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Stuart cohosting feminine product drive

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EDWARDSVILLE — State Rep. Katie Stuart is collaborating with the Soup-n-Share Outreach Program to host a supply drive for feminine hygiene products during March in honor of Women’s History Month.

There will be a donation box at Stuart’s constituent service office at 2105 Vandalia St. Unit #16, in Collinsville, and at the Soup-n-Share at 5 Caine Drive in Madison.

“Every year, I try to host a few women’s supply drives because the need for tampons and pads is constant,” said Stuart. “The accessibility of hygiene products is not a problem you can solve with one drive. Each month, there are women and girls who worry they won’t have enough supplies to last them and may have to consider missing school or work as a result.”

Soup-n-Share is a community-based organization that works to eliminate hunger, offer free clothing, and free diapers or hygiene products to families across Madison County. Accepted donations include tampons, pads, soap and other hygiene products. Stuart is also sponsoring legislation to require college campuses to provide feminine hygiene products in public buildings for students and visitors.

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via Alton Telegraph

February 28, 2020 at 11:32AM

Bill introduced to let retired teachers act as substitutes to help with shortage

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – A new bill has been introduced in Illinois to allow retired teachers act as substitutes in school districts experiencing substitute teacher shortages.

State Rep. Sue Scherer (D-Decatur) introduced the bill that would let retired teachers do this without jeopardizing their retirement benefits.

“Education is an issue that will need constant innovation to ensure it is as effective as possible,” said Scherer. “A more adaptable education system will only lead to more significantly positive results for teachers, students and their families.”

 

The legislation would give the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) the ability to grant return-to-work waivers to school districts where there are substitute teacher shortages.

 

If a school district is given a waiver, retired teachers can return to work as substitutes without putting their retirement annuity at risk.

 

Currently, a retired teacher can only return to work without jeopardizing their retirement benefits if they were to return at least one full school year after retirement and do not exceed a cap of 120 paid days or 600 hours.

 

“School districts need the appropriate resources to mold the future generations,” said Scherer “Providing the space for a quality and productive educational environment should not be hindered by personnel issues like these shortages.”

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via WAND-TV

February 28, 2020 at 11:28AM

ENDORSEMENT: Rita Mayfield for Illinois House in 60th District Democratic primary

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State Rep. Rita Mayfield, 2020 primary election endorsement, Illinois House, 60th District
State Rep. Rita Mayfield is endorsed by the Sun-Times for Illinois House in the 60th District Democratic primary. | Rich Hein/Sun-Times

She has a grasp of a broader array of issues facing the state than her opponent.

In this far north suburban district, we endorse five-term incumbent Rita Mayfield of Waukegan over environmental activist Diana Burdette, also of Waukegan. Mayfield has a better grasp of a broad array of issues facing the state.

Mayfield is promoting long-term efforts, for example, to clean up the Superfund site of the vacant asbestos-ridden Johns Manville plant on Waukegan’s lakefront. She also supports retiring Waukegan’s coal-fired power plant in a way that this prime lakefront land can be put to better use, perhaps as a museum, a forest preserve or a park. And she has worked to keep Lake Michigan water — the Chicago area’s greatest natural resource — from being diverted outside the Great Lakes basin.

Along with Burdette, Mayfield was involved in efforts to limit or end emissions of ethylene oxide from local Medline Industries and Vantage Specialty Chemicals plants. Mayfield also supports the graduated income tax amendment and taxing retirement income of wealthier residents in the state, but she opposes term limits.


Illinois House 60th District map.
Illustration by Caroline Hurley
Illinois House 60th District map.

For more information about this race and others, including candidate questionnaires, go to our Illinois primary voting guide. Our newspaper is owned by a group of civic-minded and, in some cases, politically active investors; for details, see our owner information page.

Send letters to letters@suntimes.com.

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Feeds,News,Region: Chicago,City: Chicago

via Chicago Sun-Times – All https://ift.tt/2xAxGgE

February 27, 2020 at 05:16AM

Rep. Moeller: 2020 Session Opportunity to Help People

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This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author’s own.

Neighbor News

State Rep. Anna Moeller plans to pursue legislation this year that will help people overcome challenges in their lives.

By Cassie Calloway, Neighbor
|
Rep. Moeller: 2020 Session Opportunity to Help People

ELGIN — Feeling the stress of personal challenges in your life? State Rep. Anna Moeller just may have an answer.

Rep. Moeller, D-Elgin, is pursuing an active legislative agenda in Springfield this year aimed at helping resolve lingering problems, from health care for seniors to child protection for state wards.

Read more about her 2020 agenda here:

After a historic 2019 legislative session, State Rep. Anna Moeller is preparing for an equally productive session in 2020.

Rep. Moeller, D-Elgin, expects a number of critical initiatives to be debated in Springfield in the 2020 spring legislative session that has recently begun, led by another balanced, bi-partisan state budget; clean energy legislation; and ethics reform to restore faith in government.

Moeller will be working on a number of issues before the session ends at the end of May:

Affordable Medications and Access to Healthcare – Illinoisans pay too much for quality health care, especially prescription drug coverage. Moeller is introduced HB5340, which creates a pharmaceutical collaborative through the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services to reduce costs. She is also continuing efforts to create a system for the Wholesale Importation of Prescription Drugs from regulated Canadian suppliers to provide greater access to lower cost prescription drugs to consumers in Illinois. (HB4362)

Moeller serves as Chairwoman of the House Health Care Licenses Committee. She is proposing reforms to the professional licensing process for medical and other professions to ensure that consumers are protected, patients have access to healthcare and barriers to employment in licensed professions for minorities are removed. (HB5516)

Helping Seniors Stay in their Homes – Moeller believes Illinois can do more to keep seniors living longer in their homes, both to improve their quality of life and to save significant state dollars over nursing home care. She is proposing a $750 state income tax credit for Illinoisans who make modifications in their home to take care of their elderly parents. (HB4363) She also wants to increase the state-reimbursed pay to ensure that home health care workers who provide services to seniors in their homes are paid a living wage. (HB5051)

Protecting Vulnerable Children – Adopted as a baby by her maternal grandparents, Moeller is disheartened by the ongoing problems in the state’s foster care system. She is working with a group of dedicated lawmakers on reforms to the Department of Children and Family Services and has sponsored legislation to make positive changes in the state’s child welfare system.

