SPRINGFIELD – Following the passing of former state Senator and Carlinville mayor Deanna Demuzio, State Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) released the following statement:

“I met Deanna Demuzio on a hot summer evening in 1995 at the Macoupin County Fair.  I was in college—her husband Vince took a liking to me and invited me to the fair with him to watch the queen pageant.  I was nervous that night driving to Carlinville from Bunker Hill. This was way out of my comfort zone, and I didn’t know the Demuzios, and they really didn’t know me.  Vince was late getting to the fair, so I found myself roaming aimlessly around the entrance to the grandstand—the only person wearing a pair of khakis and a polo shirt in the blazing heat.  That must have made me stick out like a sore thumb. Debating in my head how long I should stick around, a woman walked up to me as if she was on a mission. Armed with a smile, she said in the most pleasant of voices, ‘You must be Andy. I’ve heard so much about you.’ She handed me my ticket and said ‘follow me.’

KANKAKEE – As small businesses face financial uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Park Forest) is encouraging business owners to apply for a Business Interruption Grant (BIG).

“Small businesses form the core of our community, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made it extremely difficult for some to survive,” Joyce said. “I encourage folks that have suffered significant losses to apply for aid through the BIG program to help them through these challenging times.”

SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois Senate President Don Harmon issued the following statement on the passing of former state senator Deanna Demuzio:

“Deanna Demuzio dedicated her life to community and public service. Along the way, she made great friends and taught us all so much about how to be better. She fought hard to improve our education system after years spent working at Lewis and Clark Community College and to fight for better health care given how it affected her family. She took up all of this after tragically losing another great friend of Illinois, her husband, Senator Vince Demuzio.

JOLIET – In light of hardships imposed by the coronavirus pandemic and an ongoing call from the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus to address structural racism at all levels, Illinois Senate Higher Education Committee Chair Pat McGuire (D-Joliet) and Senate Education Chair Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (D-Shorewood) will convene another joint hearing of their respective committees Wednesday to address college affordability and the possibility of expanding college access through free tuition.

“Thirty years ago, Illinois ranked #1 in the U.S. for post-secondary access, affordability and attainment of certificates and degrees, but now we’re far from that,” McGuire said. “This hurts all students, especially those of color. Wednesday’s hearing will search for answers.”

The hearing is part of an ongoing effort by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus to gather information as it forms a legislative agenda for the upcoming fall session in Springfield that aims to reform longstanding racial inequities. Besides education, the Black Caucus has also prompted discussions on health care, economic and financial access, and criminal justice reform.

WHO: Members of the Illinois Senate Higher Education and Education Committees

WHAT: A joint Education/Higher Education committee hearing to address college affordability

WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 21 at noon

WHERE: A virtual meeting. The meeting is accessible through the Illinois General Assembly website here: https://ilga.gov/senateaudvid.asp. The link will become active at noon. The meeting can also be viewed via the Blue Room Stream subscription service.

CHICAGO — Illinois lawmakers examined bail and police reform during the sixth hearing prompted by the Black Caucus Tuesday.

“The system of cash bail sits at the intersection of poverty and racism,” Sims said. “Blacks and other racial minorities are more likely to be arrested by police, despite evidence showing they are no more likely to commit crimes than their neighbors. If arrested, Blacks are more likely to sit in jail awaiting trial, oftentimes for nonviolent offenses, simply because they cannot afford bail. This reality creates instability for the accused, their families and our communities. Our justice system is supposed to assume innocence until someone is proven guilty, but unfortunately it has not worked this way and for far too long has worked against people of color and the poor.”

VILLA PARK – State Senator Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) is reminding DuPage County residents to take advantage of free college planning resources during College Changes Everything Month.

October is College Changes Everything Month, a time to encourage Illinoisans to take full advantage of the free financial aid and postsecondary planning resources available in their communities.

“Many families across DuPage County are facing financial hardship during this awful pandemic,” Cullerton said. “This is a quick reminder to let parents, guardians and students know there is need-based financial assistance available to prevent students from placing their postsecondary plans on hold due to financial limitations.”

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission is offering free, virtual workshops to help parents, guardians and students complete the Free Application for Federal Aid (FAFSA) or the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid.

The next two webinars are on Monday, Oct. 26 and Thursday, Oct. 29 from 6 to 8 p.m.

ISAC requires participants to register for workshops. For more information, Cullerton urges residents to visit https://studentportal.isac.org to learn more about resources, tools and programs to ensure qualified students take advantage of college savings programs.

The agency also offers individualized help by offering one-on-one assistance via phone, email, text or videoconference with ISACorps, ISAC’s group of recent college graduates whose intensive training prepares them to assist students with planning, applying and paying for college. Residents can search by ZIP code at http://studentportal.isac.org/isacorps to find your local Corps members.

For assistance via text and to receive important information about college planning events and deadlines, students can sign up for ISAC College Q&A by texting their first and last name to (630) 216-4910.

“Every student deserves the chance to pursue higher education,” Cullerton said. “Our goal is to open doors for students and help ensure they are graduating college with mountains of opportunities, not burdensome college debt.”

For more information, residents can visit www.isac.org or call Cullerton’s office at (630) 903-6662 for assistance.

MARYVILLE – To mend technical inequities in rural areas of the Riverbend region, State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) is urging Metro East organizations to apply for $50 million in available funding through the second round of the Connect Illinois broadband expansion program.

“To ensure small businesses are able to compete and residents are able to connect at work and school, access to reliable, high-speed internet is critical,” Crowe said. “Communities must have the resources to support local digital demands, and applying for this grant is a simple way to expand broadband opportunities to those living in rural areas.”

CHICAGO — Applications for a second round of grants to expand broadband in underserved communities was recently announced, and State Senator Tony Munoz (D-Chicago) is encouraging any group eligible to apply. 

"Lack of quality broadband access continues to severely affect families across the state,” Munoz said. “People depend on vital services to keep them connected by virtual means during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as e-learning, telehealth care services and connecting with family and friends.”

The eligibility requirements for the second round of funding are largely the same as the previous round. However, the administration has introduced a new exemption allowing a lower non-state match for project proposals concerning economically distressed communities in an effort to allow underserved areas to be competitive when applying for critical infrastructure dollars.