PLAINFIELD – As the holiday season quickly approaches, businesses continue to struggle to stay afloat amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. To help those businesses, State Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (D-Shorewood) is urging Will County residents to shop locally.

“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we need to keep our local businesses in our minds,” Bertino-Tarrant said. “Our local businesses are the heart and soul of our communities. I encourage residents to support our business community however we can to help them during this difficult time.”    

PLAINFIELD – State Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (D-Shorewood) is urging area fire departments to take advantage of the state’s Small Equipment Grant program.

“Our firefighters and first responders put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe,” Bertino-Tarrant said. “This grant will help provide vital assistance to ensure our firefighters have the necessary tools and resources to do their jobs.”

The program provides $3.3 million in funding across the state for firefighting personal protection equipment, infection control items and other small equipment. Organizations can be awarded up to $26,000.

Fire department, fire protection district and township fire department applicants are required to have participated in the National Fire Incident Reporting System for a minimum of two years prior to applying. Ambulance services applying must be volunteer, non-profit, stand-alone emergency medical service providers not tied in any financial or legal manner to a fire department. 

Applications for the Small Equipment Grant program must be postmarked no later than Jan. 29, 2021. More information on the program can be found on the state fire marshal's website.

PLAINFIELD – State Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (D-Shorewood) is excited to announce construction will begin soon on much-needed improvements to the intersection of Illinois Route 59 and Champion Road in Will County.

Bertino-Tarrant secured more than $900,000 in funding to install a traffic signal at the intersection after residents started several petitions and reached out to her office for assistance. The signal will aid drivers while crossing lanes and making a left turn onto northbound Route 59 from their subdivisions during rush hour. 

“This intersection has been a safety hazard for years, and we must take steps to make these construction improvements sooner than later,” said Bertino-Tarrant. “This stoplight will go a long way toward increasing road safety and reducing the number of accidents at the busy crossroad during rush hour traffic.”

Work will also be done to reconstruct the median, install ADA-compliant sidewalks and make drainage improvements at the intersection.

Residents of Naperville’s South Pointe subdivision claimed that given the size, traffic volume and speed at which cars travel through this intersection, a traffic signal was warranted at this location. Their input and Bertino-Tarrant’s advocacy led the Illinois Department of Transportation to speed up the timeline for the traffic signal to be installed and road improvements to be made.

Bertino-Tarrant secured funding for this vital traffic improvement under the Rebuild Illinois Capital Program.

“The construction of this new traffic signal illustrates that government works best when elected officials are in constant communication with constituents,” Bertino-Tarrant said.

SHOREWOOD – On National Move over Awareness Day, State Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant is urging drivers to remember to exercise safe driving habits to responsibly share the road with first responders.

Oct. 17, 2020 marks the holiday that emphasizes the need for drivers to decrease their vehicle’s speed and move into another lane in order protect first responders such as ambulance drivers, police officers and roadside assistance professionals.

“Every day, our officers and first responders put their lives on the line to keep us safe,” Bertino-Tarrant said. “We need to continue to educate motorists to guarantee it is second nature for drivers to slow down and move over when any vehicle is stalled on the side of the road.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senators Pat McGuire and Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant will host a subject matter hearing on graduation requirements and mental health resources and recovery Wednesday, continuing efforts by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus to build an agenda ahead of the upcoming fall legislative session.

The joint hearing of the Senate Higher Education and Senate Education Committees is prompted by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus on education reform, which is one of four pillars guiding their legislative agenda to eliminate systemic racism. The pillars include:

1. Criminal justice reform, violence reduction and police accountability
2. Education and workforce development
3. Economic access, equity and opportunity
4. Health care and human services

Those who wish to submit written testimony to the hearing can do so online at www.ilga.gov.

To watch the virtual committee, visit https://ilga.gov/senateaudvid.asp and click "Watch Live Virtual Committee Video." The link will be available at 12 p.m.

WHO: Joint Senate Education Committee and Higher Education Committee

WHAT: Subject matter hearing on graduation requirements and mental health resources and recovery

WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 12 p.m.

WHERE: Conducted remotely via Zoom and broadcast live on https://ilga.gov/senateaudvid.asp or on Blue Room Stream, a subscription-based service.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senators Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (D-Shorewood) and Pat McGuire (D-Crest Hill) will host a subject matter hearing on early childhood education funding and access to early literacy Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 12 p.m.

“Illinois children should be given the opportunity to succeed – from the day they enter preschool,” Bertino-Tarrant said. “That starts with expanding evidence-based funding to early childhood education programs.”

PLAINFIELD – State Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (D-Shorewood) is encouraging people who lost work during the ongoing public health crisis to take advantage of jobs brought to the 49^th District by an $825,000 economic recovery grant.

“The COVID-19 pandemic put people throughout the state and Will County out of work, and many of those people have been struggling to find new jobs for months,” Bertino-Tarrant said. “Dozens of jobs have now opened up in Will County that will benefit not only the people who are hired, but the county as a whole. I encourage anyone who is seeking a steady job to apply immediately.”

Will County Northeast was awarded $825,000 in economic recovery grants to train and hire workers to fill high-demand positions and assist local disaster relief programs. The money – totaling $16.6 million for the state – comes to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Security (DCEO) from the National Dislocated Worker Program.

The state distributed the funds to 12 Local Workforce Innovation Areas to expand education and training opportunities throughout Illinois. DCEO will partner with local workforce agency partners to assist with filling high-need, temporary roles to help mitigate COVID-19 in communities, including contact tracers, COVID-19 protocol workers, building sanitization workers, temperature screeners, and food preparation and distribution workers.

Training and hiring for new workforce programs are expected to begin this fall. Local workforce agencies will prioritize applicants who have been laid off or otherwise lost their jobs during the COVID-19 crisis at the time of their application. A full list of available training and hiring opportunities is available on Get Hired Illinois.