CHICAGO –State Senator Cristina Castro’s push to allow more Illinois courts to determine whether to give an undocumented child lawful permanent residence was signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker today.

House Bill 1553 allows civil courts to determine whether a child with Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) is eligible to be given lawful permanent residence. Under current law, only juvenile courts in Illinois may make this determination.

“This is about ensuring the safety of some of the most vulnerable people in our state,” said Castro, (D-Elgin). “We have an obligation to protect children regardless of their immigration status, and this law will expedite that process.”

VILLA PARK – State Senator Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) praised the Illinois State Police crime lab’s efforts to reduce the massive backlog of cases awaiting DNA analysis.

This month, ISP posted 26 job postings for forensic scientists to get to work on the massive backlog of cases. Filling these positions will allow the agency to address the backlog.

“Forensic evidence can make or break the outcome of a case,” Cullerton said. “This highly scientific process continues to become increasingly important in solving crimes. The Illinois State Police is working diligently to help solve this crisis and eliminate this catastrophic backlog once and for all, and to do it, they need more experts.”

Cullerton sponsored House Joint Resolution 7, which directs the Illinois State Police to take all steps possible to comply with the Federal Rapid DNA Act of 2017. The measure was adopted by the House and Senate with unanimous support in May.

SPRINGFIELD — Assistant Majority Leader Iris Y. Martinez (D-Chicago) released the following statement today as thousands continue to protest Puerto Rico’s governor after leaked text messages uncovered crude, sexist and homophobic remarks made by him and others:

“I’m truly disappointed in the disparaging remarks made by Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello and his allies towards females, members of the LGBTQ community and our beloved island, among other things.

“Let’s be clear, sexist and homophobic slurs don’t have a place in our public discourse and only belittle the positions we’re elected to serve. Our Puerto Rican brothers and sisters are angry, disappointed and feel disrespected by their government, and these feelings shouldn’t be ignored.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) passed a measure into law last week to help families in extreme poverty meet their basic needs.

House Bill 3129 eliminates the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) full family sanction. The TANF program provides monthly grants to help families meet their basic needs, including rent, utilities, clothing, personal hygiene products, diapers, transportation and more. Eligible families sometimes may receive a sanction, which suspends a TANF grant, when an adult does not meet certain participation requirements.

The measure, sponsored by Hunter and Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago), would designate 75 percent of a family’s TANF benefit as the children portion that cannot be cut for any reason. When sanctioning, the remaining 25 percent is considered the parent’s portion and is subject to sanction. 30 percent of the parent’s portion can be reduced if a parent is not complying with TANF participation requirements.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Christopher Belt’s measure will create a statewide program to promote public awareness and early detection of Parkinson's disease was signed into law.

“We want people to take care of their health,” Belt (D-Cahokia) said. “That’s why we are trying to inform everyone what Parkinson’s disease is and encourage people to manage their health more carefully.”

House Bill 3247 would also allow the Illinois Department of Public Health to accept for the program any special grants of money, services or property from the federal government or any of its agencies or any foundation, organization or medical school.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Rachelle Crowe is working to make insulin more affordable for Metro East residents.

Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) is a chief cosponsor of Senate Bill 667, which caps the out-of-pocket costs for patients to $100 for a 30-day supply of prescription insulin.

“People who require insulin do not have a choice in their medication,” Crowe said. “Drug manufacturers should not be able to raise the cost to line their own pockets at a patient’s expense.”

For people with severe diabetes, insulin could mean the difference between life and death, but regular price hikes make insulin difficult to afford for the uninsured and those whose coverage requires significant cost sharing.

SPRINGFIELD – Individuals who own an interest in conservation or preservation land will be able to recover costs associated with damage done when someone illegally cuts down trees on the owner’s property thanks to legislation signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker today.

State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) was the legislation’s sponsor.

“Preserving our state’s natural beauty for future generations is more important than some people think,” Stadelman said. “I’m glad I was able to partner with the Illinois Environmental Council to pass this legislation, which strengthens existing protections.”

The legislation passed both chambers unanimously and takes effect immediately.

CHICAGO – A bill sponsored by State Senator Omar Aquino (D-Chicago) that would allow specified people to use their SNAP benefits at participating restaurants was signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker today.

House Bill 3343 would allow elderly, homeless and people living with a disability to redeem their SNAP benefits at private establishments that contract with the Department of Human Services and on hot food served in grocery stores.

“When we get older, preparing meals at home becomes increasingly difficult,” said Aquino. “I saw firsthand how hard it was when I was a case manager for the Community Care Program. Seeing that made me want to make changes to our food assistance programs so they can effectively serve the people who rely on them.”

House Bill 3343 takes effect immediately.