SPRINGFIELD – Under a new law sponsored by State Senator Bill Cunningham and State Representative Fran Hurley, special education students will get to graduate with their classmates starting with the 2021-2022 school year.

“We are righting a long-standing wrong by allowing special education students to finish out their final year of school,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “Starting this year, they will get to graduate with their classmates and say proper goodbyes to their friends and teachers.”

SPRINGFIELD – Senator Bill Cunningham passed a plan out of the Illinois Senate that would allow small breweries, meaderies, and winemakers to distribute their products to local bars, grocery stores, and liquor stores directly rather than through a third party, helping local businesses reach their customers.

“We’ve seen an explosion of small beer, wine, and mead makers in recent years, and they’ve become staples of our local bar and restaurant scene,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “People want to be able to buy their products at local grocery and liquor stores, and we should make that easier to do.”

Under current Illinois law, most companies that produce alcohol have to sell their products to local grocery and liquor stores through a third-party distributor. Tracing back to the post-prohibition era, this set up is meant to help prevent the unregulated sale of alcohol and aid in the collection of alcohol-related taxes. It is still employed by almost every state in the U.S.

SPRINGFIELD –State Senator Bill Cunningham advanced legislation out of the General Assembly that would allow special education students to graduate with their peers, rather than leave school the day they turn 22.

“Special education students deserve a natural end to their final school year,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “They should be able to graduate with their friends and say goodbye the same way every other student does.”

CHICAGO – State Senator Bill Cunningham announced the Illinois Department of Transportation has slated six miles of Harlem Avenue for major upgrades this year. The more-than-$7 million project includes repaving and increasing access for people with disabilities.

“Harlem Avenue is an important road connecting the southwest suburbs,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “The stretch seeing improvements is a heavily trafficked business corridor, so we need to keep it in good repair.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Bill Cunningham passed legislation out of the Senate Behavioral and Mental Health Committee that would help promote mental health treatment for police officers and firefighters by providing better focus for the First Responder Suicide Prevention Task Force.

“First responders have difficult, stressful, important jobs,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “They need and deserve more mental health support.”

According to studies cited by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, firefighters consider and attempt suicide at a higher rate than the general population, and nationally, between 125 and 300 police officers commit suicide every year.

Cunningham’s legislation would require the First Responder Suicide Prevention Task Force to make recommendations in specific areas that would help prevent suicide and connect first responders to mental health resources.

The legislation emphasizes access to mental health and wellness services, peer support groups, and ongoing education relating to mental health. It also requires the task force to make recommendations regarding specialized mental health training targeted at first responders.

“Firefighters, police officers, and EMTs put their lives on the line every day to help keep our families and communities safe,” Cunningham said. “They experience real trauma that can trigger mental health and substance abuse issues. We need to do more to help keep them and their families healthy.”

The measure, House Bill 3911, now goes before the full Senate for further consideration.

SPRINGFIELD – Under current state law, students are allowed to remain in special education courses until the day they turn 22, meaning many students are forced to leave school in the middle of the academic year. State Senator Bill Cunningham advanced legislation out of the Senate Education Committee that would allow them to continue attending classes until the end of the year.

“Special education students should be allowed to finish out their final school year,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “They deserve a more natural end to their school career and a chance to say goodbye to all of their friends.”

Cunningham and State Representative Fran Hurley introduced the legislation after they were approached by the parents of a local student who thought it was unfair that their child couldn’t finish school at the same time as their peers who weren’t in the special education program.

“This is an example of government working to solve real-life problems,” Cunningham said. “I appreciate that one of the people I represent brought this issue to our attention so that we could take action to fix the problem.”

The legislation, House Bill 40, now advances to the full Senate for further consideration.

SPRINGFIELD – Senator Bill Cunningham passed legislation out of the Illinois Senate requiring insurance companies to fully cover the cost of replacing a vehicle that is totaled in an accident.

Under current Illinois law, insurance companies do not have to pay certain taxes and fees for purchase of a replacement vehicle, saddling accident victims with hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars in unanticipated costs — even when they were not at fault in the auto accident.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Bill Cunningham’s legislation to help turn vacant city lots into urban farms and community gardens is one step closer to becoming law, having passed the Illinois Senate Friday.

“Cities often find themselves responsible for vacant lots in older neighborhoods that can be difficult to sell,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “Community gardens and urban farms both benefit local residents and raise nearby property values.”

The legislation enables local governments to sell or lease government-owned vacant lots to non-profit groups for urban farms, community gardens, or to sell fruits and vegetables from the non-profit’s other properties. Cities would be able to grant leases of up to 25 years (with 25-year renewals possible) or to sell vacant tracts of land for less than they would normally cost, providing the land continues to be used to grow food and/or sell food grown by the non-profit. The legislation also makes it easier for eligible non-profits to get property tax breaks.