Tom Cullerton measure to raise penalties for construction zone car accidents now law

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.

Read more: Tom Cullerton measure to raise penalties for construction zone car accidents now law

Jones law will improve minority representation in apprenticeship programs

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.

Murphy makes mental health resources more available to students

CHICAGO – A bill sponsored by State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) that creates a database of mental health resources for students was signed into law earlier this month.

House Bill 907 directs the Illinois Department of Human Services to create and maintain a database on their website with mental health resources. The resources will be geared toward addressing bullying and school shootings, and will be available for students, school staff and parents. All web traffic on the database will remain anonymous and will not be tracked.

“Students face a variety of challenges that can create mental health crises,” said Murphy. “I want to make sure that teachers, parents and the students themselves have access to information that can help them navigate those challenges.”

The new law is effective immediately and the Department of Human Services is already developing the database.

Bertino-Tarrant’s measure to protect consumer privacy now law

PLAINFIELD – Illinois residents’ genetic testing results will now be protected under a new law championed by State Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.

Signed into law on Friday, Bertino-Tarrant’s House Bill 2189 prohibits companies that provide direct-to-consumer commercial genetic testing such as ancestry.com and 23andMe, from sharing any test results with health or life insurance companies without the consumer’s consent.

“As genetic testing becomes more popular, it is essential that personal information remain private,” Bertino-Tarrant said. “Illinois consumers should have peace of mind that their health information will remain private as they make decisions to manage their health care.”

The number of people who have had their DNA analyzed with direct-to-consumer genetic genealogy tests more than doubled during 2017 and exceeded 12 million in 2018.

Read more: Bertino-Tarrant’s measure to protect consumer privacy now law