Murphy law fights crime on expressways, protects residents’ privacy

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Laura Murphy’s law to bring to justice to victims of human trafficking by expanding the expressway camera program to target traffickers was signed into law Monday.

“With this law we send a clear message: Illinois is not a safe haven for human traffickers,” said Murphy (D-Des Plaines). “By empowering law enforcement with the tools necessary to identify human traffickers in real time, we are helping with investigations, increasing public safety and saving lives.”

Human traffickers often use highways to transport victims. Truck stops in particular are often hotspots for this kind of illicit activity and those vehicles can be tracked using an expressway camera.

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Belt: Education is the government’s best return on investment

CHICAGO – Understanding that the college admissions process can be difficult for students to navigate, State Senator Christopher Belt worked to make the process easier for high school juniors, seniors and community college transfer students.

“Investing in our students is by far the best return on investment the government could get,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “This is essentially an automatic admissions program that students can opt in to. It will really help streamline the process for students and their families.”

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Castro’s new law expands dual credit opportunities for students

CHICAGO — Illinois students will soon have more opportunities to earn college credit during high school thanks to a new law spearheaded by State Senator Cristina Castro.

“The two biggest barriers facing students today are time and money,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “Dual credit helps lift this burden, giving high school students a head start so they can save money on tuition and accelerate the time it takes to earn a degree.”

Dual credit instruction makes higher education more attainable, especially for first-generation and lower-income students, by offering high school students the opportunity to earn both college and high school credit through a single course. Students who earn dual credit in high school complete their college and university degrees at higher rates and are often able to save money as a result of having fewer college credits to pay tuition for.

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More FAFSA supports for students secured thanks to Cervantes legislation

SPRINGFIELD—Thanks to two new laws led in the state legislature by State Senator Javier Cervantes, high school students may soon have access to more supports from their high schools when applying for college and filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, more commonly known as the FAFSA.

“The form is intended to give more students a chance of pursuing higher education,” said Cervantes (D-Chicago). “We should be doing everything we can to make sure it is as accessible as possible for people to complete, and this measure is a simple step to make completing it easier.”

Read more: More FAFSA supports for students secured thanks to Cervantes legislation