Program – Illinois’ landmark program to help everyone save for retirement.

“Saving for retirement is hard, and people honestly need help,” Martwick said. “We’ve already seen that the Secure Choice Savings Program makes a difference. Having retirement savings taken directly out of your paycheck before you ever see the money reduces the temptation to spend it.”

The program creates a default retirement savings program for people whose employers don’t provide retirement plans, which they must opt out of if they don’t want to participate.

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Pacione-Zayas pushes for accessibility standards for remote learning

SPRINGFIELD – To ensure that students with disabilities can count on consistent accessibility standards in their remote learning, State Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas passed legislation in the Senate today requiring new statewide standards for web-based education.

"We need to learn from the challenges we've faced this past year, and acknowledge the reality that for many of our students, remote learning can be a major asset to their education if we make the effort to reasonably accommodate them," Pacione-Zayas said. "It's our duty to make these accommodations. I am gratified to see this pass the Senate."

The state's obligation to provide Free Appropriate Public Education to students with disabilities applies to almost 18% of Illinois students, Pacione-Zayas said. In light of remote learning challenges revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the likelihood remote learning will persist as a mode of education in the future, adopting consistent standards is key, she said.

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