ISDC
  • Home
  • Senators
    • Alphabetical
    • Committees
    • Leadership
    • Find My Senator
  • Caucus News
    • ILBC Committee Roundup
    • Subscribe
    • Majority Report
  • Issues
    • Agriculture
    • Budget
    • Business
    • Criminal Law
    • Diabetes
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Ethics
    • Health
    • Higher Education
    • Law Enforcement
    • Seniors
    • Transportation
    • Veterans
  • Multimedia
    • Monthly Minute
    • Photo of the Day
    • Sound of the State
  • Resources
    • Bills / Resolutions
    • Fact Sheets
    • For Educators
    • I Like Illinois
    • Illinois Compiled Statutes
    • Illinois General Assembly
    • Internships
    • Media Guidelines
    • NCSL
    • Senate Schedule
  • About the Senate
  • Contact Us
    • How to contact a Senator
    • Employment
    • Submit Feedback
  • ILBC Pillars
    • Pillar 1
    • Pillar 2
    • Pillar 3
    • Pillar 4
  • COVID-19

Murphy law fights crime on expressways, protects residents’ privacy

Details
Category: Senator Laura Murphy News
Monday, June 30, 2025 01:21 PM
  • Murphy
  • Human Trafficking
  • HB 3339
  • Expressway Camera program

Murphy HB3339SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Laura Murphy’s law to bring to justice to victims of human trafficking by expanding the expressway camera program to target traffickers was signed into law Monday.

“With this law we send a clear message: Illinois is not a safe haven for human traffickers,” said Murphy (D-Des Plaines). “By empowering law enforcement with the tools necessary to identify human traffickers in real time, we are helping with investigations, increasing public safety and saving lives.”

Human traffickers often use highways to transport victims. Truck stops in particular are often hotspots for this kind of illicit activity and those vehicles can be tracked using an expressway camera.

Read more: Murphy law fights crime on expressways, protects residents’ privacy

Belt: Education is the government’s best return on investment

Details
Category: Senator Christopher Belt News
Monday, June 30, 2025 11:39 AM
  • ISAC
  • College Admission
  • HB3522

Belt 063025CHICAGO – Understanding that the college admissions process can be difficult for students to navigate, State Senator Christopher Belt worked to make the process easier for high school juniors, seniors and community college transfer students.

“Investing in our students is by far the best return on investment the government could get,” said Belt (D-Swansea). “This is essentially an automatic admissions program that students can opt in to. It will really help streamline the process for students and their families.”

Read more: Belt: Education is the government’s best return on investment

Castro’s new law expands dual credit opportunities for students

Details
Category: Senator Cristina Castro News
Monday, June 30, 2025 11:05 AM
  • Castro
  • Students
  • HB 2967
  • Dual Credit Opportunities

Castro HB2967CHICAGO — Illinois students will soon have more opportunities to earn college credit during high school thanks to a new law spearheaded by State Senator Cristina Castro.

“The two biggest barriers facing students today are time and money,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “Dual credit helps lift this burden, giving high school students a head start so they can save money on tuition and accelerate the time it takes to earn a degree.”

Dual credit instruction makes higher education more attainable, especially for first-generation and lower-income students, by offering high school students the opportunity to earn both college and high school credit through a single course. Students who earn dual credit in high school complete their college and university degrees at higher rates and are often able to save money as a result of having fewer college credits to pay tuition for.

Read more: Castro’s new law expands dual credit opportunities for students

More FAFSA supports for students secured thanks to Cervantes legislation

Details
Category: Senator Javier Loera Cervantes News
Monday, June 30, 2025 10:36 AM
  • FAFSA
  • HB3097
  • HB3096
  • Free Application for Federal Student Aid

fafsareziedSPRINGFIELD—Thanks to two new laws led in the state legislature by State Senator Javier Cervantes, high school students may soon have access to more supports from their high schools when applying for college and filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, more commonly known as the FAFSA.

“The form is intended to give more students a chance of pursuing higher education,” said Cervantes (D-Chicago). “We should be doing everything we can to make sure it is as accessible as possible for people to complete, and this measure is a simple step to make completing it easier.”

