SPRINGFIELD – Senator Linda Holmes’ (D-Aurora) legislation to allow pregnant women to use a disabilities vehicle placard or sticker in their third trimester passed the Senate today.

Holmes was motivated to sponsor the legislation, originally introduced by Representative Keith Wheeler (R-North Aurora) in the House, after hearing the story of Wheeler’s district office director Ben Marcum and his family, who inspired the measure.

“Rep. Wheeler has a personal connection with a family who suffered a devastating loss that may have been avoided if this had been in place two years ago,” Holmes said. “This can prevent future heartbreak if an expectant mother has a long, exhausting walk to work or school without the aid of temporary disability parking access.”

When Marcum’s wife was pregnant with their first child in 2019, she faced a long, difficult walk from her car to her office, which only became more grueling as her pregnancy progressed. When Marcum tried to secure disability parking privileges for his wife, he was shocked to learn that pregnancy was not considered a qualifying condition. Unfortunately, his wife went into early labor at 21 weeks, and their son Henry only survived an hour.

The legislation would allow an expectant mother in her third trimester to use a disabilities placard for up to 90 days To qualify, an individual would have to provide documentation proving that they have entered the third trimester.

“In memory of Henry Marcum and in honor of pregnant women who could use some additional support during their third trimester, I’m am happy to sponsor this commonsense measure,” Holmes said. “I’m grateful to Rep. Wheeler for bringing it to my attention.”

House Bill 3027 has passed both chambers of the Illinois legislature.

SPRINGFIELD – To continue her efforts to dismantle the systemic racism in Illinois, Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) passed legislation that would remove derogatory words from Illinois law that describe Black people as “Negro” or “Haitian.” 

“In this era of racial reckoning and righting the wrongs of our predecessors, it’s imperative that we cleanse Illinois law of old, offensive racial terms,” Lightford said. “We are working to undo years of oppression and currently fighting racial injustice.” 

House Bill 3217 reconstructs several state laws by deleting the use of the words “Haitian” or “Negro,” replacing them with “Black” or “African American.” 

HB 3217 passed the Senate floor and now heads to the governor for final approval.

SPRINGFIELD – Older Illinoisans would have a better understanding of the state programs and resources available to them, even without easy access to the internet, under legislation proposed by State Senator Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove).

“I’ve spoken to countless older neighbors who don’t have a computer or smartphone, or who simply aren’t comfortable navigating the internet,” Johnson said. “When events and services went digital during the pandemic, these Illinoisans were overlooked. Moving forward, we have to ensure no one is left out of the loop.”

The measure would require recipients of home-delivered meals to receive an annual fact sheet developed by the Department on Aging with a current list of toll-free numbers to access information on various health conditions, elder abuse and programs for seniors. Recipients would also receive updates on any new programs for older adults.

SPRINGFIELD – So that students better understand the naturalization process, State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) passed legislation in the Illinois Senate that would allow schools to offer courses on naturalization and citizenship.

“More than two-thirds of students who take the U.S. Citizenship test in their history courses end up failing,” Villanueva said. “Schools should offer instruction on citizenship so that students from all backgrounds know the effort it takes to go through the naturalization process.”

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Senate approved a measure sponsored by State Senator Robert Peters (D-Chicago) aimed at limiting the ability of law enforcement agencies to use intimidation tactics.

“Public safety belongs to the people, and as such, anyone who wants to should be able to participate at public hearings without fear of repercussions,” Peters said.

Under House Bill 1765, law enforcement agencies would be prohibited from conducting a background check on a person if the only reason for doing so is that they’re participating in an open, public meeting. The proposal allows some exceptions, such as when public safety is potentially at risk or in cases where the individual in question is under consideration for an appointment to a government body.

SPRINGFIELD – Alex’s Law, a measure sponsored by State Senator Laura Ellman (D-Naperville) that aims to decrease deaths from opioid overdoses passed the Senate on Saturday. The legislation would ensure that people who seek emergency assistance for an individual experiencing symptoms of an opioid overdose will not be arrested for any crime related to the use of drugs at the scene.

“Saving lives has to be our first priority,” Ellman said. “Fear of criminal charges should never prevent someone from seeking help.”

The idea for the measure came from the death of a 25-year-old Naperville resident, Alex Green, who died of a fentanyl overdose in 2018. Alex had been with others at the time of his overdose, but none of the others on the scene called 911 for assistance. This meant the officers who arrived on scene were not able to identify what had happened until it was too late, despite having Narcan (a medicine used to treat opioid overdoses) with them at the time.

SPRINGFIELD – After it passed the Senate with strong bipartisan support, State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) hopes her initiative will improve student access to mental health education and resources by allowing partnerships between state agencies.

“As our schools recover from numerous pandemic-related challenges, our state must prioritize our students’ well-being,” Glowiak Hilton said. “To ensure children are receiving the best mental health services at school, this proposal allows two key state agencies to work together to improve prevention and treatment resources.”

An initiative of the Illinois State Board of Education, Glowiak Hilton’s proposal allows board officials to collaborate with the Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership (ICMHP) to give students access to a wider range of mental health resources at school.

SPRINGFIELD – Community health issues could be better identified, understood and addressed under legislation sponsored by State Senator Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove) to conduct a statewide public health survey.

“As the past year has shown us, a public health crisis can impact different neighborhoods in vastly different ways,” Johnson said. “As we craft public health policy in the wake of the pandemic, it’s important that we understand each community’s unique needs.”

Johnson’s legislation would require the Illinois Department of Public Health to administer a comprehensive Healthy Illinois Survey every year to study public health and health equity in Illinois.

The survey would gather input from Illinois residents in urban, suburban and rural areas across the state. Survey questions would cover a range of topics, including access to health services, chronic health conditions, diet, mental health, physical activity, substance abuse and more.