PARK FOREST – To honor those who have died in work zones and to raise awareness for the safety of road workers, State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) is encouraging Illinoisans to “Go Orange” during Work Zone Safety Awareness Week, April 26-30, 2021.

“Too often, people are driving distracted and fail to see a crew member in a work zone,” Joyce said. “I urge drivers to be vigilant during Work Zone Safety Awareness Week and all year long when driving through a construction zone to protect the work crews on the road.”

In 2019, the most recent year statistics are available, 842 people were killed and 39,100 injured in work zone crashes nationally. Illinois averages 6,400 crashes in work zones each year, resulting in 1,700 injuries and 34 deaths. More than 9 out of 10 deaths are someone other than a worker, including drivers, passengers, pedestrians and bicyclists.

“Seeing orange is a powerful reminder that all crashes, injuries and deaths, not just those in work zones, are almost always avoidable,” said Acting Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “We are grateful to the organizations that are taking part in this effort to ‘Go Orange’ and help IDOT and its partners drive the number of fatalities to the only acceptable number – zero.”

For more information on Work Zone Awareness Week, visit IDOT’s Work Zone page.

COAL CITY – State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) recently honored 22 local high school students who were named 2021-22 Illinois State Scholars by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.

Illinois State Scholar winners rank in approximately the top 10% of the state’s high school seniors from 676 high schools in all 102 counties. Selection is based on a combination of standardized test scores and class rank or unweighted GPA at the end of the student’s junior year. ISAC works in conjunction with the students’ high school guidance counselors to determine the winners.

“I am thrilled to recognize and congratulate these students from our community for this well-deserved honor,” Joyce said. “This group of scholars is incredibly inspiring, as they have persisted through unprecedented changes in learning. I’m so proud of their commitment and dedication.”

SPRINGFIELD – To eliminate the teacher shortage in Illinois, State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) advanced a plan out of the Senate Friday to increase the number of hours a retired teacher may work without impairing their retirement status.

“The teacher shortage in Illinois predated COVID-19, and as we see more school districts return to in-person learning, some will be faced with challenges in hiring substitute teachers,” Joyce said. “This legislation will ensure schools have the most qualified professionals to teach our children.”

SPRINGFIELD – An initiative by State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) to prevent children’s lemonade stands from being shut down for not having a permit cleared the Illinois Senate Wednesday. 

The legislation was inspired by 12-year-old Hayli Martinez, whose lemonade stand in Kankakee was flagged by local officials and shut down.

“I once was a kid with a dream to own a business, and the current law discourages our young entrepreneurs – it’s time to stick up for them,” Joyce said. “Opening a lemonade stand is a rite of passage for any child – this legislation allows our youth to be innovative while making some extra money.”

SPRINGFIELD – To benefit Illinois farmers and help reduce the state’s dependence on foreign fuel sources, Senate Agriculture Chair Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) advanced a measure that aims to create a statewide renewable fuel standard which would require biodiesel for transportation fuel beginning in 2024.

“The demand for biodiesel is growing quickly, and it’s important that Illinois keeps up,” Joyce said. “Biodiesel offers environmental and performance benefits, as well as an economic boost for our farmers.”

Senate Bill 2394 is an initiative of the Illinois Soybean Association and would require diesel sold within the state for use in internal combustion engines to be at least 5% biodiesel fuel oil by volume prior to July 1, 2024, and 20% after that. Certain exemptions would be allowed, including for fuel used in locomotives, marine engines and for power generation.

SPRINGFIELD – In an effort to address the substitute teacher shortage in Illinois, State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) has introduced a bill that would increase the number of hours a retired teacher may work without impairing their retirement status.

“The pandemic has put a strain on the already-shrinking pool of teachers,” Joyce said. “As more school districts transition from remote learning to in-person instruction, some will be faced with challenges in hiring substitute teachers.”

CHICAGO HEIGHTS – State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) is reminding motorists who have been unable to visit a driver services facility to renew their driver’s licenses and purchase vehicle stickers online, especially while the Chicago Heights driver services facility is closed.

“Until drivers in Chicago Heights have a convenient facility to visit to renew and pay fees, I encourage folks to take full advantage of the online services available on the secretary of state’s website,” Joyce said. “While we work to reopen the facility in Chicago Heights, this is the best option for drivers.”

Online transactions can be conducted on the secretary of state’s website at www.cyberdriveillinois.com.

The secretary of state offers a wide range of services online, including purchasing license plate stickers and renewing driver’s licenses and ID cards.

To renew license plate stickers online, residents will need a registration ID and PIN, which are located on the renewal notice and registration card – which most people keep in their vehicle’s glove compartment. Vehicle owners may then visit www.cyberdriveillinois.com and click on “License Plates Renewal” under Online Services.

“My goal remains serving the public to the best of our ability during the pandemic, and reducing facility wait times while prioritizing the health and safety of customers and employees,” said Secretary of State Jesse White. “Those who conduct business online help shorten the line for those who must visit a facility.”

Joyce is also reminding motorists that all expired driver’s licenses and ID cards are now valid until Aug. 1, 2021. This extension does not apply to commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) and CDL learner’s permits.

BRACEVILLE – To improve public infrastructure in the Village of Braceville, State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) secured a $454,165 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to help the village make much-needed improvements to stormwater drainage systems.

The Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced the Village of Braceville has been selected to receive CDBG funding for the east side of town storm water improvements. The grant is designed to assist low- to moderate-income communities with improvements that remove conditions detrimental to public health and safety.

“This grant helps the village continue to move forward with public infrastructure improvements,” Joyce said. “I applaud village officials on being proactive in applying for state funding opportunities, and I look forward to seeing this project develop.”

Throughout the grant application process, Joyce advocated on behalf of the village at the state level to help Braceville secure funding. Joyce believes this boost in funding will bring a welcome change to the community.

All grants this year are for water and sewer projects. To learn more about the CDBG program visit DCEO’s website.