SPRINGFIELD – Senators welcomed Indian Consul General Sudhakar Dalela to Springfield today as he delivered an address that covered trade relations, economic development and the shared democratic values between the United States and India.

“As vibrant democracies, India and the U.S. share many common values and aspirations,” Dalela said. “Our partnership is based on our shared values, such as respect for rule of law, human freedom, free and independent media, and a strong civil society.”

Preserving trade relations with the United States was the focal point of Dalela’s speech. Last year the bilateral trade agreements between the U.S. and India were valued at $140 billion. The two nations are also engaged in a regional security partnership to protect U.S. and Indian interests in the Indo-Pacific region, emphasizing cybersecurity and maritime cooperation.

SPRINGFIELD – At a news conference Wednesday, State Senator Bill Cunningham announced the introduction of new legislation aimed at reducing costs and increasing access to public transportation for residents on Chicago’s south side and southwest suburbs.

“Residents on the south and southwest sides, as well as in the suburbs, are underserved when it comes to cheap, reliable methods of public transportation,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “We need to ensure everyone has affordable access to public transit and this legislation will provide another option to these communities.”

SPRINGFIELD – In support of the good-paying jobs and vital economic contributions jet repair companies provide to the Metro East, State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) advanced an initiative out of the Senate Revenue Committee to help keep their doors open.

“West Star Aviation provides over 500 good-paying jobs in the East Alton region,” Crowe said. “We need to keep them here.”

The measure reinstates Illinois’ sales tax exemption for aircraft materials, which expired Dec. 31, 2014.

Since its expiration, the Illinois Department of Revenue audited several privately-owned aviation repair companies and never required them to collect sales tax. The Illinois Aviation Trades Association believes the outstanding tax bill is roughly $50 million.

SPRINGFIELD – Vaping has taken the life of three Illinoisans and injured 166 more. Senate President John J. Cullerton is committed to stopping the lung illness outbreak before even more lives are lost – and it starts with the passage of Senate Bill 668.

“Chemical cigarettes are a public health epidemic,” President Cullerton said. “I don’t want to see these numbers go any higher. I don’t want to see any more teenagers lured to addiction by fruit flavored chemical cigarettes.”

President Cullerton is the sponsor of SB 668, which would ban flavored nicotine products, including flavored electronic cigarettes and vapes, flavored cigars and flavored chewing tobacco.

This step toward addressing the epidemic is supported by the Illinois attorney general, the American Lung Association, the American Cancer Society and the Respiratory Health Association.

SPRINGFIELD – In response to a Springfield-based nonprofit’s previous decision to withhold paychecks from employees with developmental disabilities, State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield) held a hearing in hopes to further examine sub-minimum wage.

“There are thousands of people in the state of Illinois who are anxious to work,” Morrison said. “We need to lead by example and provide good options for those who not only need to work, but want to work.”

The joint Senate and House Human Services Committee was joined by members of the Department of Human Services and Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities to discuss sub-minimum wage employment for people with developmental disabilities.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) advanced a measure from the Illinois Senate to address pedestrian fatalities on state highways.

“This is a very personal issue to me,” Murphy said. “In Des Plaines we’ve witnessed four separate pedestrian fatalities at the same intersection, and countless other close calls. The local police department even did a sting operation and cited dozens of drivers for not yielding to pedestrians there.”

Senate Bill 767 would require the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to conduct a traffic study for each pedestrian fatality on a state highway. Studies would consider design improvements, traffic control devices and any other improvements that IDOT may recommend.

The measure passed the Senate 49-1 and will go to the House for consideration.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) voted on legislation today that would make daylight saving time the year-round standard.

The measure would eliminate the statewide practice of moving clocks forward in the spring and backward in the fall.

“Changing your clocks twice year is at best a hassle for most Illinoisans,” Stadelman said. “There are also many benefits that come with making this simple change to the way we keep our time in this state.”

Research has shown that switching to standard time in the fall is linked with a spike in diagnoses of depression as well as a mild spike in heart attacks.

“I have no doubt that in the past standard time served a purpose, but it’s simply no longer necessary for the world we live in today,” Stadelman said. “I hope federal lawmakers will come to a similar conclusion and do their part to remove this arbitrary system that burdens everyday people.”

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Senate today approved legislation sponsored by State Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) aimed at making daylight saving time the year-round standard in Illinois.

The inspiration for Senate Bill 533 came from a group of students from Carlinville High School, who presented the idea to Senator Manar as part of a civics class project.

“It was a well-thought out proposal that I felt deserved consideration in Springfield. Given the loss of productivity caused by the arbitrary daylight saving time change, and the various health and safety concerns that are supported by research, this proposal makes a lot of sense,” Manar said. “What’s most important is that this group is an example of how young people can step up and engage their elected officials to enact changes they want to see in government.”