MARYVILLE – To make access to the COVID-19 vaccine more equitable and convenient for Metro East residents, a state-supported vaccination site opened Tuesday at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville, State Senator Rachelle Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) announced.

“As our state receives more vaccine doses for distribution, we are working to ensure communities receive them quickly, efficiently and equitably,” Crowe said. “By opening a community vaccination site in Collinsville, we are providing Metro East residents with the opportunity to contribute to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The site will be located at 1 Gateway Drive in Collinsville beginning Tuesday, Feb. 23. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), when vaccines are fully available, up to 1,350 doses per day can be administered at the site.

The mass and mobile vaccination sites are managed through an interagency effort led by IDPH, coordinated by the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and supported by the Illinois National Guard. More information and site locations can be found here.

There is no charge to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccinations are available only by appointment at this time, and residents are encouraged to check back frequently for open appointments. Individuals should sign up for an appointment to receive their second dose while they are getting their first vaccination.

When appointments become available, residents eligible for the vaccine can make an appointment by visiting the Madison County Health Department Website. If you do not have computer access, call (618) 650-8445 for assistance.

CHICAGO – After a long year of national racial unrest and advocating for change, State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) is proud that Gov. JB Pritzker signed HB 3653 into law.

“This is one of the most monumental pieces of legislation the state has passed to date,” Van Pelt said. “My colleagues and I have worked very hard, especially in the last year, to address the ways Black and Brown Illinoisans have felt suffocated under the criminal justice system, and I hope the implementation of these measures allows for some significant change, and even relief.”

During the January legislative session, Van Pelt voted to pass HB 3653, a bill spearheaded by the Legislative Black Caucus to enact major criminal justice reform in the state of Illinois.

To ensure officers are prepared to handle emergency situations, the legislation will require additional training in use of force and crisis intervention, as well as regular mental health screenings.

Additional provisions include a prohibition on chokeholds and the required use of body cameras statewide, which will be implemented by 2025.

“For centuries, Black and Brown communities have felt targeted by the police, and other institutions bred in structural racism,” Van Pelt said. “Every generation, we get closer and closer to the equality that our forefathers alluded to, but failed to uphold. Hopefully, this legislation allows us to take strides in undoing some of the biggest inequities in our justice system.”

The legislation also contains the Pretrial Fairness Act to abolish the cash bail system, which prohibits individuals accused of crimes from being detained before their trial simply because they can’t afford bail.

House Bill 3653 is effective July 1, though many provisions will phase in incrementally or be enacted after a period of transition over the coming years. Body cameras will become mandatory statewide by 2025, while the abolition of cash bail will take effect in January of 2023.

February 21-27 is Grain Bin Safety Week

KANKAKEE – Senate Agriculture Chairman Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) is joining the Illinois Department of Agriculture in reminding farmers and farm workers to be cautious when working in and around grain bins.

“This week is dedicated to raising awareness of hazards and safe work practices to reduce the number of accidents associated with grain handling and storage,” Joyce said. “I urge farmers to slow down and be safe to prevent a tragedy.”

Joyce says moving grain acts like quicksand and a worker standing on moving grain can be trapped within just five seconds and completely covered in grain in less than half a minute.

Three of the most common scenarios leading to grain entrapment include:

• A worker stands on moving or flowing grain, typically caused by an auger running or grain being moved out of the bin by gravity.
• A worker stands on or below a grain bridging situation. Bridging happens when damp grain clumps together, creating an empty space beneath the grain as it is unloaded. A worker above or below this bridge of grain is at risk should the bridge collapse.
• A worker stands next to an accumulated pile of grain on the side of the bin and attempts to dislodge it. It can collapse onto the worker.

While workers should avoid entering grain bins if possible, safety measures can greatly diminish the risk if they must enter. Workers entering a grain bin wear a body harness attached to a lifeline, and an observer should be stationed outside the bin to track the worker and call for help if something goes wrong.

Joyce suggests farm workers attend regular safety trainings as a reminder to utilize best practices while working in and around grain bins. Online training resources are also available from the Grain and Feed Association of Illinois, the Grain and Safety Council, and the University of Illinois Extension.  

Senate Democrats react to governor's budget proposal

SPRINGFIELD — Following Gov. JB Pritzker’s budget proposal speech Wednesday, Senate Democrats expressed their thoughts on the priorities he outlined and their concerns about the areas they feel must remain the focus as negotiations begin in earnest.

Senate Democrats’ top budget negotiators said they found much to like in Pritzker’s message but stressed that negotiations are just beginning. Read more.

Meanwhile, members of the Black Caucus said the proposal moves Illinois back on track toward supporting disadvantaged communities. Read more.

Additionally, the Illinois Latino Caucus said they look forward to collaborating with Pritzker to devise a series of strategies anchored in addressing the chronic fiscal and structural issues faced by our state in both spending plans and revenue generation. Read more.

To read reactions from other Democratic members of the Illinois Senate, click here.

