WOOD RIVER – State Senator Rachelle Crowe’s (D-Glen Carbon) district office in Wood River is a new drop-off location for the non-profit Cell Phones for Soldiers organization, she announced today.

“This program provides a secure way to dispose of unwanted electronic devices while benefitting those who protect our freedom overseas,” said Crowe, a member of the Senate’s Veterans Affairs Committee.

The non-profit collects old, broken cell phones and tablets and sends them to be refurbished or recycled. Proceeds from those sales are used to send prepaid international calling cards to our troops and to provide emergency funding to veterans. All cell phone donations are tax deductible.

SPRINGFIELD – Mothers needing donated breast milk for their sick infants will benefit under a new law championed by State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon).

The initiative requires certain insurance plans to cover costs of pasteurized donated human breast milk for mothers with infants deemed medically necessary in Illinois.

“As a mother, I am humbled to carry this initiative through the Senate that takes a burden off of women with sick newborns and no other options to get breast milk,” Crowe said. “Breast milk contains all the nutrients an infant needs for proper growth and development and we have to make sure those who need it have access.”

Under the measure for coverage, the milk must be prescribed by a licensed medical professional and come from a milk bank licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health or a source that meets guidelines set by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America. The mother must be unable to produce milk to meet the infant’s needs, and the infant must also be critically ill.

SPRINGFIELD — Assistant Majority Leader Iris Y. Martinez (D-Chicago) is making it easier for graduating high schoolers to receive the State Seal of Biliteracy.

Her new law requires the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) to accept other testing methods for students to demonstrate English language proficiency for eligibility for the seal.

“Learning to read, write and speak in two different languages is an impressive skill for anyone, particularly young people,” Martinez said. “This law gives ISBE more flexibility to recognize that achievement.”

The State Seal of Biliteracy is a recognition given to graduating high school students who have demonstrated a high level of proficiency in English and in reading, writing, listening and speaking in another language.

House Bill 3237 is effective immediately.

GRAYSLAKE – Zion Benton received approval to be an Enterprise Zone, thanks to efforts by State Senator Melinda Bush.

“It’s been decades since the Zion Nuclear Power Station shut down and the community is still reeling from loss of jobs and tax revenue ,” Bush (D-Grayslake) said. “An Enterprise Zone in Zion is crucial to create jobs, recruit new businesses and boost the local economy.”

The Illinois Enterprise Zone granted Zion Benton designation to help encourage job growth and investment in the area. Enterprise Zones are a locally driven tool that provide financial incentives for companies and organizations seeking to develop or create new jobs in the Enterprise Zone. This can include property tax reductions, sales tax exemptions on qualifying building materials, investment tax credits and utility tax exemptions, among other local incentives.

ELGIN – After Amita Health announced plans earlier this week to close behavioral health units at two hospitals, including St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin, State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) released the following statement:

“I am extremely disappointed by Amita’s decision to close the behavior health unit at St. Joseph’s without any community input. Amita made an investment in the community, and many residents of the community rely on that investment. By pulling out, they are damaging lives.

“There is a substantial population of homeless people who use the services provided by the behavioral health unit to receive the treatment they need. That unit is also important for the well-being of minorities throughout the community. Since there are no other mental health wards nearby, closing this unit leaves these people with no options for treatment. This is shameful.

SPRINGFIELD — Assistant Majority Leader Iris Y. Martinez (D-Chicago) is continuing her work to ensure the needs of immigrant communities in Illinois are met.

Her new law creates the Immigration Task Force to examine specified issues related to immigrant communities in Illinois, as well as possible solutions.

“Immigrants in our state are facing an extremely difficult time due to toxic rhetoric and policies from the federal government,” Martinez said. “I am glad the governor shares my commitment to making sure they know they are welcome and protected in Illinois.”

SPRINGFIELD – A state commission overseeing charter school applications will be abolished under a new law sponsored State Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora). Gov. JB Pritzker has signed the measure that will keep those decisions in local hands.

Senate Bill 1226 would change the charter school application process to abolish the State Charter School Commission by July 1, 2020, and transfers most of its duties to the Illinois State Board of Education. Locally elected school boards and parents would decide if a charter school is good for their community.

Charter schools currently in the renewal process would be transferred to ISBE. The bill also provides that a local school board may not revoke or not renew a charter except for obvious justifying circumstances.

SPRINGFIELD — A new law sponsored by Assistant Majority Leader Iris Y. Martinez (D-Chicago) creates rules to allow small distilleries to self-distribute spirits.

Martinez’s measure creates a class 1 craft distiller licensee, which allows a licensee to manufacture up to 50,000 gallons of spirits and to self-distribute or sell not more than 5,000 gallons of spirits to retail licensees or consumers.

The bill also creates a class 2 craft distiller license, which allows production of up to 100,000 gallons and allows the licensee to transfer up to 5,000 gallons of spirits to a distilling pub wholly owned and operated by the class 2 distiller.