SPRINGFIELD – More than 84,000 Iowans live with severe mental illness and only about 35,000 of those are receiving treatment. State Senator Mike Halpin’s bill to allow vulnerable mental health patients from Iowa to use Rock Island mental care facilities passed the Senate Wednesday.

“Our country is in the midst of a mental health crisis that crosses state lines,” said Halpin. “Expanding and maintaining mental health care access is a top priority.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mike Halpin’s resolution to declare April 1 as “Skip the Plastic Day” in Illinois passed committee Thursday.

“With our landfills and waterways being filled with plastic waste, Illinois has an opportunity to stand up and be part of the solution rather than the problem,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island) “Skip the Plastic Day will bring more awareness to this issue that is impacting the whole planet.”

“Skip the Plastic Day” would urge all residents, businesses and visitors to reduce plastic waste and protect our environment. The resolution would also commend businesses for willingly participating in offering single-use plastics only at customer request. The single use plastics included under the day are straws and cutlery, though businesses are encouraged to draw down all plastic use.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mike Halpin’s bill to support Rock Island mental facilities and vulnerable Iowa patients passed committee today.

“Health care access is a concern that crosses state lines,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “Allowing Iowa patients to access Rock Island mental health infrastructure is a win-win, particularly with the quality care our facilities can provide.”

Senate Bill 188 would allow for Iowa involuntary in-patient admissions to be accepted at Rock Island County facilities in Illinois. Illinois law presently does not allow for involuntary admissions to cross state lines and patients may have to travel upwards of five hours away to receive care.

SPRINGFIELD – This week, Governor Pritzker joined students and leadership from Lewis and Clark Community College to propose expanding access to four-year degrees at community colleges, a similar proposal that State Senator Mike Halpin has introduced in the Senate.

“Although our public universities provide quality education and paths to successful careers, there remain gaps in access and affordability. Community colleges represent a core pillar of Illinois’ higher education system and this bill will allow them to close these gaps and meet the needs of our undergraduate students,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “Giving community college students the opportunity to pursue a bachelor’s degree will provide a more affordable, targeted and community-based path to a fulfilling career. ​This legislation represents a commitment to our state’s higher education institutions and students.”

ROCK ISLAND – State Senator Mike Halpin responded to the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s Quad Cities Workforce Analysis Report, which provided both a diagnosis of the region’s challenges, as well as potential solutions for community organizations and legislators to consider.

“Through the education and workforce analysis, we have a clearer vision of the needs and goals to better serve the residents in the Quad Cities,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “By being able to see where resources are needed to succeed, we are now able to continue leading the charge in investing into the future of our community.”

The report combines a broad spectrum of data examining workforce, economic and educational trends in the region. The report found that there are shortages in high-demand sectors, including manufacturing, health care, information technology and transportation. Disparities in educational attainment and workforce participation across gender, race and ethnicity represent a challenge for the region.

ROCK ISLAND – State Senator Mike Halpin announced Tuesday that Henderson Health Center is set to receive over $110,000 through the Health Equity Zone Pilot Projects pilot program.

“Addressing health inequities within our community continues to be a priority. Everyone deserves to have access to compassionate, quality, and accessible health care,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “At a time when corporate health insurance continues to fail regular people in western Illinois, grants such as the Health Equity Zone pilot program play an integral role in bolstering access to care.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mike Halpin’s measure to create a Community-Based Corrections Task Force to research the benefits of specialty courts and community-based correctional centers was signed into law on Friday.

“Listening to the experts and community residents is how we create common-sense laws that are fair to everyone,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “This task force will show us how folks struggling with mental illness or addiction interact with our criminal justice system so we can achieve better outcomes for these individuals while keeping our communities safe.”

Halpin’s law creates a task force to discuss benefits of community-based correctional facilities and specialty courts in Illinois. Community-based correctional centers are alternatives to prison that provide a different way for individuals who are convicted of crimes to be rehabilitated back into society without having to be incarcerated. One alternative to traditional corrections is the use of specialty courts, also known as problem-solving courts. These courts are designed to lead people out of a cycle with the justice system and into treatment programs.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mike Halpin advanced a measure through the Illinois Senate to create specialty Air Force Combat Action Medal license plates. 

“This is a way for us to thank Air Force veterans for their service to our country,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “I was proud to see this measure pass with bipartisan support.”

Currently, the Air Force is the only branch of the military that does not have a license plate for combat veterans. The Illinois Secretary of State is authorized to issue Combat Action Ribbon license plates to members of the Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps, and Combat Action Badge license plates to special groups within the Army.

Halpin’s measure would allow the Secretary of State to issue Air Force Combat Action Medal license plates to Air Force veterans who were awarded the Air Force Combat Action Medal.

House Bill 4108 passed the Illinois Senate on Wednesday and heads to the governor’s desk.