Cappel, Connor urge motorists to drive safely, follow Scott's Law

WILL COUNTY — To help keep first responders safe while they assist motorists on the side of the road, State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Plainfield) and State Senator John Connor (D-Lockport) are reminding residents to reduce speed, switch lanes if possible and drive cautiously when emergency lights are visible.

"Scott's Law means move over for emergency vehicles, which is especially important with the winter weather conditions we're currently experiencing," Loughran Cappel said. "I am grateful the trooper involved in the accident in Will County has been released with non-life-threatening injuries, and I urge drivers to move over and drive slowly when passing emergency vehicles to prevent further tragedy."

Read more.

Johnson completes first round of small business tours

BUFFALO GROVE — State Senator Adriane Johnson has seen small businesses in the community suffer like never before. To provide those businesses support and let their owners know she is there to help them through this difficult time, the Buffalo Grove Democrat toured a number of shops throughout the Northern Suburbs.

“Small businesses have faced unimaginable challenges this year, and many owners worry daily if they’ll be able to make it through the winter months,” Johnson said. “Each person I met has faced a unique set of challenges. I’m hopeful our conversations served as a reminder that people are looking out for them and want to see them succeed.”

Read more.

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Members of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus (ILBC) joined Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton Monday to celebrate the signing of House Bill 3653, a historic measure to advance fairness and equity in the criminal justice system, into law.

“These landmark reforms begin a process of building trust through accountability and addressing elements of our criminal justice system that contribute to mass incarceration and the unjust criminalization of people of color,” said state Rep. Sonya Harper, Joint Chair for the ILBC. “These measures begin to build a smarter system where sentencing and bail decisions are based on the safety of the public rather than the wealth and skin color of the defendant, and where bad actors in our police departments are held accountable while those who serve with integrity have the resources they need.”

“These reforms should merely be the first steps we take to transform criminal justice in Illinois,” said state Sen. Elgie Sims,D-Chicago, the chief sponsor of the law in the state senate. “We must reimagine accountability. We must reimagine transparency. We must reimagine incarceration. These reforms are a beginning.”

CHICAGO HEIGHTS – As carjackings continue to rise across the south suburbs, State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) joined religious and community leaders at a press conference Friday to gather community input to find a solution for the escalating problem.

Joyce and other local elected officials stood with the Community Action Network, Chicago Heights Chief of Police Thomas Rogers, and clergy members from the International Pentecostal Assembly Ecumenical at the press conference to advocate for the establishment of a new alert system that will focus on carjacking safety.

Following Gov. Pritzker’s budget proposal speech Wednesday, Senate Democrats expressed their thoughts on the priorities he outlined and their concerns about the areas they feel must remain the focus as negotiations begin in earnest.

Senate Democrats’ top budget negotiators said they found much to like in Pritzker’s message but stressed that negotiations are just beginning.

“The governor has presented a budget plan that I believe has been put forward in good faith and that takes important steps to fund the vital criminal justice reforms we passed, including funding for additional law enforcement training and body cameras,” said State Senator Elgie Sims (D-Chicago). “Likewise, I am heartened by his proposal to increase funding to some social services, including those that help people stay in their homes. As I prepare to negotiate further, I’m determined that these areas remain our unshakeable priorities.”

CLINTON – State Senator Michael E. Hastings (D-Frankfort) and State Senator Doris Turner (D-Springfield) traveled to the Clinton Power Station Thursday to tour the facility and meet with employees.

“As a devastating energy crisis unfolds in Texas due to winter storms, consumers are experiencing skyrocketing natural gas prices. This demonstrates how essential our nuclear fleet is to reliable energy production in Illinois,” said Hastings, who serves as chair of the Senate Public Utilities and Energy Committee. “Rest assured, when the time comes, I will be prepared to do everything I can to protect our existing clean energy infrastructure.”

This is Hastings’ sixth power plant tour in recent months, as his committee begins its work this spring on the future of the state's energy policy. Exelon has indicated it will close more nuclear plants this year unless it receives additional aid, and state lawmakers are expected to discuss the future of clean energy in Illinois thoroughly this session.

Joining Hastings on the tour was State Senator Doris Turner (D-Springfield).

“The situation in Texas serves as a harsh reminder of what can happen when state government neglects existing energy infrastructure and fails to innovate. Everyday Texans are still enduring unusually frigid temperatures without access to heat and water. This simply cannot be allowed to happen in Illinois,” Turner said. “I look forward to working to ensure that our state’s energy infrastructure remains state-of-the-art, implement training programs for people transitioning to a job in a new energy sector and protect existing, good-paying jobs Downstate.”

The Clinton Power Station has the ability to generate nearly 1,069 net megawatts, enough electricity to power about 1 million average American homes. The 5,000-acre cooling lake is formed by a dam built at the convergence of Salt Creek and the North Fork of Salt Creek. The station serves as an economic driver for numerous Downstate communities, contributing $13 million in property taxes annually. Clinton also supports 2,100 direct and secondary jobs in Illinois.