SPRINGFIELD – A measure advanced by Senator Robert Martwick (D-Chicago) to address Illinois’ ever-growing teacher shortage by bringing back retired educators cleared an important hurdle.

“There are thousands of classrooms across the state where students are going without any instruction,” Martwick said. “We need this bill to put teachers in classrooms and ensure our children thrive academically.”

Senate Bill 3465 amends the Chicago Teacher Article of the Illinois Pension code by allowing retired CPS teachers to return to work without it affecting their pensions. Schools are able to submit documentation with their regional superintendent to request help from retired educators in a “subject shortage area”. This emergency measure will remain in effect until June 30, 2024.

“Although our students have returned to in-person learning, we will not make up for pandemic learning loss without teachers in classrooms to guide and support them,” Martwick said. “I am pleased that we are one step closer to removing the barriers that prevent retired professional educators from returning to schools during this epic shortage.”

Senate Bill 3465 passed the Senate on Wednesday.

SPRINGFIELD – Michael McCuskey, a former public defender and judge, was selected by the Senate Wednesday to serve as the state’s next Legislative Inspector General.

“We need to make sure the General Assembly has the proper ethical oversight, and it’s about time we select someone who understands the importance of this job,” said State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin).  “The Hon. Michael P. McCuskey’ commitment to public service through his work as a public defender and a judge makes him an outstanding person for the job.”

SPRINGFIELD – To increase accessibility for higher education, State Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas (D-Chicago) has advanced a measure to allow the state treasurer’s office to make payments to Children’s Savings Accounts specifically for students from financially insecure households.

“Historically, Black and Latine families have faced systemic barriers to higher education including affordability, and we need to make sure the programs we have in place to help children are as equitable as possible,” Pacione-Zayas said. “Children’s Savings Accounts are a great mechanism for helping students afford education expenses, but we need to make sure families who need help get assistance.”

The Illinois Children’s Savings Account program will go into effect in 2023. Under the current program, applicable families will receive a seed deposit of $50. Senate Bill 3991 allows the state treasurer’s office to supplement CSA’s for financially insecure households with additional funds.

SPRINGFIELD – In an effort to honor our state’s fallen heroes, State Senator Doris Turner (D-Springfield) is championing a measure to honor their next of kin with the presentation of an Illinois flag. 

“Our country would not be where it is today without the sacrifice of our brave men and women in uniform,” Turner said. “This measure will help show the respect we have for the families that pay the ultimate sacrifice.”

Under Turner’s measure, if an Illinois resident dies while on State Active Duty or Federal Active Duty, their next of kin would be presented the Illinois state flag by military personnel.

SPRINGFIELD –Thanks to a new measure sponsored by State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview), people with disabilities may soon be able to choose their spouse to serve as their provider of personal care instead of having to hire a personal assistant.

“Many times, a spouse must leave his or her job to care for a loved one. This results in a loss of family income,” Senator Fine said. “This measure will ensure these families are not forced to choose between the health of their loved one and financial stability.”

Currently, people with severe disabilities may hire their own personal assistant to help care for them through agreements between the patient and the Division of Rehabilitation Services. Under this agreement, DRS supplies and pays personal assistants to support designated patients. However, there is a current shortage of medical staff to fill these vacancies. This is causing many families to choose between the quality of life of disabled family members or financial stability, as many spouses are leaving the workforce to help care for their loved ones without compensation.

SPRINGFIELD – Schools fees may soon be waived for low-income students with veteran or active military parents under a measure by State Senator Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove) passed through the Senate Wednesday.

“Veterans and active military members endure many hardships, and families with young children are finding it difficult to keep up with school fees,” Johnson said. “By offering support to our heroes and their families, we can assist them through difficult financial times.”

Johnson’s proposal allows school boards to waive fees for students with a parent who is a veteran or an active member of the military with an income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, which is an estimated $55,500 for an average family of four.

SPRINGFIELD – Student loan debt is the 2nd highest consumer debt category, just behind mortgages.  To help address this issue, today, State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview)’s Senate Bill 3032 passed the Senate unanimously. Part of this legislation prohibits universities from withholding official transcripts from potential employers as a means of debt collection.

“It is discouraging for students who have made immense sacrifices to earn their degrees to be denied access to their transcripts until their debt is paid off,” Senator Fine said. “Having access to their transcripts is essential for students to seek the jobs necessary to pay off their debts, as well as finding a fulfilling career.”

Under Senator Fine’s legislation, universities would be prohibited from withholding transcripts as a means of debt collection. The bill also requires colleges to institute a hardship policy to ensure students that have to withdraw due to significant financial or physical hardship leave school with as little debt as possible. Additionally, the legislation would prevent student debt that gets sent to a collection’s agency from being used against a student’s credit score.  

SPRINGFIELD – People searching for long-term care facilities are a step closer to avoiding misleading information regarding available services, thanks to a measure championed by State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago).

“Imagine not being able to access information on potential long-term care facilities due to incorrect and misleading information,” Villa said. “Finding a long-term care facility that fits the needs of the patients is hard enough – the facility’s websites should not add to the confusion.”

Villa’s measure would eliminate an obligation for the Illinois Department on Aging’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program to label the Consumer Choice search tool with the name “Resident’s Right to Know.” This elimination would allow residents additional information on services offered by facilities, including memory care, transportation, dialysis, multilingual staff and more without being misled or confused.