SPRINGFIELD – An effort to improve mental health emergency responses by diverting emergency calls for mental health crises to mental health professionals was approved by a Senate committee Tuesday.

“Mental health crises should be treated by mental health professionals,” said State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago), the legislation’s sponsor. “Receiving treatment from someone who is a trained professional in mental health support is the best and safest way to address a mental health crisis. When police or firefighters show up, it sometimes creates a more dangerous situation for everyone.”

In July of 2020, the federal government laid the groundworks for 9-8-8 to become the new easy-to-remember number to call in the event of a mental health emergency, working similar to 9-1-1. House Bill 2784 would require local governments to coordinate 9-1-1 and 9-8-8 services, with the goal of diverting people with mental or behavioral health needs toward community care and away from incarceration or improper hospitalization.

“When you call 9-1-1 for a medical emergency, you get a medical response, but when you call for mental health emergency, you do not get a mental health response,” Peters said. “An improper response to a mental health crisis can make the situation worse, and this is not acceptable. Our job is to provide treatment, not trauma.”

The measure passed the Senate Behavioral & Mental Health committee with bipartisan support and will now be sent to the full Senate for further consideration.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago), Chair of the Senate Black Caucus, released the following statement in support of the “Speak Out for Gregory” movement:

“A mental health crisis is not a crime and should not be treated as such,” Peters said. “Gregory was having a mental health crisis and was suicidal, and the situation was made worse and almost cost him his life. We need to invest in alternative responses so that this never happens again, because our responsibility is to provide treatment, not trauma.”

SPRINGFIELD – A measure sponsored by State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) aimed at increasing transparency in misconduct and discipline in Chicago Public Schools was approved by a Senate committee Tuesday.

House Bill 15 requires CPS to provide written notification to parents or guardians of students who commit misconduct and of students who are victims of the act of misconduct, which is defined as an incident involving offensive touching, a physical altercation, or the use of violence.

“Parents and guardians deserve to know what is going on in the schools their children are attending,” Peters said. “Informing the parents and guardians when misconduct occurs allows parents of the victims to ensure their children are properly taken care of. This will provide the creation of a written record that benefits the students, the parents and the schools.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) is continuing an effort to decriminalize the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus.

“Having HIV is a health care concern, not a crime,” Peters said. “People living with HIV don’t need to worry about facing criminal charges for simply living.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) recently congratulated 90 local 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.

“This is one of the most prestigious awards that is offered to high schoolers in our state, and the students who earned it should be proud of this recognition of their efforts,” Peters said. “Earning this award shows not only a dedication to academic success, but also an ability to cope with the adversity and struggles brought on by a global pandemic. I am extremely honored to represent these bright kids in Springfield, and I eagerly look forward to the time when they’re running things.”

SPRINGFIELD – After being one of the strongest advocates in favor of the landmark criminal justice pillar of the Black Caucus agenda that passed in January, State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) is continuing his fight to win real safety and justice for all Illinois residents with a proposal to stop the use of deceptive interrogation practices on children.

“Kids are taught to trust adults in positions of power, and it is unconscionable to allow law enforcement to exploit that trust in order to coerce information,” Peters said. “These kids are scared and may not fully understand their rights or of how the legal process works, so it’s a lot more likely that they’ll give false information if deception is added to the mix.”

SPRINGFIELD – A measure sponsored by State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) would fix a technical problem that prevents some local school councils of Chicago Public Schools from meeting.

“Local school councils are essentially the only way that local communities have the ability to impact how schools in their area run,” said Peters, who also supports an elected Chicago School Board. “Current law makes it more difficult – and sometimes impossible – for them to do the work they were elected to do when they have too many vacancies at one time.”

Local school councils are able to appoint additional members to fill vacancies. However, when membership falls below seven members as a result of too many vacancies, LSCs are prohibited from meeting. Peters’ measure would allow the councils too meet with only four members present, should the number in office drop too low.

SPRINGFIELD – As part of his continued fight to win and preserve safety and justice, State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) moved a proposal to strengthen alternative mental health and substance abuse crisis responses through the Senate Friday.

“A mental health or substance abuse crisis requires a specific, dedicated response that only trained professionals are adequately equipped provide,” Peters said. “Many police officers lack this training and are forced to respond to situations they’re not prepared to handle, which can often make the situation worse. We need to strengthen alternative response methods so that people who are suffering crises are able to get the right kind of help.”

Senate Bill 347 creates the Alternatives to Crisis Escalation Act, which will increase the availability of underused mental health and substance abuse crisis response services. The measure also aims to spread and expand awareness of alternative responses, as well as ensure their availability to everyone regardless of insurance status.