It’s just a bill
Tuesday, Feb 18, 2025 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* WBEZ…
Researchers have found that higher education is one of the most effective ways to prevent people who have been incarcerated from re-offending. Yet just 615 out of 29,470 inmates in Illinois are enrolled in college classes, according to the Education Justice Project based at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Only seven of the state’s 26 prisons offer any higher education programming, and at the facilities that do have courses available, just a fraction of inmates can take part.
But legislation reintroduced in the General Assembly this session could expand access by restoring state financial aid for incarcerated students. That funding could prompt more universities to bring their classes into prisons. […]
Illinois once offered some form of higher education in every prison. But in 1987, state lawmakers passed legislation barring incarcerated students from receiving state financial aid for college, including the MAP grant for low-income students. Shortly after, Congress took away federal financial aid.
The bill passed the House (69-34) last year before stalling in the Senate.
* WGLT…
[The Building Illinois Homes Tax Credit Act] would provide a tax credit for private developers who build low-income housing developments. The program would cost $20 million annually if passed but the credits wouldn’t be distributed until a development is completed and occupied, which limits the state’s financial risk, according to advocates.
Democratic state Rep. Dagmara Avelar of Bolingbrook took the lead as the chief sponsor after [U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez] left the Illinois House in 2023.
Avelar said the bill has not passed in prior sessions due to budget constraints and getting lost in the shuffle. But she said the program is financially beneficial since it could produce jobs and private investment. The current version is a scaled-down package compared to previous efforts. […]
Republican state Rep. Ryan Spain of Peoria is the chief co-sponsor of the bill. Spain said the bill could bring business to Illinois while also addressing the housing shortage.
* Chicago Reader…
Two proposals filed in the Illinois General Assembly as of the February 6 bill-filing deadline would require the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) to ban most physical mail into state prisons. One measure is sponsored by Republican state senator Terri Bryant, a former prison worker who has led the charge for digitized mail in Illinois facilities. The other is backed by Republican state representative David Friess and Minority Leader Tony M. McCombie. […]
[The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31] released a report in September that claimed staff needed medical care or hospitalization on multiple occasions because they were exposed to drugs or drug use by incarcerated people, often through the mail, though actual evidence of drug-induced health consequences remains rare. The report argues that insecticides, like wasp and roach spray, and synthetic cannabinoids are sprayed onto paper, cut into smaller squares, and mailed into prisons. The union charges that drugs are acquired predominantly through legal mail that looks like it’s coming from someone’s attorney but isn’t AFSCME recommends a shift to photocopied mail where possible and wants IDOC to allow prison staff greater latitude to search legal mail. […]
Kevin Blumenberg served 30 years in Illinois prisons, and he says he was shocked by the push to ban physical mail from prisons. Blumenberg says they should instead scrutinize and fortify existing security measures. […]
“If something is getting in, that means that there’s a breach somewhere. That’s what you need to be fixing, not talking about dismantling and destroying the whole system that has a very vital significance . . . for most individuals who will one day return home into society.” […]
A bill filed by state senator Willie Preston seeks to protect the right for incarcerated people to receive physical mail. It requires that prison officials provide an original, physical copy of correspondence and allows for exemptions only in limited circumstances when supported by evidence that shows “the number of mail items containing contraband, test results of mail tested due to suspicion of mail containing drugs, [and] data on where inside a correctional institution or facility contraband has been found.”
* WCIA…
Rep. Mike Coffey (R-Springfield) filed a bill earlier this month that would amend the School Code to require school boards to invite recruiters from branches of the armed forces to present on high school campuses annually.
Coffey said students should know more information on serving to make the best decision for them after high school.
“I think it’s important we provide high school students with more opportunities to gain understanding of joining the military and the benefits that come from serving the Illinois armed forces,” Coffey said. “Students can learn about the benefits that veterans receive such as property tax exemptions, education and tuition assistance, as well as hunting, fishing licenses and state park camping privileges.”
The bill would require the invites to be for both the U.S. armed forces and the Illinois armed forces, which includes the Illinois Air National Guard, the Illinois Army National Guard, and the Illinois Department of Military Affairs.
