* WCIA…

Illinois lawmakers are considering a bill that would give workers in the state up to 26 weeks of paid leave. Any worker in the state who earns at least $1,600 in a year would be eligible for the program.

“We’ve heard from [workers],” State Sen. Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago), one of the bill’s sponsors, said. “They need this legislation. They need this safety net. They need to be able to take paid family and medical leave when they have a family member that’s ill, or an expecting child coming into the world. That is just something that they’re asking for, and quite frankly, they deserve.”

Reasons people could use the paid leave includes anyone dealing with a serious health condition, people taking care of a sick family member, and to care for a new child. […]

Under the program, workers can earn 90% percent of their average weekly wage if they make 50% or less of the state’s average weekly wage. And for those who make more than that 50%, they would earn 90% of their average weekly wage but up to the state’s average along with half of their average weekly wage.

* Another from WCIA…

Democratic legislators in both chambers are proposing a monthly allowance of diapers for families in need.

The proposed bills will allow parents to get $70 a month per child in the Senate’s version of the bill and $30 in the House’s version of the bill if they meet eligibility requirements.

“No one should have to choose if their lights are going to be on, what they pay for life saving medication, if their child will be able to have their diaper changed or not,” Rep. Lakeshia Collins (D-Chicago) said. “This is one step forward in the right direction for our state to ease some of these burdens off the families.”

Infants and toddlers need on average 10 diapers per day, according to Pampers. If a young child wears diaper substitutes or a diaper for too long, they can get irritation, prolonged diaper rash, and UTIs along with other health complications.

* WBBM…

A state representative who is also the mayor of Calumet City has proposed a bill that would require Chicago’s gas stations and grocery stores to hire their own armed security. … It does not have backing from the Illinois Fuel and Retail Association, which represents thousands of gas stations and convenience stores in Chicago. “Crime in the city of Chicago is the city’s problem to take care of,” CEO Josh Sharp said. He says in some respects it is a two-way street. “There are certain things business owners can do to help alleviate crime in the city and we’re happy to do some of those things. “For example, keeping less cash on premises. Having better lighting at our locations. We’re all about being a team player with the city to help eliminate crime, but if you’re ordering private-sector businesses to keep armed guards at their locations, that’s a Springfield-style mandate that our members really don’t want.”

* Press release…

Young Adults in Illinois are at an inflection point. As the pandemic continues, young adults ages 18-34 are seeing wages eroded by inflation, ever-increasing college tuition, and a lack of affordable health care, just to name a few challenges. Black, brown, and low-income young adults often fare even worse because of systemic inequities. To take action and disrupt the status quo, Young Invincibles Midwest organized the following policy priorities for Illinois in 2023, with constant input from young adults directly impacted by higher education, health care, and workforce policies.

The work to create this policy agenda began in June 2022, when YI gathered young adults at our annual Illinois Policy Summit. YI solicited real-time feedback from participants on barriers preventing their economic empowerment, and what solutions they demand to see. Throughout the rest of the year, YI conducted surveys and held focus groups to expand and provide additional nuance to YI’s policy agenda drafts. In late 2022, YI’s Midwest Youth Advisory Board reviewed a final draft of this agenda to ensure it is aligned with young adults’ priorities.

The following policy mandates from our constituency must be implemented immediately. We’ve been shortchanged and dismissed, but young adult power will undoubtedly make a forceful impact toward progress in 2023.

1. Meeting Students’ Basic Needs for College Completion

Students needs such as housing, transportation, food, and others must be addressed to ensure students are able to complete college. The available support for students’ college completion has long been inadequate, even before the pandemic. But not only are those problems worse, but new challenges unique to students of color, low-income, and first-generation students are also emerging. Factors like finances, job stability, family responsibilities, access to technology, and health concerns are compounded with the perennial challenges of balancing work, studies, and life.

Students should have access to high-quality academic services on campus such as tutoring and office hours with instructors. These academic supports must be available for working students and students with children, as well as being accommodative for students with disabilities. Students should also have access to affordable classroom materials such as textbooks. However, before providing additional academic support, it is necessary to first ensure a student’s most basic needs are met. It can be difficult for a student to excel academically when they are struggling to adequately feed or house themselves.

Aiding a student in meeting their basic needs through non-academic support ensures students can enroll, engage, and thrive in a post-secondary environment. Non-academic supports such as child care, food security, housing assistance,
and transportation must be provided consistently, affordably, and promptly for students. This work will require cooperation among higher education institutions, government, and community providers.