Read more: More FAFSA supports for students secured thanks to Cervantes legislation

Aquino law expands support for safety net hospitals

Details
Category: Senator Omar Aquino News
Tuesday, June 17, 2025 09:19 AM
  • Aquino
  • Safety Net Hospital
  • HB 2771
  • Illinois Hospital Assessment Program

Senator Aquino

SPRINGFIELD – To protect the stability of safety net hospitals, State Senator Omar Aquino championed a new law that will generate additional revenue for hospitals across the state.

"As a patient of Humboldt Park Health, a designated safety net hospital, and the representative of two additional safety nets, I have experienced firsthand the contributions of these hospitals to the integrity of our communities by ensuring the health of our neighbors,” said Aquino (D-Chicago). “With the updates to the Hospital Assessment Program, we are ensuring that hospitals continue to provide critical services to our most vulnerable."

The Illinois Hospital Assessment Program was established in 2003 to help ensure low-income patients have access to health care services. The program was extended and expanded in 2022 to improve cash-flow predictability for hospitals, tying greater funding to higher Medicaid utilization. The program is funded through a special tax on Illinois hospitals, which is then matched by federal funds and redistributed to hospitals based on the volume of the Medicaid patients they serve and their level of care.

Read more: Aquino law expands support for safety net hospitals

Morrison law strengthens due process for FOID card holders

Details
Category: Senator Julie A. Morrison News
Tuesday, June 17, 2025 09:11 AM
  • Morrison
  • FOID Card Review Board
  • HB850

Sen. Morrison

SPRINGFIELD — A new law championed by State Senator Julie Morrison will create an expedited review process for individuals challenging the revocation of their FOID card due to being deemed a “clear and present danger.”

“This law grants everyone the opportunity for a timely review if they believe their determination is inaccurate,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “With this change, we are improving transparency in the process and helping to ensure decisions are made fairly.”

Read more: Morrison law strengthens due process for FOID card holders

Sims: FY 26 budget invests in the whole person

Details
Category: Senator Elgie R. Sims Jr. News
Monday, June 16, 2025 02:55 PM

sims 061625CHICAGO – Majority Caucus Appropriations Leader Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D-Chicago) released the following statement after the Fiscal Year 2026 budget was signed into law:

“The budget signed today is one that confronts the challenges before us with the same principled approach that guided our recovery: true fiscal responsibility, addressing reality head-on, and not postponing difficult decisions for future years.

Our unwavering commitment to making Illinois not just a place to live, but a place where families thrive, businesses flourish, and communities prosper is apparent in the budget. We have invested in the whole person, recognizing that our state's strength lies in the collective success of all Illinoisans.

The Fiscal Year 2026 budget serves today's needs while building tomorrow's opportunities."

Sims: FY 26 budget invests in the whole person

Details
Category: Senator Elgie R. Sims Jr. News
Monday, June 16, 2025 02:54 PM
  • Slideshow
  • FY2026 Budget

sims 061625CHICAGO – Majority Caucus Appropriations Leader Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D-Chicago) released the following statement after the Fiscal Year 2026 budget was signed into law:

“The budget signed today is one that confronts the challenges before us with the same principled approach that guided our recovery: true fiscal responsibility, addressing reality head-on, and not postponing difficult decisions for future years.

Our unwavering commitment to making Illinois not just a place to live, but a place where families thrive, businesses flourish, and communities prosper is apparent in the budget. We have invested in the whole person, recognizing that our state's strength lies in the collective success of all Illinoisans.

The Fiscal Year 2026 budget serves today's needs while building tomorrow's opportunities."

More Articles …

  1. The Majority Report 06/10/25 - Investing in communities
  2. Murphy law allows access to breakthrough Alzheimer’s treatments
  3. Morrison strengthens due process for FOID card holders
  4. The Majority Report 06/04/25 - Passing Illinois' seventh balanced budget
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10

Page 2 of 743

Follow ILSenDems

Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube

Sign up for the Majority Report

Laws Going Into Effect 2025

Employment Opportunities

Find Your Senator

Senate Schedule

Bills & Resolutions

SPRINGFIELD OFFICE

phone(217) 782-2728

phone309 State House
Springfield, IL 62706

Senate Floor, Illinois State Capitol, Springfield, IL

Senate President Don Harmon © 2025 Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus
FacebookInstagramTwitterYouTube
CHICAGO OFFICE

phone(312) 814-2075

phone160 N. LaSalle St., Ste. 720
Chicago, IL 60601