* WGN…
Last year, WGN Investigates reported how a team of experts is pushing to reopen the case of a suburban mother who died in 1996.
Authorities ruled that Mary Ann Hayes died of self-strangulation, using a household extension cord.
But the experts believe evidence shows her death was a homicide, staged to look like a suicide. […]
Now, based on WGN’s reporting, state Sen. Craig Wilcox (R-McHenry) has introduced a bill he’s calling Mary Ann’s Law. If passed, the legislation would provide additional training to help law enforcement identify and investigate staged crime scenes.
“Your documentary [Hidden Homicide] really got me interested in it,” said Wilcox. […]
Senate Bill 1781 would also allow families to request an independent review of cases where loved ones die under suspicious circumstances.
- Long time reader, rare poster - Tuesday, Feb 18, 25 @ 10:37 am:
HB3208 - Requires Military Recruiters Promote at Schools
Military recruiting is already predatory and relies heavily on students of low economic backgrounds - both family status and impoverished schools. We should not be prioritizing one profession over college and the trades when we can’t guarantee that the profession will live up to the selling points (VA care, preferential hiring, education funding, etc.).
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Feb 18, 25 @ 11:13 am:
=HB3208 - Requires Military Recruiters Promote at Schools=
Somebody get Rep. Mike Coffey a dictionary stat. It is the recruiters job, by definition to do the recruiting. And they do not need to be invited, they know we are here and come all the time.
Talk about a solution in search of a problem.
- Franklin - Tuesday, Feb 18, 25 @ 11:20 am:
The bill to extend MAP grants to prison inmates is a perfect example of how the Dems don’t understand how to achieve their policy goals without handing the GOP a giant wedge-issue advantage.
Instead of quietly burying a line-item in the IDOC budget for “education programming,” they want to cut inmates in on the limited pool of MAP funding? That will work out great when a news story comes out (like it did last week) about MAP grants being curtailed because of higher than expected demand. The GOP’s attack ads write themselves: “Your kid had his college scholarship cut so the Democrats could give the cash to convicted sex offenders…”
- Excitable Boy - Tuesday, Feb 18, 25 @ 11:26 am:
- require school boards to invite recruiters from branches of the armed forces to present on high school campuses annually. -
So they already have to allow access, but now they have to send invitations? Do we have a bunch of recruiters that have no idea how to do their job?
- TheInvisibleMan - Tuesday, Feb 18, 25 @ 11:29 am:
The recruitment bill is being pushed at the state level to change the Education Code, because even after the law was passed at a federal level to require schools to give the same access to recruiters as they would to any other job - that still wasn’t enough for some people.
Those interests now instead want the school to have a statutory requirement to invite military specifically, instead of just to allow them access like they do for everyone else.
It would be no different than passing a law requiring ADM to be explicitly invited to every school job fair.
The language in the bill makes this pretty clear.
This text;
The school board shall invite official recruiting representatives of the armed forces of Illinois and the United States to hold a recruitment event on the high school campus at least once per school year.
Is replacing this text;
The board is not required to give greater notice regarding the right of access to recruiting representatives than is given to other persons and groups.
- H-W - Tuesday, Feb 18, 25 @ 11:34 am:
=== to require school boards to invite recruiters from branches of the armed forces to present on high school campuses annually ===
As an proud veteran, I say, absolutely not. High school kids already know that the military option exists. They already know how to google, if they want more information about the military as a career option after school. But incorporating lessons on military careers into the high school curriculum is unjustifiable, unless the goal is to expand the military. That is not an academic or learning goal. It is simply about recruiting from a captive audience.
No. Just no. We do not need warrior recruitment from high schools. We need intelligent graduates.
- ArchPundit - Tuesday, Feb 18, 25 @ 11:40 am:
===And they do not need to be invited, they know we are here and come all the time.
They can be kind of aggressive too so I’m not sure that this is a problem unless a recruiter made themselves a problem and was specifically uninvited. And then the problem is the recruiter.
