SPRINGFIELD – Property taxes will be lowered for some homeowners and business owners in South Suburban communities thanks to a new state grant program that seeks to lift some of the burden on school districts that are heavily taxed.

The Property Tax Relief Grant is part of the education funding reform package that has been put in place to level the playing field to better serve struggling school districts.

“This is a positive step forward in bringing long-term property tax relief to the community of Broadview,” Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) said. “Property taxes have been an extremely important issue, which is why I am pleased to see this grant awarded to Lindop School District.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) raised concerns following the transition of DCFS children with complex needs into the Medicaid managed care form Wednesday.

Days after nearly 19,000 adopted children and former foster children transitioned to Medicaid managed care, an estimated 2,500 were affected by a glitch that has left them without insurance since Saturday.

The Senate Human Services committee held a hearing Tuesday to address concerns with the oversight of Medicaid managed care agencies in hopes to find a solution.

“There is a lack of communication with the agencies and it’s being taken out on the families,” Senator Bennett said. “We need to ensure these individuals have access to the health care they need and are kept informed – we have to stay aggressive to get this resolved.”

CHICAGO – Illinois motorists would no longer suffer hefty fines by municipalities through the use of red-light cameras under legislation proposed by State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago).

Senate Bill 2902 prohibits any unit of government from using automated traffic law enforcement systems at intersections for the purpose of recording a driver's failure to stop and yield at a red light.

“It’s clear that the red-light camera program has been sustained and expanded by corruption,” Hunter said. “Traffic laws should be driven by safety, not bribery, shakedowns or the need to boost revenue. An industry that benefited from foul-play shouldn’t be able to continue to siphon money from the pockets of motorists.”

Red-light cameras have been a source of frustration for Illinois motorists since they were first legalized in 2006.

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Medicaid recipients considering clinical trials for cancer treatment would no longer face possible rejection of coverage for care under legislation advanced out of the Senate Human Services Committee by State Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) on Wednesday.

“Access to the latest, most advanced cancer treatments can mean the difference between life and death for patients,” Manar said. “I take issue with the fact that some people are granted that access and others aren’t, simply depending on which insurance plan they have. This legislation solves that.”

An initiative of the American Cancer Society, Senate Bill 2499 requires Medicaid to cover routine care costs incurred for an approved clinical trial involving the prevention, detection, or treatment of cancer or any other life-threatening disease, as long as Medicaid would normally cover those same routine care costs for a non-clinical procedure.

State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) and State Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago) led a conversation Tuesday about the oversight of Medicaid managed care and the transition of DCFS children into the program.

“The state is responsible for these children and must make sure they have access to health care,” Morrison said. “I wouldn’t want my own child to be enrolled in this poorly managed program.”

The hearing comes just days after nearly 19,000 adopted children and former foster children transitioned to Medicaid managed care. Of those 19,000 people, at least 2,500 were affected by a glitch that has left them without insurance since Saturday.

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois students may soon be equipped with the skills to tackle real-life financial issues, thanks to State Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.

Bertino-Tarrant (D-Shorewood) introduced Senate Bill 2474, which will allow students to take a financial literacy class as a math requirement for high school graduation.

“Our schools need to ensure students are not only able to excel academically, but also have the life skills to be successful as adults, “Bertino-Tarrant said. “Balancing checkbooks, calculating income taxes and understanding bank statements are vital life skills that we should want our young people to have. Our students need to be equipped with the knowledge to manage their money effectively.”

Senate Bill 2474 allows that one year, or a semester, of a financial literacy course may count toward the math requirement to graduate high school.

SPRINGFIELD— Property taxes could be lower for some homeowners and business owners in South Suburban communities thanks to a new state grant program that seeks to lift some of the burden on school districts that are heavily taxed.

“This grant brings needed relief to struggling communities paying higher property taxes to provide a quality education for our students, and many times students still don’t receive adequate resources,” Sims said. “The program will provide necessary relief to help keep families in Illinois and boost the economy.”

Local school districts that are eligible for the Property Tax Relief Grant include:

• Community Consolidated School District 168, Sauk Village
• Dolton School District 149
• Hoover-Schrum Memorial School District 157, Calumet City
• Lansing School District 158
• Thornton Fractional Township High School District 215, Lansing

Black Caucus: State has made great strides, but there's still work to be done

SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus (ILBC) responded to Gov. JB Pritzker’s State of the State address on Wednesday.

Leaders of the Black Caucus discussed key issues brought up by the governor’s address that specifically affect black communities throughout the state, including early childhood education, health care and criminal justice reform.

Read more.

Ethics commission seeks more accountability for legislative wrongdoers

SPRINGFIELD — Members of the Joint Commission on Ethics and Lobbying Reform sought input on what could have been done to prevent recent high-profile conflicts of interest and what more must be done to hold lawmakers accountable at a hearing Thursday.

The joint commission touched on a number of ethical issues, including disclosures of conflict of interest and transparency of finances for public officials.

State Senator Elgie R. Sims Jr. (D-Chicago), who serves as co-chair of the group, said it is pertinent lawmakers are voting in the best interest of their communities.

Read more.

Mourning families receive update on DNA evidence backlog

SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) listened as families relived the terrible days their loved ones were murdered during a Senate Public Health Law committee hearing Tuesday afternoon.

“Our voice is not being heard," said Kristena Hopkins, director of Missing and Murdered Women and Girls, whose cousin, Shantieya Smith, was slain back in 2018. “I feel like they want us to just shake it off and keep moving, but I refuse to because she has a eight-year-old daughter who deserves to know what happened to her mom.”

Read more.

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