ROCKFORD – Working together with local organizations to spur workforce trainings and recovery, State Senator Steve Stadelman announced more than $1 million in equitable workforce recovery grants will come to Rockford to help people struggling to gain employment.

“We are supporting jobs programs in our district that will help employ people across our community with good paying jobs to support themselves and their families,” said Stadelman (D-Rockford). “This investment comes at a time when businesses are contending with rising inflation and a post-COVID economy. It’s pertinent we take action to help address the workforce issues present in our state.”

CREST HILL – To ensure children in Will County have access to school supplies this fall, State Senator Eric Mattson and Representative Dagmara Avelar are hosting a school supply drive through the end of June.

The drive will help support students at Fairmont School District.

“Students should not lose out on educational opportunities due to a lack of school supplies,” said Mattson (D-Joliet). “This school supply drive serves as a small investment that will make a meaningful impact in assisting students across our communities in achieving their full potential.” 

Donations will be accepted from now until June 30, and can be dropped off at Mattson’s office at 20660 Caton Farm Road, Unit D in Crest Hill or Avelar’s office at 623 East Boughton Rd., Suite 130 in Bolingbrook.

"When students have the school supplies they need, they can fully engage in the classroom and get the most out of their education," said Avelar (D-Bolingbrook). "A donation as simple as a few notebooks or other school supplies can make a serious difference in the academic careers of our students, so I encourage everyone to donate what they can."

They are accepting the following new items:

• Backpacks and pencil cases
• Notebooks, graph paper and wide ruled paper 
• Glue sticks and washable glue
• Crayons, colored pencils, highlighters, markers and rulers

People with questions or concerns can call Mattson’s office at (815) 207-4445 or Avelar’s office at (815) 372-0085.

SPRINGFIELD – A measure reducing the registration fee for older Illinoisans was signed into law this month under legislation supported by State Senator Patrick Joyce.

“This new law is especially helpful to those on fixed incomes,” said Joyce (D-Essex). “We are all facing the burden from rising prices and inflation, it’s good to provide relief where we can.”

The measure would reduce the vehicle registration fee for vehicle owners and their spouses from $24 to $10 if they qualify or have been approved for benefits under the Senior Citizens and Persons with Disability Property Tax Relief Act.

Under the act, an individual qualifies if they are 65 years of age or older or if a single person’s income is less than $33,562 a year and less than $44,533 for a couple.

The legislation is effective Jan. 1, 2023.

OAKBROOK TERRACE – To address rising rates of vehicle thefts throughout Illinois, State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton supported three measures to offer protections to motorists and assistance to investigators that were signed into law Thursday.

“Commuters and families are worried to be on the roadways due to the rise in reported carjackings,” said Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs). “To offer protections to motorists, three new laws in Illinois will help crack down on car thefts and offer financial protections to victims.”

SPRINGFIELD – Two initiatives spearheaded by Senate Democrats were signed into law Wednesday that will expand and improve access to children’s mental health services, particularly for children in foster care.

The first law, formerly Senate Bill 3889, forms a Children’s Mental Health Council to research and recommend legislative action for children with mental and behavioral disabilities, particularly around residential placement needs.

“With low residential placements for children with behavioral and mental disabilities, children are often left staying in the emergency room or at home where their safety could be at risk,” said State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). “This new law will give the council an opportunity to address the difficulties that so many individuals and their families are facing around the state.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Julie Morrison championed a measure signed Wednesday that will provide a more holistic approach to supporting the mental health of children within the care of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

“The COVID-19 pandemic caused a lot of stress and trauma that contributed to skyrocketing rates of mental health problems among children – especially those within the foster care system,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “It’s vital we tackle the alarming rates of mental health problems in ways that are less invasive by providing greater healing-centered care. I firmly believe that’s how you create sustainable, scalable change in the lives of children.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel spearheaded a measure to add a council within the Children’s Mental Health Partnership in Illinois that was signed into law Wednesday.

“Many parents of children with mental disabilities need to reach out to agencies for support or information,” said Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). “Agencies that work with children with mental disabilities deserve the opportunity to collaborate, so that the process is more accessible to parents.” 

CHICAGO – An avid supporter of uplifting the diverse cultures within Illinois, State Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas was recently appointed to the State-Designated Cultural Districts Advisory Committee.

“Illinois is home to hundreds of different communities with unique, distinct cultures,” said Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago). “I am excited to serve on this committee as a voice of the people who will now have an opportunity to receive tangible recognition at the state level through designated cultural districts.”

The committee was created under a law sponsored in the Senate by Senator Pacione-Zayas, which allows the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to establish the necessary criteria and guidelines for designating such cultural districts. Five such districts can be designated per year, up to a total of 15.

“These designations are a way for our communities to proudly reflect the identity, contributions and history of the people who have helped shape them,” said Pacione-Zayas on the law that was signed last year. “This law gives Illinois communities the chance to pursue community-driven economic opportunity initiatives that ensure our neighborhoods preserve their unique cultures and continue to build legacies.”

Her appointment to the committee is effective immediately and expires on Jan. 11, 2023.