COLLINSVILLE – State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) welcomed Gov. JB Pritzker and other area legislators to the 56th District to celebrate a list of accomplishments this past session.

“The state was able to make some much needed updates to current laws that are felt throughout the Metro East,” Crowe said. “Today was about showcasing those ideas and meeting with the people our legislation will affect.”

Crowe was joined by Gov. JB Pritzker, State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Cahokia), state Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville), state Rep. Monica Bristow (D-Alton) and state Rep. LaToya Greenwood (D-East St. Louis) and state Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea) at the Fairmount Park Race Track in Collinsville to applaud Illinois’ expansion of sports betting allowing racetracks to benefit from revenue by gaming machines.

Next, officials traveled to Southern Illinois University’s campus in Edwardsville for the governor to sign House Bill 2239 into law, allowing both student trustees to be voting members of the Southern Illinois University Board. This measure aims to give both the Edwardsville campus as well as the Carbondale campus a voice in decision-making.

“Student voices matter. That, at its core, is why we’re amplifying the student voice on the Board of Trustees, offering each major campus equal say in board affairs no matter the date or time of year,” Gov. JB Pritzker said.

CHAMPAIGN – A proposal by State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) to provide Illinois communities the protection they need from toxic coal ash pollution was signed into law today.

“This was about preventing coal ash waste from threatening our water and our communities throughout the state,” Bennet said. “I am relieved that we now have the protections, regulations and financial assurances in place that we need to prevent more coal ash crises from happening in Illinois."

The new law addresses the closure of waste pits across the state filled with coal ash, a toxic byproduct of burning coal. There are approximately 25 known coal ash impoundments which are already closed in the state.

Bennett’s measure would establish processes to address the other 50-plus impoundment sites which have yet to close.

It also creates a regulatory framework to ensure polluters, not taxpayers, pay for needed closure and cleanup, guarantees public participation and transparency around cleanups for affected communities and provides Illinois EPA the funds it needs to properly oversee closure and cleanup.

PEORIA – Existing protections under Scott’s Law, the state law requiring motorists to move over for emergency vehicles pulled over on the side of the road, were strengthened under legislation signed into law today.

Assistant Majority Leader Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) was a cosponsor of the measure and says that, with the prevalence of distracted driving, the measure couldn’t have come sooner.

“First responders have enough on their plates without having to worry about getting hit by cars on the interstate,” Koehler said. “This measure is designed to save lives, and I’m glad to stand with our first responders and support it.”

SPRINGFIELD – Two pieces of legislation from State Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) to improve how local governments operate have been signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker.

“Measures to put decisions in the hands of voters and to streamline local government functions will save taxpayer dollars and make operations more transparent,” Holmes said. “Citizens need to know their municipal officials are representing them effectively.”

House Bill 910 lets the Aurora Public Library change its board of trustees from appointed to elected. The measure would require a referendum asking voters to decide and, if passed, provides for the number of trustees and the manner of their election. Currently, the board is appointed by the city’s mayor with council approval.

VILLA PARK – To protect construction workers and discourage unsafe driving as construction season returns in Illinois, a new law by State Senator Tom Cullerton signed today increases the maximum penalty for hitting a construction worker to $25,000 from the current $10,000 fine.

“We are seeing an epidemic of distracted driving, and the people who work in our roadways are paying the price,” Cullerton said. “As construction season progresses, it is crucial that we take every necessary step to deter drivers from taking their eyes off the road.”

Cullerton championed Senate Bill 1496 in response to an accident in which Bartlett resident Frank Caputo was struck and killed while working on the Tri-State Tollway near O'Hare International Airport.

Caputo was working as a nighttime flagger in a construction zone near Rosemont in September 2018, when a car drove into the closed lanes and fatally injured him.

ROCKFORD – To prevent more tragic losses of emergency responders and highway workers, Assistant Majority Leader Tony Muñoz’s (D-Chicago) legislation that strengthens Scott’s Law and finds a way to end senseless roadway fatalities was signed into law today.

“There is no reason why officers and first responders can’t be safe while addressing an incident on the side of the road,” Muñoz said. “It needs to be second nature for drivers to slow down and move over whenever any vehicle is stalled on the side of the road.”

This year, Troopers Christopher Lambert, Brooke Jones-Story and Gerald Ellis were killed in the line of duty when hit by vehicles while their patrol vehicles were stalled on the side of the road. The law was initially passed in memory of Lieutenant Scott Gillen.

DES PLAINES – A bill sponsored by State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) that would make partisan appointments to the Task Force on Human Services Contracting equal was signed into law earlier this month.

House Bill 2487 requires appointments to the task force to have the same number of Democrats and Republicans. Previously, the majority party was allowed to appoint one more member than the minority party.

“Human services should not be a partisan issue,” said Murphy. “We need to bring all sides together to ensure that the challenges faced by human service agencies are adequately addressed.”

The task force was implemented to study State contracting with private, nonprofit human service providers and the challenges they face. The new law extends the task force’s study by one year, and at that time the task force will make recommendations to the General Assembly on how to improve contracting relationships so that human services needs are addressed efficiently.

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation sponsored by State Senator Emil Jones III (D-Chicago) that will increase access to apprenticeship programs in the construction industry for African Americans was signed into law.

Jones's legislation creates the Bureau on Apprenticeship Programs within the Illinois Department of Labor and creates an advisory board of 12 legislators (three from each caucus, appointed by the caucus leader). The goal of the commission is to increase minority participation in apprenticeship programs.

“This law will ensure African Americans have equal access to apprenticeship programs so that they can earn a more suitable living wage,” Jones said. "Most importantly, this is the first step in providing a better foundation for minorities to obtain an exceptional career in the construction industry."

Illinois' workforce stands at about 6 million, and there are about 16,000 active apprenticeships in the 13 basic crafts in the state's 102 counties.

Senate Bill 534 takes effect on Jan. 1, 2020.