GRANITE CITY – The Six Mile Regional Library District is the recipient of a $9,854 mentoring grant from the Illinois secretary of state, State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Centreville) announced.

The grant was awarded through the FY20 Project Next Generation program, which is a mentoring program administered through Illinois public libraries. Mentors work with middle and high school students to help them develop skills needed to use technology and find success through project-based learning. Mentors also help with developing life skills, such as effective communication, goal setting and conflict resolution.

Six Mile Regional Library District is one of 29 public libraries in the state to receive the grant.

“At risk students in Granite City will have the opportunity to access new educational platforms because of this grant,” Belt said. “This will develop their skill set, increase their self-confidence in the classroom and most importantly provide passage towards success in their future careers.”

PEORIA – Alpha Park Public Library District and Peoria Public Libraries are receiving grants from Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White to help mentors connect with at-risk youth in the community.

Assistant Majority Leader Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) represents to the two cities and says it’s important to connect children with services early on to better serve them.

“Giving at-risk kids the opportunity to learn valuable skills in a safe environment can only serve to improve our communities,” Koehler said. “I want to thank Jesse White for seeing the potential in the Bartonville and Peoria communities when awarding this grant.”

DECATUR – State Senator Andy Manar joined Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Development Acting Director Erin Guthrie and representatives from the business and labor communities for a tour of Richland Community College’s workforce development facilities Wednesday.

“There’s incredible opportunity in the Decatur area and Richland is doing an excellent job of making sure there are qualified individuals ready to take advantage of those opportunities,” said Manar, a Bunker Hill Democrat. “And after touring their facilities today, I’m certain that the EnRich program will be instrumental to the economic growth of the community going forward.”

For the past two fiscal years, Manar has helped secure $1.5 million grants through DCEO to help the college expand its workforce development programs.

The additional funds have helped Richland grow its EnRich program, which provides both technical and essential skills training to individuals to help grow the area’s workforce.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Ram Villivalam’s legislation to streamline the process of appointing a guardian for those children whose parents have been taken into federal immigration custody was signed into law today.

“Now more than ever, it is our duty at the state level to support immigrant families impacted by Donald Trump's horrendous immigration policies," Villivalam (D-Chicago) said. "We need to do whatever is in our power to give parents and guardians at risk of detainment or deportation some peace of mind. That starts with giving them the opportunity to choose who will care for their children should they be forcibly separated, ensuring their children are being taken care of in a safe, nurturing environment. It's the least we can do. Additionally, I want to thank Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz for bringing this issue to the fore and for her tireless dedication.”

CHICAGO –State Senator Cristina Castro’s push to allow more Illinois courts to determine whether to give an undocumented child lawful permanent residence was signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker today.

House Bill 1553 allows civil courts to determine whether a child with Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) is eligible to be given lawful permanent residence. Under current law, only juvenile courts in Illinois may make this determination.

“This is about ensuring the safety of some of the most vulnerable people in our state,” said Castro, (D-Elgin). “We have an obligation to protect children regardless of their immigration status, and this law will expedite that process.”

VILLA PARK – State Senator Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) praised the Illinois State Police crime lab’s efforts to reduce the massive backlog of cases awaiting DNA analysis.

This month, ISP posted 26 job postings for forensic scientists to get to work on the massive backlog of cases. Filling these positions will allow the agency to address the backlog.

“Forensic evidence can make or break the outcome of a case,” Cullerton said. “This highly scientific process continues to become increasingly important in solving crimes. The Illinois State Police is working diligently to help solve this crisis and eliminate this catastrophic backlog once and for all, and to do it, they need more experts.”

Cullerton sponsored House Joint Resolution 7, which directs the Illinois State Police to take all steps possible to comply with the Federal Rapid DNA Act of 2017. The measure was adopted by the House and Senate with unanimous support in May.

SPRINGFIELD — Assistant Majority Leader Iris Y. Martinez (D-Chicago) released the following statement today as thousands continue to protest Puerto Rico’s governor after leaked text messages uncovered crude, sexist and homophobic remarks made by him and others:

“I’m truly disappointed in the disparaging remarks made by Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello and his allies towards females, members of the LGBTQ community and our beloved island, among other things.

“Let’s be clear, sexist and homophobic slurs don’t have a place in our public discourse and only belittle the positions we’re elected to serve. Our Puerto Rican brothers and sisters are angry, disappointed and feel disrespected by their government, and these feelings shouldn’t be ignored.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) passed a measure into law last week to help families in extreme poverty meet their basic needs.

House Bill 3129 eliminates the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) full family sanction. The TANF program provides monthly grants to help families meet their basic needs, including rent, utilities, clothing, personal hygiene products, diapers, transportation and more. Eligible families sometimes may receive a sanction, which suspends a TANF grant, when an adult does not meet certain participation requirements.

The measure, sponsored by Hunter and Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago), would designate 75 percent of a family’s TANF benefit as the children portion that cannot be cut for any reason. When sanctioning, the remaining 25 percent is considered the parent’s portion and is subject to sanction. 30 percent of the parent’s portion can be reduced if a parent is not complying with TANF participation requirements.