- vern - Tuesday, Feb 18, 25 @ 11:43 am:
=== staff needed medical care or hospitalization on multiple occasions because they were exposed to drugs or drug use by incarcerated people, often through the mail, though actual evidence of drug-induced health consequences remains rare. ===
Legislators and unions who care about prison workers should not be encouraging those workers to have panic attacks. The reason why evidence “remains rare” for negative health consequences from skin contact with narcotics is simple: it’s not physically possible. If Senator Bryant, Reps Friese and McCombie, and AFSCME want to act in the best interest of corrections staff, they should tell the truth about what’s happening instead of cynically feeding off of mass hysteria.
- We've never had one before - Tuesday, Feb 18, 25 @ 11:57 am:
We need the military, we need warriors, like it or not. The military provides an environment where some of our young men and women can thrive and at the same time serve our country.
Is it perfect? No, nothing is. And for a lot of people in this country, it is better than good enough.
I was born an army brat.
- ArchPundit - Tuesday, Feb 18, 25 @ 12:02 pm:
==The board is not required to give greater notice regarding the right of access to recruiting representatives than is given to other persons and groups.
I always refer to this as most favored nation status as military recruiters get as good as anyone else. I’ve seen it violated (outside of IL) and it wasn’t at the places you would expect. I see no reason why MFN status isn’t sufficient.
- ArchPundit - Tuesday, Feb 18, 25 @ 12:05 pm:
Does the Illinois Corrections system have a strong career and tech education system below the college level?
I strongly favor encouraging post-secondary ed in corrections. I’m baffled Illinois is so far behind here. This would include CTE taught by community & technical colleges as well as standard liberal arts classes. It allows those incarcerated to take some responsibility for their future and gives them some hope as well as skills to find work on leaving incarceration.
- Candy Dogood - Tuesday, Feb 18, 25 @ 12:09 pm:
===without handing the GOP a giant wedge-issue advantage===
I don’t disagree with the premise here, but one should keep in mind that there are a lot of people (myself included) that think people in prison are still people.
For this to work as a wedge issue in Illinois the Illinois GOP would suddenly need to stop talking about a bunch of other things that are non-starters for the body politic of the state and stop supporting candidates in primaries based off of their ability to convince folks that they, and they alone, are the most loyal to Donald Trump while simultaneously avoiding talking about whatever crazy and non-existent thing is being pushed by online provocateurs that seek their income solely based off of how far and how fast their lies spread.
The American political right hasn’t actually been running on real policy positions in this country for the last few election cycles.
- Candy Dogood - Tuesday, Feb 18, 25 @ 12:14 pm:
===Is it perfect? No, nothing is. ===
Military recruiters lie to young people an awful lot. Perhaps it is a proud military tradition for recruiters to lie, but I’ve reached a point in my life where I don’t think children should be manipulated into signing up for military service. The impact is on a different level than being convinced to sign up to sell some CutCo Cutlery.
- Henry Francis - Tuesday, Feb 18, 25 @ 12:17 pm:
The US military has approximately $3 billion dollars in its 2025 budget related to recruitment. And the DOD announced recruitment in 2024 was up 12.5%
Who knew that despite that, they still need an invitation from school boards to recruit. I had no idea this is a pressing issue in the 95th district.
- Demoralized - Tuesday, Feb 18, 25 @ 12:18 pm:
I wasn’t aware that military recruiters were unaware that they could recruit at schools. I generally opt my child out of such recruitment events as I have chosen to have those conversations with my children myself.
- @misterjayem - Tuesday, Feb 18, 25 @ 12:54 pm:
“The military provides an environment where some of our young men and women can thrive and at the same time serve our country.”
You forgot “kill and die for.”
But to be fair, military recruiters often leave that out, too.
– MrJM
- Annonin' - Tuesday, Feb 18, 25 @ 1:09 pm:
This is a fun little discussion, but we are wonderin’ if Capt Fax & Crew (great T shirt slogan BTW) could start marking the appropriate bills with big red $$$? That helps better understand how the small gov/cut spending GOPies want dole for their brainstorms…BTW did TonyMac give the EasternBlocHeads a full year pay raise or trim them a month for their tantrum?