SPRINGFIELD – To honor men and women in uniform who have given the ultimate sacrifice, State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) moved a measure through the Senate Transportation Committee Tuesday to create a Folds of Honor license plate for families of service members who died in the line of duty.

“I am proud to support Folds of Honor by creating a personalized license plate in Illinois,” Bennett said. “This is a tremendous organization that provides scholarships for the children and spouses of our fallen and disabled heroes, and these license plates are a great way to give back.”

Bennett’s legislation creates the Folds of Honor Foundation Fund, which would provide educational scholarships to military families. The plan allows motorists to purchase a specialty license plate decal to contribute to Folds of Honor through the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. The cost of each specialized plate decal is $25, of which a portion goes directly to the fund. 

“This is a way for anyone to be able to pay tribute to the sacrifices of our fallen,” Bennett said. “It’s also a great opportunity to spread awareness of an important cause.” 

House Bill 1915 passed the Senate Transportation Committee unanimously.

CHAMPAIGN – State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) is highlighting an opportunity for area airports to apply for funding for improvement projects through the Rebuild Illinois statewide construction program.

“Even though our state serves as a hub for transit, our airports have been in a tough spot as a result of the pandemic,” Bennett said. “With this funding, airports in Central Illinois and across the state will have the opportunity to make critical updates that will improve safety for all passengers. I invite all of our local airports to apply for funding as soon as possible.”

Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation announced that the Rebuild Illinois program will provide $94 million in funding to improve public airports throughout the state. Through a competitive grant process, airports may submit project proposals for updates, improvements, and extensions of their facilities.

Airports must be for public use and included in the Illinois Aviation System Plan to be eligible for the funding. Applications are due June 14 to be eligible for grants of up to $25 million.

Airports in the Champaign area that are eligible to apply for the funding include University of Illinois Willard Airport and Rantoul National Aviation Center (Frank Elliott Field).

Application information is available by visiting IDOT’s Airport Improvement Program page. Awards are anticipated to be announced later this year.

CHAMPAIGN – May is Foster Parent Appreciation Month, and State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) is extending his appreciation to those who help enhance the lives of children and youth in foster care, as well as encouraging community members to consider becoming a foster parent.

“May is a great time to recognize the role foster parents play by providing safe havens and stable homes for our youth in need,” Bennett said. “Please take a moment to thank the foster families in our community for a job well done and consider making the commitment yourself to foster a child in need.”

Today, there are just over 21,000 youth living in foster care in the state. Of that number, 8,200 are living with foster families, 11,300 with relatives, and 1,200 in group homes and institutions. The need for foster parents is growing, and there are many types of foster care, including traditional care, emergency/shelter care, medical/therapeutic care, relative/kinship care, respite/short-term care, and tribal care. 

Foster parents must be at least 21 years old and can be married, in a civil union, single, divorced or separated. They can work full- or part-time, go to school, or be a stay-at-home parent, and can rent or own their own home.

“By opening their hearts and homes, foster parents give vulnerable children the stability and connections to community, friends and family members they need to thrive,” said Illinois DCFS Acting Director Marc D. Smith. “They are an invaluable part of the child welfare team; and we could not do the work of keeping children safe without them.”

Currently, foster homes are needed for sibling groups, adolescents, African American and Latino youth, children with special medical needs, teenage mothers and their babies, and LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex) youth. A complete list of youth in need of foster families can be found at the Heart Gallery of Illinois website.

To learn more about becoming a licensed foster parent, fill out the online interest form on the DCFS website. Click on Loving Homes, then click on Become a Foster or Adoptive Parent.

SPRINGFIELD – To help children and families build savings and open the door to college, Senate Higher Education Chair Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) advanced a measure through the committee Tuesday to improve the Illinois Higher Education Savings Program.

“This program gives families the opportunity to start planning for higher education from day one,” Bennett said. “In addition to giving these families a head start on college savings, this legislation gives the Illinois treasurer the necessary tools to implement the program.”

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 after Dec. 31, 2020.

