Working for Illinois Caucus

ROCKFORD, IL – State Representative Maurice West was presented with the Illinois Association of Park Districts (IAPD) Outstanding Legislative Leadership Award.

West accepted this award at the Illinois Association of Park Districts and Illinois Park and Recreation annual conference on January 27, 2023. The award recognizes Representative West for his outstanding support of legislation promoting park districts, forest preserves, and the quality of life that recreation and parks provide to citizens of the State of Illinois.

“I am honored to receive the Legislator of the Year award from the Illinois Association of Park Districts. When I thought about what this award means, a lot of memories came to mind of times that I spent at various Rockford parks. I found clarity and vision during pivotal moments of my life at the parks. Park districts change lives and park districts save lives,” stated State Representative Maurice West (67th District).

The Rockford Park District has been able to invest in the next generation thanks to funding secured by State Representative Maurice West. Grants from the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) for Violence Prevention Programming, and from the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) for Youth Investment Programming have helped to keep youth and teens active and engaged in recreation-based intervention programming along with recreation-based leadership development, training, and employment programs. These grants not only allow the Park District to provide valuable life skills and job training to area youth and teens, but they also provide budget relief. Thanks to the funding received, the Park District has serviced over 25,000 youth/teens, ages of 5-18, through a variety of community-based recreational programs. These programs engage youth during high-risk hours, filling up their otherwise idle times with great programs and caring staff or mentors. Future improvements being made at Harmon Park and erosion control work being done throughout Sinnissippi Park and the Sinnissippi Riverfront this year are also thanks to capital support secured by Representative West.

About Illinois Association of Park Districts

IAPD was established in 1928, and is the oldest state association for parks, recreation, and conservation in America. The association serves more than 2,100 elected park, recreation, and forest preserve district board members who govern more than 390 agencies employing 40,000 individuals.

An Illinois warehouse task force will soon begin work to recommend how to make the facilities safer following the Amazon warehouse collapse in December 2021.

“The fact that we had such a tragic result makes me wonder if we don’t need to look at those building codes and see that maybe Illinois needs to go above and beyond what’s already expected,” said state Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, who will serve on the 16-member Warehouse Safety Standards Task Force.

The group will meet publicly to take testimony from experts from across the country. The end goal will be a final report due Jan. 1, 2025, to recommend legislation for state lawmakers to consider. Between then and now, the committee will meet and provide reports quarterly.

Leadership in both the House and Senate will appoint lawmakers to the task force. In addition to a representative from the Illinois Department of Labor, Gov. JB Pritzker will name members from labor, business and local government backgrounds.

Stuart said she expects the group to meet within the next two months.

Derik Holtmann

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Belleville News-Democrat

Top of mind for Stuart is determining if state law needs to make regional additions to International Building Codes. Those codes, which are set by a federal body and used across the country, do not require a storm shelter in a warehouse.

“If the building codes set a standard level, there’s nothing that stops an individual corporation or company or builder from building above that standard if they want to be concerned about worker safety,” Stuart said.

The building codes are set to be updated in 2025, Stuart said. The task force’s deadline comes at a time when lawmakers hope to make recommendations for not only Illinois but also the International Code Council to consider — and possibly adopt nationwide.

Amazon said the company followed all regulations. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration also found Amazon did not violate any federal rules.

“We want to go above and beyond in the areas that we have the most control over and the most confidence that they would make a difference,” Amazon spokeswoman Kelly Nantel told St. Louis Public Radio last December. “And so, while that building is not being built with a storm shelter, that doesn’t mean that conversations aren’t being had.”

Amazon declined to comment on the task force’s creation.

None of the nearly 30 warehouses in the area called Logistics Valley has storm shelters, according to officials from Edwardsville and Pontoon Beach.

Two area lawmakers are frustrated with the administration of St. Margaret’s Health.

State Senator Sue Rezin told WLPO Saturday, she nor State Representative Lance Yednock were briefed beforehand about plans to close SMH Peru on January 28. President and CEO Tim Muntz, Friday, referred to the planned action as a “temporary closing”. The two lawmakers are feeling ignored which Rezin expressed to the hospital’s lobbyist this weekend. Since then, St. Margaret’s Vice President Linda Burt has told us that calls with Rezin and Yednock are set for Monday. Burt also added the past work and help by the lawmakers is greatly appreciated. Rezin, Deputy Minority leader in the Senate is hopeful that Monday’s call sheds light on the Peru hospital’s future:

According to Rezin, a bill designating Peru SMH as a “Rural Emergency Hospital” was passed this session and signed by the Governor. The Illinois Department of Public Health is reviewing this, which could take two months. Rezin and Yednock promise to push it along. Even so, with IDPH approval, Rezin says, it isn’t a guarantee the hospital will re-open. Rezin saying she and Yednock want answers from hospital administrators which will entail additional meetings.

A bill heading to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk guarantees 40 hours, or five days, of paid leave for every worker in Illinois. The bill’s path to law has been lengthy and contentious since it was first introduced in 2019.

State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria, is a part of the process since the beginning. A sponsor of the bill in the House, she said the legislation provides dignity to workers across the state.

“There are millions, not hundreds or thousands, millions of workers in the state of Illinois, they get nothing. They get absolutely nothing,” said Gordon-Booth. “And they have the very same responsibilities that you and I have.”

It also comes from a personal place. Gordon-Booth said she’s a working mother and also remembers times growing up where paid leave would have made a difference for her family.

“My father had cancer twice,” she said. “And he, even through all the chemo treatments, he wouldn’t miss work. And at the time, the employer that he worked at, they did have some days, but his previous employer (didn’t), he had just been indoctrinated.”

In guaranteeing time off for every employee in the state, Gordon-Booth hopes to allow families and individuals to address emergencies and unusual circumstances. She also believes the ability to step away in a time of crisis creates better employees.

“When your employees have the ability to manage their own lives outside of the workplace, you have an employee who actually can show up and do the job and do it well,” she said.

Over the course of the bill’s life, the total number of days changed from five to seven and back to five again. Gordon-Booth said negotiations with business and labor groups from around the state hinged, at least partially, on whether or not pre-emption is included in the bill. Pre-emption would allow the state government to overrule county or local governments when setting policy surrounding paid leave.

“The reality of it is, there’s no county in the state besides the city of Chicago that actually has any kind of paid leave policy,” said Gordon-Booth. “So, we decided to not go in the direction of pre-emption. So we went back down to the five days.”

Some critics of the bill expressed concern about what the 40-hour requirement will mean for small businesses, and if it could increase operating costs when applied equally to businesses of all sizes. Gordon-Booth said officials plan on working closely with representatives of small business and business community leaders to make sure the bill doesn’t cause harm ahead of its Jan. 1, 2024 implementation.

“All voices have a seat at the table when it comes to the issues that I work on. And that’s not going to change anytime soon,” she said. “So, we’re going to keep them engaged. Because we want to hear from them.”

There are a few conditions on why and how the paid leave can be used. Workers earn the leave at a rate of one hour for every 40 hours worked and can only start using it after 90 days; employers can allow them to use it sooner if they want. The hours carry over if they’re not used within a year, but employers can still require their employees to give notice before taking the time off.

“I believe that we are leading in a very intentional, dignified way by offering this to the workers,” said Gordon-Booth. “To the millions of workers in Illinois, who don’t have any family policy.”

Pritzker expressed support for the bill and is expected to sign it. You can find the full text of the bill here.