SPRINGFIELD – To modernize the way the Illinois State Police processes and issues FOID cards and concealed carry licenses, State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) supported FOID modernization legislation which would speed up processing and improve public safety.

“One of the top issues I have heard about during my time in the Senate is the huge backlog of applications for folks trying to renew their FOID cards,” Joyce said. “This legislation streamlines the process, brings down the backlog and focuses more resources on enforcement.”

The bill seeks to protect communities by enhancing existing background check protocols—a measure meant to more effectively ensure that firearms are kept out of the wrong hands.

SPRINGFIELD – Service members and their spouses will receive professional licenses faster in Illinois thanks to a measure sponsored by State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Swansea) that passed the General Assembly Monday.

The measure is intended to make transitions easier for those whose jobs depend on having a professional license and whose living arrangements are often changed by a deployment or cross-country transfer. An airman's spouse who works as an optometrist, for instance, would have an easier time receiving their license to practice in Illinois after transferring to Scott Airforce Base under the plan.

“For those who serve at Scott Airforce Base, it’s essential that the members and their spouses have their professional licenses reviewed in a timely manner when coming from another state,” Belt said. “This measure makes it quicker and easier for service members and their spouses to get licensure in Illinois and practice their professions.”

SPRINGFIELD – All across this state, law-abiding gun owners have fallen victim to a bureaucratic backlog to renew their FOID cards—an issue that State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) aims to fix with FOID modernization legislation that he passed out of the Senate on Monday.

“One of the biggest obstacles we face with the FOID system is the enormous backlog of applications,” Koehler said. “There has to be a compromise between having a safe and effective system without making the process unnecessarily difficult for gun owners who have proven themselves to be safe and responsible. I think that this legislation accommodates both of those objectives.”

The bill seeks to protect communities by enhancing existing background checks as a means to more effectively ensure that firearms are kept out of the wrong hands. For gun owners who have proven themselves to not be dangerous, the legislation would offer the option to apply for an automatically-renewing FOID card with the voluntary submission of fingerprints. FOID cards and concealed carry licenses would also be condensed into one document and electronic copies would be made available, making it easier for gun owners to keep their license with them at any given time.

SPRINGFIELD – In alliance with advocates from Chestnut Health Systems in Granite City and Centerstone in Alton, State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) voted to enhance behavioral health care resources across Illinois.

“Following the pandemic, the availability of quality mental health and addiction services is more critical than ever,” Crowe said. “Implementing a new approach to treatment will help facilitate a more accessible, community-centered health care system in disadvantaged areas.”

Crowe sent a letter to the Legislative Medicaid Working Group in April on behalf of Chestnut Health Systems and Centerstone urging the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services to develop a pilot program for the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model. The initiative was included in the proposal passed by the Senate.

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation sponsored by State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) requiring state agencies and institutions to only purchase American and Illinois flags manufactured in the United States passed the State Senate on Memorial Day.

“There’s no reason for us to be flying our state and nation’s flags if they’re not made in this country,” Stadelman said. “This legislation rights a wrong while supporting our local businesses and economies at the same time.”

The legislation would change the Flag Display Act to no longer allow state institutions and agencies to purchase American and Illinois flags from manufacturers outside of the U.S.

Legislation requires IDOC to provide information to soon-to-be-released incarcerated people

SPRINGFIELD – This Monday, the Illinois Senate approved a measure sponsored by State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) that would provide information to returning citizens from state prisons in an effort to reduce recidivism rates.

“One of the major contributors to recidivism rates is continued instability after an incarcerated person is released,” Peters said. “If these folks are denied the right to live their best lives, they may face challenges that risk further destabilization. Reentering citizens need not just proper services and support, but information on how they can go about obtaining them.”

House Bill 3235 would require the Illinois Department of Corrections to provide information about various topics, including obtaining an ID card, voter registration, job listings, available housing, and any other information the department believes could help prevent recidivism to an incarcerated person no later than 45 days prior to their scheduled release from the IDOC system.

SPRINGFIELD – Senator Bill Cunningham passed a plan out of the Illinois Senate that would allow small breweries, meaderies, and winemakers to distribute their products to local bars, grocery stores, and liquor stores directly rather than through a third party, helping local businesses reach their customers.

“We’ve seen an explosion of small beer, wine, and mead makers in recent years, and they’ve become staples of our local bar and restaurant scene,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “People want to be able to buy their products at local grocery and liquor stores, and we should make that easier to do.”

Under current Illinois law, most companies that produce alcohol have to sell their products to local grocery and liquor stores through a third-party distributor. Tracing back to the post-prohibition era, this set up is meant to help prevent the unregulated sale of alcohol and aid in the collection of alcohol-related taxes. It is still employed by almost every state in the U.S.

SPRINGFIELD – Technicians will be entitled to fairer compensation thanks to a measure sponsored by State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Swansea) that passed the General Assembly Sunday.

“This measure addresses the unjust approach many manufacturers take toward paying technicians,” Belt said. “Technicians are often treated unfairly, and this ensures they'll be properly compensated for their hard work and expertise.”

Under House Bill 3940, manufacturers must pay dealerships the same effective labor rate as the dealership receives for customer-pay repairs. Currently, that's often not the case, even as technicians are using the same skills and expertise to perform what is effectively the same type of work.