SPRINGFIELD – To raise awareness and help improve mental health among young adults and middle school students, State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) is sponsoring legislation that would require school districts to provide contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the Crisis Text Line on student identification cards.

“We have great services available to help students who may be struggling,” Bennett said. “Printing this information on student ID cards means the hotline number is always close at hand, and more importantly, can be used as a lifeline for children and their families.”

The legislation, an initiative of the Illinois Education Association, would require the contact information for national crisis hotlines specializing in domestic violence, sexual assault and suicide to be printed on identification badges issued to public middle and high school students in Illinois. School districts that do not issue student IDs would instead be required to publish the information on their websites.

“In society today, our children are facing so many additional pressures and now even more stress brought on by the pandemic," said State Representative Mike Marron (R-Fithian), the sponsor of the bill in the House. "This is a simple step to ensure all of our young know about these vital resources and help."

House Bill 597 passed the Senate Education Committee Tuesday and heads to the Senate floor for further consideration.  

CHAMPAGIN – As the construction season gets underway, State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) is recognizing Work Zone Awareness Week through Friday, April 30, and urges drivers to slow down and pay attention in work zones.

“Our road workers should be able to do their jobs safely, and this week serves as a reminder that we all must work together by following the rules of the road and staying alert when driving to prevent tragedies,” Bennett said. 

In 2019, the most recent year statistics are available, 842 people were killed and 39,100 injured in work zone crashes nationally. Illinois averages 6,400 crashes in work zones each year, resulting in 1,700 injuries and 34 deaths. More than 9 out of 10 deaths are someone other than a worker, including drivers, passengers, pedestrians and bicyclists.

“Seeing orange is a powerful reminder that all crashes, injuries and deaths, not just those in work zones, are almost always avoidable,” said Acting Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “We are grateful to the organizations that are taking part in this effort to ‘Go Orange’ and help IDOT and its partners drive the number of fatalities to the only acceptable number – zero.”

For more information on Work Zone Awareness Week, visit IDOT’s Work Zone page.

CHAMPAIGN – State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) recently honored 133 Champaign-area high school students who were named 2021-22 Illinois State Scholars by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.

Illinois State Scholar winners rank in approximately the top 10% of the state’s high school seniors from 676 high schools in all 102 counties. Selection is based on a combination of standardized test scores and class rank or unweighted GPA at the end of the student’s junior year. ISAC works in conjunction with the students’ high school guidance counselors to determine the winners.

“I am incredibly proud of these students from our community who earned this prestigious award,” Bennett said. “It reflects not only on the hard work of these students, but also shows their dedication to continued achievement despite the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a tribute to the effort of these students, their families, and their high school teachers and administrators.”

The Scholars from the Champaign area include students from six area high schools, including Champaign Centennial, Champaign Central, Judah Christian, Rantoul Township, Saint Thomas More, and Urbana high schools.

Recipients of the award will receive a congratulatory letter from ISAC, and a Certificate of Achievement will be sent to their high school. State Scholars will also receive a digital badge issued by ISAC that can be displayed on online profiles, exhibited on social media, and shared with prospective colleges and employers.

“The college admission process and qualifying for financial assistance is always competitive, and this Illinois State Scholar recognition rewards students for their hard work by giving them an advantage in attending and affording the college of their choice,” Bennett said.

More information about the State Scholar program can be found at ISAC’s website.

SPRINGFIELD – The Senate approved a measure sponsored by State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) Wednesday to add probation officers to the list of individuals that qualify for death benefits if killed in the line of duty.

“When an officer is killed in the line of duty, it’s a reminder to all of us that any career in law enforcement can be dangerous and sometimes deadly,” Bennett said. “With the Illinois courts considering an expansion of home and field visits, more probation officers may soon be at increased risk of getting involved in a potentially violent situation. This legislation provides increased protections for them and their families.”

Bennett’s plan would include probation officers in the Line of Duty Compensation Act, which provides death benefits to individuals such as law enforcement officers, firefighters and members of the armed forces who are killed in the line of duty.