Working for Illinois Caucus

84th District State Representative Stephanie Kifowit says it was a much busier lame duck session held earlier this month than had been expected, as 24 bills were approved. She says a few of those bills were co-sponsored by her, including the Shabbona Lake State Park land transfer bill.

Kifowit says she has worked closely with Senate Bill 867’s other chief sponsors, including Rep. Will Gazzardi and Sen. Mark L. Walker, to return land that previously belonged to members of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.

"It was very interesting to hear about their, just their history with regards to this land. So the land transfer is contingent on the state and the tribe executing the land management agreement, under which the park will continue to be operated at the park and open to the public, and certainly that has to be in the agreement. The Potawatomi Indians once occupied much of the Great Lakes region, but they were gradually displaced by the growing settlements of the Europeans."

Another bill Kifowit co-sponsored that was passed was House Bill 4781, also known as the Kinship in Demand (KIND) Act, which she says allows for a kin-first approach when placing children from abusive or neglectful situations in the foster system through the Department of Children and Family Services.

"What that means is if there’s a child in an abusive or neglectful household that needs to be removed from their parents, that the Department of Children and Family Services looks into placing them with an aunt, an uncle, a grandma, a kin immediately related to them. But in addition to that, they get the qualifying payments and assistance that that foster placements would get, the kin would get that as well."

Kifowit also noted other bills that were passed in the lame duck session, including adjustments to Karina’s Bill allowing for abuse victims with orders of protection to obtain a search warrant to seize weapons from alleged abusers, and SB 727, which requires the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to conduct additional statewide testing of community water supplies for dangerous chemicals like 1.3-Dioxane.

The 24 bills passed during lame duck are awaiting a signature from Governor J.B. Pritzker.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, will bring her decades of experience in the classroom and as a leader in education policy to discussions about strengthening Illinois’ public schools, retaining teachers and uplifting the needs of students and parents as chair of the House Elementary and Secondary Education: Administration, Licensing and Charter Schools Committee.

“I’m excited to examine the policies currently governing our classrooms, and look for innovative steps we can take to cut red tape, certify educators and get them teaching as quickly as possible,” said Scherer. “Having spent nearly 30 years in our local classrooms, I’ve seen how state policies can help educators and students succeed, and I’ve seen how it can hold them back. We must be open to reviewing these, and focus on what works for our students.”

Since 2019, Scherer has served as Elementary and Secondary Education: Administration, Licensing & Charter School Committee’s chairwoman. Since 2020, school districts have faced the difficulties of COVID-19, challenges with retention and recruitment of new educators, and other issues.

Special needs and bilingual students have been especially impacted by these shortages, with many unable to receive the type of instruction that their situation demands. For example, one-third of all vacancies are for special needs educators. Through a review of current policies and practices, Scherer plans to increase the number of teachers in Illinois’ schools along with the quality of instruction they provide.

“With over 90 percent of our schools facing a teacher shortage, it’s clear that this is an issue that affects all of us no matter where we live,” said Scherer. “Let’s come together, no matter the differences, to craft policies that uplift the profession, support our schools and give our students the world-class education they deserve.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — A new task force could be created to find out why rural hospitals are closing in a newly proposed plan.

The bill was filed by freshman Rep. Amy Murri Briel (D-Ottawa) who said in her district there have been four hospital closures in six years.

"Those of us who live in rural communities have been facing this crisis for ten years," Briel said. "No one has been able to figure it out or maybe there hasn’t been the will to do something about it."

The closing of rural hospitals is a national crisis, with many of these hospitals cutting services or closing due to profitability issues.

Another issue that plagues hospitals is the rise of ransomware attacks, cyberattacks that target hospital computers, lock access away from doctors and only return access after a fee has been paid.

One of the hospital closures in Briel’s district was from a ransomware attack. She hopes this plan will help find a way to strengthen hospital computers from these attacks.

“This feels to me like there is finally an opportunity to find what’s wrong and use the brightest minds I know Illinois has to come up with a solution to make it work," Briel said.

Spokesperson for Illinois Health and Hospital Association (IHA) Paris Ervin said that Illinois rural hospitals are vital to the Illinois state healthcare system.

"More than 1.6 million Illinoisans live in rural communities and rely on their local hospital as an important, and only often, source of healthcare," Ervin said. "IHA is reviewing House Bill 1301 and looks forward to working with Rep. Briel."

According to the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, across the U.S. nearly 200 rural hospitals have closed in the past two decades.

Lawmakers could consider this bill when they return to Springfield next week

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Members of the 104th General Assembly are making final preparations for their upcoming spring session. 97th District State Representative Harry Benton says part of the process for representatives is committee assignments.

Benton says he will be a vice chair on a committee as a two-term representative, which will give him more responsibilities and help him collaborate with fellow lawmakers. Members submitted their committee requests last week and will get their assignments toward the beginning of the spring session.

Benton says with some new members to the General Assembly, there appears to be optimism for some effective bipartisan work.

"Just excited about the 104th, and I think we have some good new members and seems like people are working together. There’s…we’re starting to see a bipartisan support and a bipartisan trend going into the 104th with Speaker Welch appointing a Republican as a chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee. Dan Swanson is a really great guy, 27-year veteran. He cares about veterans, and I think he’s gonna be a great chair of that committee."

The spring session for the 104th General Assembly in Springfield is scheduled to begin on January 28.

Illinois District 72 Representative Gregg Johnson of East Moline is discussing his goals for the next term. The Quad City Democrat plans to focus on mental health coverage, cutting living expenses, and creating new safety codes for all Illinois workers.

“I’m really concerned that workers understand that there are rights as workers, but the ultimate right that workers have is that they are to go perform their duties and then go home in one piece at the end of the day back to their families,” said Johnson.

Johnson has created more opportunities for school social workers, more mental health scholarships for students and health care providers, and a structural design code for buildings and mines.

Johnson said that mental health has been on the back burner and wants to concentrate on it. “I don’t feel like we’re particularly here in the quad cities able to address this situation unless we take an all-hands-on deck approach right now I’m just not seeing that. We have to double down.” 

He says some progress has already been made but will take a long time to undo. “Every single year, we’re going to have to look for things that we’ve done to make things better, but we are going to have to work hard for the next fifteen, twenty years on all of these issues to truly get where we need to be.”

Johnson wants to address the bills he wasn’t able to get passed last term, such as a prescription drug affordability board and continuing protection for Illinois workers. Johnson is continuing to look for more opportunities in scholarship programs and nonprofit organizations.

As State Representative Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, begins a new term in the Illinois House, she has her sights set on making college more affordable, protecting the rights of workers, and making the voice of the Metro East families heard in Springfield.

Stuart released the following statement:

“As we embark together on our journey into a new year, I am honored to continue to serve as an advocate for our community in Springfield. Education has been a top priority for me and will continue to be in the upcoming session. I plan to continue my work to invest in and support public, vocational, and higher education in Illinois. I look forward to building on the achievements of the last two years: from securing a $25 million investment in the Collinsville Area Vocational Center to crafting policies aimed at addressing the educator shortage, to improving access to higher education through measures like the AIM HIGH state grant program, I will continue my work to improve the quality of and access to education in Illinois.”

“Workplace safety will continue to be a top priority for me as the Warehouse Safety Task Forces’ recommendations have been finalized. It is time to act on those recommendations and enshrine them in law to prevent a tragedy like the 2021 Edwardsville tornado from happening again."

“I remain convinced that we are at our strongest when we look after one another, and I look forward to continuing my fight for these issues and continuing my advocacy for a better and brighter future for our community and Illinoisians across the state.”