RANTOUL – In an effort to be more accessible to the community, State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) and his staff will be at the Rantoul Public Library, located at 106 W. Flessner Ave., on Wednesday, Sept. 8 from noon to 1 p.m. for his monthly Rantoul office hours.

“I’m glad to offer remote office hours to the residents of Rantoul,” Bennett said. “My staff and I can offer a variety of services, like help with unemployment claims, FOID cards, state resources and much more. I encourage folks to stop by over their lunch hour.”

Bennett’s staff will host regular office hours in Rantoul the second Wednesday of every month to meet with community members and assist with state and local services.

These office hours serve as an opportunity for constituents to speak directly with Bennett’s staff to receive help with casework and other issues at the state level.

Bennett will also host office hours on Oct. 13 in Rantoul. To stay up to date on events Bennett’s office is hosting this fall, residents can visit SenatorBennett.com.

CHICAGO – To protect first-generation college students and families from predatory business practices, a new plan offered by State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) that creates transparency and fairer guidelines for educational planning services was signed into law on Monday.

“This measure reels in bad actors that prey on low-income and first-generation students,” Villanueva said. “Families must have options to get out of deceptive, long-term contracts when these services are offered by the state free of charge.”

SPRINGFIELD – A measure sponsored by State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) that pushes to ensure local journalism survives in Illinois’ small towns and mid-sized cities was signed into law by the governor on Monday.

“I’ve dedicated years of my life to journalism, so I understand the importance of having access to local news,” Stadelman said. “People deserve to know what’s going on in their community, regardless of where they live.”

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation sponsored by State Senator Laura Ellman (D-Naperville) that requires insurers to cover important tests for people with or at risk of developing diabetes was signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday. 

“Diabetes is serious, but often preventable,” Ellman said. “People have the right to know if they’re at risk, and this law guarantees insurance providers will cover the tests.” 

Risk factors for people who have or may have prediabetes and diabetes include vitamin D deficiency and low blood sugar levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ellman’s new law requires insurers to cover A1C and vitamin D tests that are recommended by health care providers for people who may have or have prediabetes, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. 

SPRINGFIELD – A new law sponsored by State Senator John Connor (D-Lockport) and signed Friday will require businesses to provide a toll-free number, email address, or postal address to ensure that consumers are able to cancel automatically renewing services easily and quickly.

“Getting into automatic renewal contracts is like quicksand—it is much easier to enroll in them than it is to cancel them,” Connor said. “My goal is to put an end to predatory business practices, and making it easier to cancel subscriptions will help customers.”

CHAMPAIGN – State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) joined local officials and community leaders in Champaign Monday to announce two important developments in the Champaign-Urbana community, including an investment in campus improvements at the University of Illinois and a major transportation infrastructure project made possible by the Rebuild Illinois program.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) will receive $140 million in state funds, matched by $52 million in non-state funding for a total investment of $192 million. The funds will be used to construct a new, world-class facility and make large-scale renovations and updates to centrally located buildings.

CHICAGO – A new law sponsored by State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) expands the rights of victims and survivors of violent crimes to take unpaid time off work.

“Trauma can often be a life-changing experience, so victims and survivors of violent crimes and their families should be able to deal with that trauma on their own time without having to risk losing their jobs,” Peters said. “Otherwise, we’re creating a situation where a person might experience serious trauma and then suffer loss of livelihood as a result.”

SPRINGFIELD – A measure led by State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) to ensure policies will be put in place if someone misses school due to pregnancy-related issues is now law.

“Pregnant women still deserve quality access to education,” Hunter said. “Girls should not have to miss out schooling just because they got pregnant.”

Under the law, all Illinois school boards will be required to adopt written policies related to absences and missed homework or classwork assignments as a result of or related to a student's pregnancy.