SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mike Halpin’s measure to create a Community-Based Corrections Task Force to research the benefits of specialty courts and community-based correctional centers was signed into law on Friday.

“Listening to the experts and community residents is how we create common-sense laws that are fair to everyone,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “This task force will show us how folks struggling with mental illness or addiction interact with our criminal justice system so we can achieve better outcomes for these individuals while keeping our communities safe.”

Halpin’s law creates a task force to discuss benefits of community-based correctional facilities and specialty courts in Illinois. Community-based correctional centers are alternatives to prison that provide a different way for individuals who are convicted of crimes to be rehabilitated back into society without having to be incarcerated. One alternative to traditional corrections is the use of specialty courts, also known as problem-solving courts. These courts are designed to lead people out of a cycle with the justice system and into treatment programs.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mike Halpin advanced a measure through the Illinois Senate to create specialty Air Force Combat Action Medal license plates. 

“This is a way for us to thank Air Force veterans for their service to our country,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “I was proud to see this measure pass with bipartisan support.”

Currently, the Air Force is the only branch of the military that does not have a license plate for combat veterans. The Illinois Secretary of State is authorized to issue Combat Action Ribbon license plates to members of the Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps, and Combat Action Badge license plates to special groups within the Army.

Halpin’s measure would allow the Secretary of State to issue Air Force Combat Action Medal license plates to Air Force veterans who were awarded the Air Force Combat Action Medal.

House Bill 4108 passed the Illinois Senate on Wednesday and heads to the governor’s desk.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mike Halpin advanced a measure to create specialty Air Force Combat Action Medal license plates. 

“We are simply acknowledging the sacrifice these combat veterans made for our country,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “This move is a small way for us to give Air Force veterans the recognition they deserve.”

Currently, the Air Force is the only branch of the military that does not have a license plate for combat veterans. The Illinois Secretary of State is authorized to issue Combat Action Ribbon license plates to members of the Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps, and Combat Action Badge license plates to special groups within the Army.

ROCK ISLAND – State Senator Mike Halpin helped secure nearly $100,000 in funding heading to Carl Sandburg College to help increase the number of professional nurses in Illinois.

“If we want better health care access, we have to make strategic investments in the health care workforce,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “There is a pressing need for professional nurses in hospitals and medical centers across Western Illinois. That’s why it’s so critical we actually try to solve the issue, and not just sit on our hands.”

The Illinois Board of Higher Education awarded a total of $96,401 through a nursing school grant to Carl Sandburg College. The grant was awarded through a competitive application process where institutions submitted enrollment, retention, completion and job placement rates of their students during a multi-year period and how grant funds would be used to enhance their program’s efforts to close equity gaps and improve student success.

ROCK ISLAND – State Senator Mike Halpin advanced a measure to create a Community-Based Corrections Task Force that would research the benefits of specialty courts, like drug court and detention alternatives, and the creation of a community-based correctional facility.

“In Springfield, there are many issues that need expert review and recommendations,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “This task force brings on-the-ground expertise as to how folks with mental illness or addiction interact with our criminal justice system so we can achieve better outcomes for these individuals while keeping our communities safe.”

The goal of Halpin’s measure is to discuss the benefits of community-based correctional facilities and specialty courts in Illinois. Community-based correctional centers are alternatives to prison that provide a different way for individuals who are convicted of crimes to be rehabilitated back into society without having to be incarcerated. One alternative to traditional corrections is the use of specialty courts, also known as problem-solving courts. These courts are designed to lead people out of a cycle with the justice system and into treatment programs.

SPRINGFIELD – The achievements of Career and Technical Education programs across the state will be recognized this February under a measure sponsored by State Senator Mike Halpin.

“Many CTE programs allow students to receive a debt-free education that sets them up with a good job,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “I believe there is agreement out there across our community and state that college isn’t for everyone. We need to be proud of our young people going to vocational school, as our state wouldn’t be able to build any infrastructure without them.”

ROCK ISLAND — State Senator Mike Halpin joined State Representative Gregg Johnson and the Illinois Department of Transportation on Wednesday to announce the completion of the I-280 bridge over the Mississippi River in Rock Island.

“I am grateful for the leaders that prioritized this funding and helped make this bridge a reality,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island). “But I want to offer a special 'thank you' to the skilled tradesmen and women that built this bridge from the riverbed up. We are lucky to have an amazing workforce in Illinois and we are a better state because of it.”

The $49.7 million project began in 2021 with the demolition and replacement of the I-280 westbound bridge deck, followed by the eastbound bridge deck in 2022. The final stage of the project, which patched and resurfaced I-280 from the bridge to the Illinois 92 interchange, was combined with another $16 million improvement that extended the work from the Illinois 92 interchange to east of the Milan Beltway. Additional work included bridge painting and lighting upgrades at Illinois 92.

ROCK ISLAND – State Senator Mike Halpin is highlighting the start of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission’s annual College Changes Everything Campaign — beginning with recognizing October as CCE Month.

“College Changes Everything Month reminds us that education is more than an individual journey,” said Halpin (D-Rock Island), chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee. “It’s a collective investment in our state’s future. By celebrating this month, we are acknowledging that every student’s success is a step toward a more thriving community.”

CCE is a college access movement that recognizes college can be a life-changing experience not only for students, but also for families and communities. In Illinois and across the nation, those who obtain education beyond high school not only see a significant impact on their potential career prospects and future salary, but also lower levels of poverty, crime and obesity rates in their communities. CCE is an essential part of helping Illinois reach its goal of increasing the proportion of adults in the state with high quality degrees or credentials to 60% by 2025.

For the past eight years, during CCE Month, ISAC has collaborated with schools and community-based organizations to provide free college and financial aid application completion workshops statewide. This year, CCE campaign activities will extend through the winter to better support students and families in light of the transition to a later launch date of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

“The College Changes Everything campaign aligns with our states’ values of affordability, access and equal opportunity in education,” said Halpin. “Together, we can empower and uplift students across Illinois to reach their full potential. I encourage all students and families to take advantage of the free workshops to alleviate as much stress as possible come college and FAFSA application time.”

For more information about CCE Month or the CCE campaign, visit the CCE website.