State Sen. Pat McGuire (D-Joliet) and State Sen. Heather Steans (D-Chicago) spoke out in support of legislation that will ensure all students have a chance to compete for aid to pay for college at a press conference today that was organized by the Latino Policy Forum.

Undocumented students are currently ineligible to receive state-based financial aid, but that would change under the proposal McGuire and Steans are backing.

“Our state’s future prosperity depends on keeping our brightest minds in state,” Steans said. “Currently, these 1,500 students cannot even compete for the scholarships that would allow them to pursue higher education here in Illinois; this legislation, which our state universities support, will provide the access they now lack.”

SPRINGFIELD – Working to keep retired police dogs with their handlers, State Senator Tom Cullerton (D–Villa Park) will introduce Senate Bill 3129, which creates the Police Dog Retirement Act.

“As a dog owner myself, I recognize there is a special connection formed between an officer and their dog,” Cullerton said. “It’s important that we honor this relationship and give retiring police dogs a loving home.”

Senate Bill 3129 requires a retiring police dog to be offered to the primary handler of the dog. If the officer doesn’t wish to keep the dog it can be offered to another officer or employee, a nonprofit organization or a no-kill animal shelter.

SPRINGFIELD – A day after the governor’s office released funding to allow the Rosecrance Triage Center to remain open through the end of June, State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) voted in support of an  appropriation to release the money they are owed for the entire fiscal year.  

“While the Department of Human Services made the right decision yesterday to finally release funding to allow the center to stay open another four months, we need to look at the bigger picture,” Stadelman said.

The funding was released yesterday after Stadelman stressed the importance of the center to department officials during a budget hearing.

Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston) today questioned why a state agency is expanding its payroll while failing to pay hundreds of struggling non-profit agencies that are contracted to provide important services on the state’s behalf.

Officials from the Illinois Department of Human Services revealed during an appropriations hearing that the agency hired about 800 new employees between July and December 2015.

Meanwhile, DHS has not been paying the agencies it contracted with throughout Illinois to provide vital human services for impoverished and underserved people on behalf of the state.