SPRINGFIELD – A piece of legislation sponsored by State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) that would waive trapping license requirements for disabled veterans, returning service members and those who are terminally ill passed out of the Senate and advanced to the House on Thursday.

“This legislation is one small way that we can convey to our servicemen and women that we are grateful for the sacrifices they have made,” Koehler said. “It is always a pleasure to bring bills before my colleagues that give back to those who have given so much for us.”

SPRINGFIELD – Family members would be able to receive certain information regarding their relatives in mental health facilities under legislation led by State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview), which passed the Senate Thursday.

“Individuals receiving care from mental health facilities may not be in a state where they are able to share information with loved ones,” Senator Fine said. “This initiative would ensure relatives involved in or paying for the individual’s care are allowed to receive pertinent information regarding their condition and treatment.” 

Senator Fine’s Access to Basic Mental Health Information Act would give certain family members access to information about their loved one’s care, including whether the individual is located at the mental health facility, their current physical and mental condition, diagnosis, treatment needs, services provided, services and medication needed, discharge planning or continuity of care, and a physician’s report if clinically appropriate. 

SPRINGFIELD – Members of the Illinois National Guard will be sufficiently honored in death thanks to a piece of legislation, sponsored by State Senator Michael E. Hastings, which passed the Senate earlier this week.

“The presentation of a flag, whether it’s a state flag or the American flag, to the families of fallen soldiers is a crucial tradition that dates back centuries,” Hastings said. “I am humbled by my colleagues’ approval on this measure, which will extend a time-honored privilege to our state’s fallen National Guardsmen and women.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) passed a measure through the Senate Thursday to amend regulations for the Prescription Monitoring Program.

“This legislation was necessary in order for doctors to be aware of what prescriptions their patients are taking to ensure any unnecessary prescriptions can be eliminated,” Hunter said. “Opioid overdose rates have risen in Illinois over the last year, and I want to take all necessary precautions and help those who need treatment to get it.”

Currently, the PMP is allowed to automatically send a report to prescribers and dispensers when medication shopping is detected from three identifications of a prescriber or pharmacy in a six month period.

SPRINGFIELD - To reaffirm the state’s commitment to amateur athletics, State Senator Michael E. Hastings passed a measure through the Senate State Government Committee that creates the Illinois Amateur Sports Commission Act.

“Students throughout our state saw their athletic development stunted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hastings said. “This commission is simply one way we can begin the work of making up for that lost time, fostering a culture of athletic success and physical fitness for future generations.”

Senate Bill 1749 creates the Illinois Amateur Sports Commission, whose purpose is to research, study, and make recommendations to the governor and General Assembly about the promotion, development, expansion, and fostering of amateur sports throughout the state.

SPRINGFIELD – Following a series of pedestrian deaths in the community she represents, State Senator Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) has advanced a plan to prevent further tragedy by requiring the Illinois Department of Transportation to look more closely into traffic accidents on state highways that result in the death of a pedestrian.

“The design of a roadway can play a large part in traffic accidents, with deadly consequences,” Murphy said. “By responding to these accidents with action, we can pinpoint those hazards and make a fix before more lives are lost.”

AURORA – State Senator Linda Holmes (D-Aurora) has passed a bill to extend the sunset of the River Edge Redevelopment tax credit from Jan. 1, 2022 to Jan. 1, 2027. The River Edge Historic Tax Credit Program (RE_HTC) provides a state tax credit for a project’s qualified rehabilitation of certified historic structures in the designated zones. It was designed to help older river cities redevelop older properties.

“This has been so successful in Aurora since it began in 2006, I can’t wait to see what’s next in renovating historic structures to further revive our local economy,” Holmes said. “The timing is just right as we need the stimulus of more jobs, more production and sales of materials and services right now as we emerge from the pandemic economy.”

The tax breaks for those structures inside the River Edge Zone have made possible dozens of development projects including the old Copley Hospital campus, the Keystone Building, the Terminal Building, the former West Aurora Administration Building, Waubonsee Community College, River Street Plaza, the Green Mile Bike Lane and the Hobbs Building, along with several residential, office and mixed use sites.

Developers inside the River Edge Redevelopment Zone get a 20% break on federal taxes, and a 25% break on state taxes from historic tax credits. They also are exempted from paying state sales tax on materials for non-residential redevelopment.

State legislation allows five Illinois cities to establish River Edge Zones: Aurora, Elgin, Rockford, East St. Louis and Peoria.

Senate Bill 157 has passed the Senate, and now will head to the House for their consideration.

SPRINGFIELD - State Senator Robert Martwick’s (D-Chicago) legislation that would provide students with five excused absence days for mental health per school year passed the Illinois Senate Thursday.

“As society continues to increase the importance of addressing mental health as a part of health care, we must ensure that our students have the ability to address issues they are dealing with,” Martwick said. “This bill removes the stigma and allows students to prioritize their mental health and stability.”

Currently, state law requires that any child who is physically or mentally unable to attend school must be granted temporary absence from a physician or principal in order for the student to receive excused time off from school.

According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, suicidal thoughts among teens ages 18 or 19 increased 46% from 2008 to 2017, and suicide attempts among people ages 22 or 23 have doubled. A study conducted in 2019 showed that the rate of suicide increased by 56% from 2007 to 2017 among people ages 10 to 24. Suicide, in recent years, has become the second-most-common cause of death among teens and young adults. It has overtaken homicides and is outpaced only by accidents.