SPRINGFIELD – A measure sponsored by State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) that would create a commission to make a statewide network of new and existing passenger rail lines a reality passed committee on Tuesday.

“This measure would create a commission to help make a statewide network of high-speed rail services a reality,” Stadelman said. “Creating a high-speed rail network would provide a fast, safe and reliable way to travel across the state.”

The measure would create the High-Speed Railway Commission to assist the state and organizations like the High-Speed Rail Alliance, which produced a plan to create a high-speed rail from Chicago to St. Louis within the next 10 years, coordinate.

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation sponsored by State Senator John Connor (D-Lockport) to identify and report racial bias in hiring processes that rely on artificial intelligence to determine suitable applicants passed out of Senate committee Tuesday afternoon.

“We work every day to monitor and root out systemic racial bias in our institutions, but we also need to make sure we’re addressing it in our technology,” Connor said. “If companies are using systems that are inadvertently singling out people of color and keeping them from opportunities they deserve, we need to know and we need to put an end to it.”

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

“More students are taking advantage of the extra opportunities for help available to them before school,” Loughran Cappel said. “While this is encouraging, it’s important that we expand safety guidelines to accommodate their schedules.”

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 – As businesses struggle to recover from pandemic-related financial hardship, State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) has advanced a measure out of the Senate Local Government Committee to help ease the burden.

“When making plans for economic recovery after the pandemic, it doesn’t make sense to take a one-size-fits-all approach,” Glowiak Hilton said. “To provide support where it’s needed most, this measure allows each local government to decide what is best for the community’s financial future.”

SPRINGFIELD – To make tuition more affordable for working families, State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) has advanced a measure allowing residents to deposit inheritance into qualified tuition programs.

“Expanding qualified tuition plans supports working families as they explore education goals with their students,” Glowiak Hilton. “By creating a simpler path to afford tuition, our state is actively working to encourage more Illinoisans to enroll in higher education.”

As written, the Probate Act of 1975 allows estates to be deposited if it’s practical and only consists of funds. Glowiak Hilton’s proposal expands current law to allow the estates of deceased family members to be deposited into qualified tuition programs without additional obstacles.

Qualified tuition programs allow contributors to support a beneficiary's higher education expenses. Earnings accumulate tax free while in the account.

“Access to higher education is critical for economic prosperity, but affordability is equally important,” Glowiak Hilton. “By allowing residents to use inheritance for higher education costs without barriers from the state, we hope to encourage more kids to think about attending college.”

House Bill 814 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday and moves for further consideration before the full Senate.

SPRINGFIELD – Under current state law, students are allowed to remain in special education courses until the day they turn 22, meaning many students are forced to leave school in the middle of the academic year. State Senator Bill Cunningham advanced legislation out of the Senate Education Committee that would allow them to continue attending classes until the end of the year.

“Special education students should be allowed to finish out their final school year,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “They deserve a more natural end to their school career and a chance to say goodbye to all of their friends.”

Cunningham and State Representative Fran Hurley introduced the legislation after they were approached by the parents of a local student who thought it was unfair that their child couldn’t finish school at the same time as their peers who weren’t in the special education program.

“This is an example of government working to solve real-life problems,” Cunningham said. “I appreciate that one of the people I represent brought this issue to our attention so that we could take action to fix the problem.”

The legislation, House Bill 40, now advances to the full Senate for further consideration.

SPRINGFIELD – Following the closure of Rich East High School in 2020, State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) moved a measure through the Senate Education Committee Tuesday to prevent schools from closing without public input.

“Closing a neighborhood school is not only an educational issue, but a community issue as well,” Joyce said. “When schools close in rural communities, it can mean kids have to travel much farther to get to class every day—that can take a toll on students and their families.”

In 2019, District 227 was faced with the decision to close one or more of their three schools due to a lack of funding, declining enrollment and aging facilities. The Rich Township High School District in Cook County voted to close Rich East High School, which served Matteson, Park Forest, Olympia Fields, Chicago Heights and Richton Park residents. This decision forced these students to move to either Rich Central or Rich South High Schools.

SPRINGFIELD – To allow students of all faiths to practice freely, State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) passed legislation out of the Senate Education Committee that would provide them with up to five days of excused absences for religious holidays.

“Illinois is a diverse state with several religious communities,” Villivalam said. “Our school calendar should reflect the diversity of our state and allow students of all faiths the flexibility to practice according to their religious calendar.”

The legislation would allow for excused absence from public schools to observe a religious holiday or participate in religious instruction. No more than five days per school year would be given to students. The legislation is an initiative of the Northern Illinois American Muslim Alliance (NIAMA).

“This would provide school children the ability to celebrate important religious holidays and strengthen the bond between their families,” said Vaseem Iftekhar, Chairman and Founder of NIAMA. “This change would be greatly welcomed by Muslim and other religious communities.”

“As the Muslim population grows in Chicagoland, it is important for school systems to recognize our holidays and customs,” said Kamran Hussain, President of the Muslim Community Center. “This would allow Muslim youth to have a sense of pride that their school recognizes and respects their values.”

“This measure ensures every student, family and community is respected, and it supports the diverse faith identities across our state,” said Dr. Dilara Sayeed of the Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition. “We are proud to support this bill moving forward."

House Bill 169 passed the Senate Education Committee and awaits consideration before the full Senate.