Senate passes Glowiak Hilton initiative to expand services for deaf, blind students
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SPRINGFIELD – To ensure educational resources are accessible for children who are deaf or blind, State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton passed an initiative to broaden the scope of services offered at the Philip J. Rock Center and School in Glen Ellyn.
“All children, regardless of their sensory needs, deserve the opportunity to receive high-quality education and support,” said Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs). “By extending the services of the Philip J. Rock Center and School, we're opening doors to new opportunities for children throughout our community.”
Currently, the Philip J. Rock Center and School only serves students who are both blind and deaf. It is the only publicly funded residential school in the country for deaf-blind students. The school currently assists nine students from age three through 21.
Read more: Senate passes Glowiak Hilton initiative to expand services for deaf, blind students
Johnson measure to enhance water quality of Lake Michigan advances
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SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Adriane Johnson passed a measure to require regular monitoring of water quality from nearshores, harbors and public water supply intakes in Lake Michigan.
“Lake Michigan is the largest public drinking water supply in the state, serving nearly 6.6 million people, in addition to being Illinois’ largest recreational resource,” said Johnson (D - Buffalo Grove). “The protection of water resources is essential for sustaining public health, quality of life and economic prosperity.”
Senate Bill 3716 would update an existing provision to ensure that the IEPA is regularly monitoring water quality from nearshores, harbors and public water supply intakes in Lake Michigan. The measure would also require the IEPA to provide an executive summary every two years on conditions of the water quality in Lake Michigan to the governor and General Assembly. This update further aligns Illinois with the federal Clean Water Act.
Read more: Johnson measure to enhance water quality of Lake Michigan advances
Senate approves legislation led by Ellman to reduce light pollution
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SPRINGFIELD – To alleviate the negative impacts light pollution poses on our state’s environment, State Senator Laura Ellman passed a measure out of the Senate to implement responsible outdoor lighting standards.
“We may not immediately think of light as a source of pollution or consider the impacts that artificial light creates,” said Ellman (D-Naperville). “This impact includes migratory birds, nocturnal insects, people who cannot experience a natural night, and our expenditure of resources.”
Light pollution refers to the brightening of the night sky by man-made light sources, including street lights and buildings. Excessive light in our night sky causes a variety of issues, such as interfering with bird migration, nocturnal insects and our optical health.
Read more: Senate approves legislation led by Ellman to reduce light pollution
Morrison measure to examine inter-jurisdictional zoning passes Senate
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SPRINGFIELD – When a logistics company proposed a busy trucking facility across the street from a residential neighborhood, the Lake County community strongly opposed the planned development.
Compounding the issue was that the property for the development and the residential subdivision were under the jurisdiction of different governing bodies. In response to the community’s uprising, State Senator Julie Morrison passed a bill to prevent this in the future.
“We are developing a task force to give us direction and resolution on what to do when future development plans are presented,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “We want to look at giving communities input on industrial developments occurring near their place of residence.”
Read more: Morrison measure to examine inter-jurisdictional zoning passes Senate
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