SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Christopher Belt advanced a measure to increase access to life-saving mental health resources and strengthen suicide prevention efforts across the state.

“This measure takes crucial steps to ensure help is always within reach for those in crisis,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “This will give residents additional resources they may need to stay safe and feel supported.”

Belt’s measure would require numerous public buildings across Illinois to visibly post contact information for the 9-8-8 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, ensuring residents know immediate help is available. The legislation would also expand comprehensive health education for students in grades 6 through 12 by integrating evidence-based suicide prevention curriculum, as well as strengthen reentry support by requiring the Illinois Department of Corrections to provide suicide prevention resources to individuals preparing for release.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Christopher Belt advanced a measure that would ban the use of AI tools in teacher evaluations.

“A teacher may get a bad performance review, just to find out that it was AI that gave them the bad review with no way to challenge the outcome,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “I think we can all agree that there’s nuance in the classroom, and we shouldn’t dehumanize it.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Christopher Belt introduced a new measure to increase access to life-saving mental health resources and strengthen suicide prevention efforts across the state.

“What we’re doing is expanding suicide prevention education across the entire state,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “These are meaningful steps to address mental health proactively and compassionately.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Christopher Belt’s legislation that would require service providing companies to give consumers a two-hour service window for appointments advanced through the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

“People shouldn’t have to stay home from work all day waiting around for the cable guy to show up.” said Belt (D-Swansea). “This is about basic respect for families who have to balance jobs, child care and everything in between.” 

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Christopher Belt advanced a measure that would allow volunteer fire departments to apply for and receive state grants through the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal.

“We have several volunteer fire departments in the Metro East that would be able to take advantage of new funding,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “Right now, only city-run fire departments have access to state grants for equipment and building upgrades, this will change that.”

VENICE – State Senator Christopher Belt joined leaders from across the Metro East region to break ground on a new grocery store in Venice as part of the Illinois Grocery Initiative — marking an important milestone in expanding access to fresh, affordable food for local residents. The groundbreaking represents a critical joint effort to revitalize the city, which was made possible through a $2.4 million state grant and private funding.

“We have had some great days here in Venice, first for our bill signing, then to award this grant, and now we are here to put a shovel in the ground,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “I don’t have a crystal ball, but I think we’ll be here again when the grocery store is completed to celebrate what we have accomplished.”

In 2023, Belt championed legislation aiming to eliminate the number of food deserts in Illinois’ communities — leading to the creation of the Illinois Grocery Initiative and the current construction of a new grocery store in Venice. 

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Christopher Belt’s measure to stop gyms and fitness centers from canceling or changing benefits of a promised lifetime membership has been signed into law.

“When gyms offer lifetime memberships, they shouldn’t penalize members for actually using the facility,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “If you sign up for a lifetime membership at a set price, the gym shouldn’t be able to come back a year later and raise your fees.”

Gyms and fitness centers advertise lifetime memberships, but under state law, gym contracts can only be a maximum of one year. Functionally, these lifetime memberships are just one-year contracts that auto-renew. This is where the hidden price increases or benefit reductions can happen without the consumer knowing.

SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Christopher Belt’s measure to strengthen prevailing wage rules that will help workers receive higher pay was signed into law on Thursday.

“We don’t want to see the federal government shortchange our workers here in Illinois,” said Belt (D-Swansea).  “Illinois workers who literally build our state shouldn’t be cheated by corporate sleight of hand.”

Currently, Illinois’ prevailing wage law does not apply to federal construction projects that require a prevailing wage determination by the United States Secretary of Labor. Belt’s new law clarifies that workers must receive the highest prevailing wage – whether federal or state – in local public works projects that include federal funding. The goal is to eliminate potential confusion when rates differ and specifically impacts projects under state or local control.