In 2022, Illinois legislators passed a law requiring a public benefits navigator position at every public higher education institution in the state. This navigator will connect students with the appropriate public benefits programs and additional resources to ensure basic needs are met. YI will lead the work with students, institutions, legislators, advocates, and additional stakeholders to implement the law effectively, which may include legislative modifications to ensure navigators are able to meet the unique needs of various student populations.

2. Maintain Financial Aid Resources to Improve College Affordability

Students must be able to afford post-secondary education, but many simply cannot. Historically, the Monetary Award Program (MAP) has been a critical state- based, need-based financial aid for thousands of students, but it is consistently underfunded. Every year, lawmakers fail to fully fund MAP to ensure that all the students who are eligible for MAP receive it. For first-generation students and students of color, MAP is even more critical; according to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, about half of undergraduate students at Illinois’ public universities who identify as Black or Hispanic receive a MAP grant, and over half of MAP recipients are first-generation college students. In 2022, lawmakers appropriated a historic $122 million additional dollars for MAP in the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) state budget. aThis is both a stunning and historic investment in students. This year, YI will continue to advocate on behalf of students by asking for an additional $50 million over last year’s historic budgetary victory. Every dollar in the MAP fund goes directly toward a student pursuing their educational goals.

3. Elevate Student Perspectives for Equitable Systemic Funding

The Commission on Equitable Public University Funding is tasked with furnishing recommendations to the Illinois General Assembly on a funding formula to equitably distribute public dollars amongst the state’s public universities. YI will advocate to include students in discussions about the formula recommendations and ensure they are based on equity, data, and students’ needs. All students in Illinois must have access to a high-quality education, and that begins with ensuring all higher education institutions have fair and equitable access to state funds.

To guarantee students in Illinois have a seat at the table, YI will lead in the creation and oversight of a student committee to further inform the work of the Commission. YI will train students to actively participate in the creation and passage of an equitable public university funding formula.

4. Support Black Students at the University of Illinois for Equitable Access to Higher Education

Black residents are almost 15 percent of the state’s population, but in 2021, they were only about eight percent of the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign’s undergraduate and graduate students. As the state’s flagship system, the University of Illinois should be easily accessible to every state resident. YI will work with stakeholders to learn from Black students about possible solutions to increase Black student enrollment at multiple campuses in the University of Illinois system. Ultimately, the University of Illinois should ensure all campuses market financial aid opportunities to Black students, reach out to two-year colleges to strengthen the pipeline of Black transfer students, and help foster a sense of community for Black students.

* US Bets…

Illinois state Sen. Christina Castro filed a bill Wednesday looking to bring internet casino gaming to the Land of Lincoln.

The bill, SB 1656, would allow an “Internet gaming operator to offer Internet gaming.” It represents a subtle change from her unsuccessful 2021 legislation, SB 2064, which proposed authorizing “casinos or racetracks to offer Internet gaming or contract with a platform to offer Internet gaming” that would be regulated by the Illinois Gaming Board.

Castro’s bill allows for an internet gaming licensee to offer up to three branded skins and offers the possibility of interstate poker based on language that includes “acceptance of out-of-state wagers.” She again is proposing a 15% state tax on adjusted gross revenue that would be directed to the State Gaming Fund.

Castro’s filing raises expectations a corresponding bill will be filed in the Illinois House. Rep. Bob Rita, who is often the point legislator on all things gaming in Illinois, filed such a bill in 2021, calling for a 12% tax rate and also allowing for multistate poker.

* Press release…

State Senator Ann Gillespie and child welfare advocates announced legislation that would provide youth in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services with legal representation on Wednesday.

“Children and youth with lived experience in our child welfare system have overwhelmingly voiced their desire to be seen, heard and represented,” said Gillespie. “We must join the vast majority of states that provide legal representation to youth in care so that our most vulnerable have expert help in leaving the foster care system and can go on to live safe, dignified lives.”

Illinois is one of seven states that does not guarantee legal counsel to at least some youth in care, and one of 14 states that does not guarantee legal representation for all children in child welfare proceedings. Without legal representation, children are left to navigate complex proceedings on their own, putting them at risk of receiving unfair treatment or having vital decisions about their future made without their input.

Senate Bill 1478 amends the Foster Children’s Bill of Rights Act to include the right to an attorney in child welfare proceedings. The legislation creates a commission to oversee implementation, including lawmakers, legal and judicial experts in juvenile law, social workers, and administration from DCFS.