SPRINGFIELD – To combat social isolation for residents of long-term care facilities, State Senator Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) passed a measure to require these facilities to help connect residents to loved ones when a disaster is declared.

“The COVID-19 pandemic put an unprecedented amount of stress on people, especially those in long-term care facilities,” Cullerton said. “A simple phone or video call could do a lot for these residents who are isolated from their loved ones.”

According to a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, more than one-third of adults aged 45 and older report feeling lonely, and nearly one-fourth of adults aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated. COVID-19 has only exacerbated these statistics.

SHOREWOOD –  A piece of bipartisan legislation, led by State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood) and State Representative Mark Batinick, that would expand the period of time in which school zone speed limits are active passed the Senate unanimously Wednesday.

“Prioritizing the safety and wellbeing of our students is a choice,” Loughran Cappel said. “I am proud my colleagues in the General Assembly took it upon themselves to give our kids the additional protections they deserve.”

Under current school speed zone rules, children are to be assumed present between the hours of 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. However, Plainfield-area high schools begin classes at 7:05 and students arrive during a timeframe when school zone rules are not yet active. Additionally, numerous students arrive before 7 a.m. to attend before school programs, tutoring or other extracurricular activities.

SPRINGFIELD – More students will be able to represent their schools comfortably and confidently under a measure sponsored by State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) to give students more flexibility in the design of their athletic uniforms, which has passed both chambers of the Illinois legislature.

“Some athletic uniforms can be a barrier to students who want to compete for their school. The simple addition of long sleeves, leggings or a head scarf can make all the difference for diversity and inclusion on the team,” Murphy said. “The passage of this legislation shows kids across the state that we stand with them—no matter their background.”

Murphy’s proposed legislation would enable student athletes at public K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and community colleges in Illinois to modify their athletic or team uniform to be in accordance with their cultural values, modesty standards or religion.

SPRINGFIELD – To ensure people with gluten intolerances aren’t unknowingly consuming gluten in the medications they take, State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) sponsored a measure to require oral drugs to carry proper warning labels.

“Restaurants and grocery stores have increased their gluten-free offerings and have become far better equipped to properly label and handle items for people with dietary restrictions,” Morrison said. “People with Celiac and other gluten intolerances should feel just as protected when visiting a pharmacy.”

Under the legislation passed Thursday, any prescription or over-the-counter drug that contains gluten but is not labeled as such would be considered misbranded. Because most medications do not contain gluten, consumers are often under the assumption none do unless otherwise specified. Therefore, if a drug does contain gluten and is not accurately labeled, a person with Celiac or other gluten intolerances could take it and be surprised with harmful health issues.

SPRINGFIELD – To help begin to repair Black and Brown communities after nearly a century of housing discrimination, State Senator Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove) has sponsored a measure to give Illinois homeowners a path to remove racist language from their property deeds.

“Restrictive covenants have a long and painful history in the U.S., and it’s time that we finally rid our systems of the remnants of this racist practice,” Johnson said. “The antiquated language contained in many property records can be offensive and even harmful to today’s communities—homeowners should have an avenue to eliminate it once and for all.”

The legislation would allow individuals, condominium associations, unit owners’ associations and other property owners to remove language for unlawful restrictive covenants from recorded property interests, including deeds to property, by submitting a request to the local county recorder.

Under Johnson’s plan, the recorder could charge a fee of no more than $10 for filing a restrictive covenant modification.

Starting in the 1920s and continuing throughout the mid-20th century, the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) actively segregated metropolitan areas, guaranteeing bank loans for the construction and development of suburbs on the condition that the sale of the homes in that suburb be restricted by race. Deeds to these homes also included racial restrictive covenants prohibiting resale of the home to people of a certain race.

In 1948 the Supreme Court deemed all racial restrictive covenants unenforceable. Despite this ruling, developers and realtors continued to include racial restrictive covenants in deeds until 1968, when the FHA outlawed these covenants altogether.

“Racial covenants are no longer enforceable, but the language lingers in many of our property records, potentially encouraging racist sentiments,” Johnson said. “Striking these discriminatory provisions from our records would show we are committed to undoing the historical harms done to Black and Brown communities.”

House Bill 58 passed the Senate Thursday with bipartisan support.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) led a measure through the Senate to expand the Alternative Health Care Delivery Demonstration Program to include birthing centers in more areas of the state with disparate health outcomes for Black mothers.

“On average, 75 women die every year while pregnant or within a year of pregnancy -- a tragic statistic,” Van Pelt said. “It is even more tragic to know that four out of five pregnancy-related deaths could have been prevented. We must do everything we can to combat maternal mortality, which includes increasing access to birthing centers.”

House Bill 738 expands the number of licenses available for birthing centers under the Alternative Health Care Delivery Demonstration Program from 10 to 17.

Currently, the Alternative Health Care Delivery Act provides for 10 birthing center licenses: four birthing center licenses in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry or Will Counties; three in municipalities with a population of 50,000 or more not located in the collar counties; and three in rural areas.

This measure would expand available licenses in specified locations, including the Westside of Chicago, the Southside of Chicago and East St. Louis.

Only four hospitals on Chicago’s south side provide maternity services: Mercy Hospital, University of Chicago, Roseland Hospital and Trinity Hospital. Mercy Hospital, which is in transition to another owner after filing for bankruptcy, delivered 900 babies last year.

Black women in Chicago have the highest rates of severe maternal morbidity, dying at three times the rate of white women from pregnancy-related causes.

“The birthing centers in place now serve hundreds of mothers, and more centers are needed to ease the burden and serve other demographics across the state,” Van Pelt said. “When you are carrying a child, or have given birth to a child, your body is in the most vulnerable state of your life. It is necessary for us to ensure every woman has proper care to avoid a preventable death.”

House Bill 738 has passed both chambers. 

SPRINGFIELD – Federal policy on illegal smuggling and trafficking of exotic animals’ body parts has been strengthened, and Illinois needs to step up as well, according to Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora). Illinois prohibited the trade of ivory and rhino horn in 2018, but other animal species continue to face the threat of extinction due to demand. Holmes’ legislation that would lengthen the list of species banned in Illinois passed in the Senate Thursday.

“Species are doomed to extinction if we don’t stop illegal smuggling and trafficking of their body parts,” Holmes said. “Federal policy has been strengthened, and Illinois needs to match that here.”

SPRINGFIELD – Civil no-contact order eligibility would be expanded to include family and household members of survivors of sexual assault under legislation sponsored by State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago), which passed the Senate Thursday.

“Family members of sexual assault survivors can have shared trauma and feel the need to seek a no-contact order,” Villa said. “People who are closest with a survivor should not have to live in fear of contact with their loved one’s abuser.” 

Under current law, a petition for a civil no-contact order can be filed by a survivor of non-consensual sexual conduct or by another person on behalf of a survivor who cannot file the petition. Villa’s measure would expand eligibility to offer protections for family or household members of survivors of sexual harassment and assault.