One proposal would give investigators greater ability to investigate suspected abuse and neglect by interviewing children at school without parental notification if there is suspected abuse or neglect by the parent. (HB5614). Rep. Moeller is working with her Senate colleagues on a proposal to require children under kindergarten age to be enrolled in preschool if their family is under DCFS monitoring, so there is another set of eyes watching out for their safety and a proposal to address the high turnover of social workers through a proposal to provide a federally matched college tuition stipend for students who commit to getting a bachelor’s degree in social work and then work in the child welfare system for a set number of years.

"My goal as State Representative is to help people who often don’t have a voice and who are often left behind," Moeller said. "Lowering the cost of health care, supporting independent living by our seniors, protecting our vulnerable children: these are all ways I can make a difference in Springfield, and I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues to make progress on these and other important issues this spring."

####

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via Elgin, IL Patch https://patch.com

February 25, 2020 at 09:30AM

Election 2020: Longtime state Rep. Rita Mayfield faces first-ever primary challenge

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Diana Burdette, who is challenging incumbent state Rep. Rita Mayfield in the March primary, speaks at an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency rules session about the ventilation system upgrades at Vantage Specialty Chemicals’ Gurnee facility. Ethylene oxide emissions were the catalyst for Burdette getting involved in local politics, she said. (Diana Burdette / HANDOUT)

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via chicagotribune.com

February 25, 2020 at 06:42AM

Illinois lawmaker wants to limit use of Native American mascots

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A bill in the Illinois House of Representatives would force schools to obtain permission to use Native American mascots or nicknames. … Click to Continue »

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Region: Metro East,Feeds,News,City: Belleville

via Metro East Breaking News, Sports & Crime | https://www.bnd.com/

February 25, 2020 at 04:37AM

Edly-Allen to host 3 events:

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House District 51 State Rep. Mary Edly-Allen of Libertyville is hosting three upcoming Mary on the Matters constituent meet-and-greets. The events will be on Saturday, Feb. 22, 11 a.m. to noon at the Long Grove Coffee Co., 126 Old McHenry Road in Long Grove; Monday, March 23, 10 to 11 a.m. at the Ela Public Library, 275 Mohawk Trail in Lake Zurich; and Monday, April 20, 9 to 10 a.m. at the Deer Park Panera, at 20530 Rand Road in Deer Park. Edly-Allen will answer questions from constituents in a more personal, one-on-one setting. The event is free and open to the public.

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via Daily Herald

February 23, 2020 at 06:28PM

Gordon-Booth Spearheads Anti-Hairstyle Discrimination Effort

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State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth (D-Peoria) is sponsoring legislation that would ban discrimination based on someone’s hairstyle.

 The Crown Act would amend the Illinois Human Rights Act to ban discrimination against hairstyles such as locks. Gordon-Booth said the bill would help black and Latinx women disproportionately impacted by hairstyle discrimination in the workplace and their daily lives.

 She said the bill likely won’t come up for a vote until May. That’s because she’s planning a statewide media campaign called “The Politics of Hair” to build momentum.

 ”Policy doesn’t necessarily change minds. You really have to touch someone’s mind and their heart to really make a cultural change. And that’s what we’re really hoping for with this,” she said.

 Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx will participate, and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has also been asked. But the main goal is to gather the stories of average people.

 ”The real goal for me is to get the real stories of just everyday women. Not people with big titles and the like, but folks that have real stories that may not have ever had a voice,” Gordon-Booth said. “To give them that voice in this space is something that I’m really looking forward to doing.”

 The bill also has personal meaning for Gordon-Booth. Her mother altered her natural hairstyle to a perm to help advance her career. Her blood pressure medication affected her scalp, so she stopped taking it to prepare for her next perm appointment shortly before her death.

 Gordon-Booth plans photo shoots in Peoria, Springfield, and Chicago in the coming months.

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Feeds,News,Region: Peoria,City: Peoria,Region: Central

via Peoria Public Radio News https://ift.tt/2IFvY1T

February 22, 2020 at 01:50PM

Connor responds to Gov. budget address

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State Rep. John Connor, D-Lockport, issued the following statement after Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s annual budget address Wednesday:

“As we begin another budget process, it is important to recognize that tough decisions will need to be made. We must continue to pay down old bills and meet our pension obligations, but also fund the commitments made to our schools and lifesaving services such as domestic violence shelters and senior care.

“I want to make sure we are helping residents receive quality, affordable health care, as well as expanding opportunities for early childhood education. Property taxes continue to be a burden on too many families, and I want us to take steps to effectively lower bills for all homeowners.

“I look forward to working with the governor and members on both sides of the aisle as we review today’s proposal’s specifics and gather input from residents and stakeholders. There will need to be difficult decisions, but together we can craft a responsible, balanced plan that reflects our shared values and works to build a stronger Illinois.”

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News,Region: Joliet,Region: South Suburbs

via The Times Weekly stories https://ift.tt/2As9rC1

February 19, 2020 at 03:59PM

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