(SPRINGFIELD) Governor J.B. Pritzker has signed into law the Child Labor Law of 2024, which updates child labor regulations to the 21st century by repealing the existing statute and replacing it with a modern framework. The law is intended to provide a structure for minors to engage in safe, age-appropriate work, while protecting their health and access to education. It also sets standards for working conditions for children age 15 and younger, including limiting hours of work and updating the list of jobs that minors cannot hold.
(SPRINGFIELD) Illinois has received federal approval for a proposed Healthcare Transformation waiver that will allow the Illinois Department of Healthcare & Family Services to begin work expanding taxpayer funded Medicaid coverage. While the taxpayer cost for the expansion was not announced, Illinois was one of only five states to receive the federal approval for pre-release services for individuals to prepare for transition from incarceration. The state will cover a set of pre-release benefits for certain individuals who are inmates residing in a state or local jail, prison, or youth correctional facility, plus there will be expanded home and community-based services to be covered as well, including non-medical transportation, expanded employment services, and more.
(SPRINGFIELD) In response to Soil & Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) receiving a drastic cut in funding in the state’s FY 2025 Budget, 51st District State Senator Chapin Rose is co-sponsoring a critical bill to reinstate the $4 million reduction in funding through the Partners for Conservation Fund. Senator Rose and other downstate lawmakers say this is much more than just a budgetary issue as the reduction in funds threatens the SWCD’s ability to fight soil erosion and sustain agricultural practices throughout the state. The bill will likely be discussed during the General Assembly’s fall veto session later this year.
(CHAMPAIGN) After large numbers of students have chosen to live in dorms and university housing this year, statewide universities say they’ve been forced to make changes with less than one month before classes begin. In fact, the University of Illinois has offered students $2,000 cash and 100 free meals to leave the dorms. Officials are citing multiple reasons for
the influx of students seeking student housing, but it’s mainly due to the expensive rental market, according the universities and colleges throughout the state of Illinois.