SPRINGFIELD – Illinois judges would be encouraged to consider the negative consequences children at home could face when determining imprisonment length for an expectant or current mother under an initiative that passed the Senate Criminal Law Committee Tuesday.

State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood) is the lead sponsor of the legislation.

“All judges have options when deciding the length of and manner in which guilty parties serve their sentence,” Loughran Cappel said. “Taking the livelihood of children, who otherwise could be uprooted, into account when sentencing mothers, is the humane thing to do.”

To discourage further disruption of families caused by a parent going to jail, Loughran Cappel’s initiative creates a weighing factor for courts to consider when determining the imprisonment time of pregnant women or women with young children in their care.

“The actions of the parent should not mean negative consequences for the child,” Loughran Cappel said.

Senate Bill 1566 awaits further consideration before the full Senate.

SPRINGFIELD – In an effort to bring missing persons suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia home safely, State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood) moved a resolution out of the Senate State Government Committee Wednesday urging increased use of Silver Search programs.

“Effectively using Silver Search programs can play a vital role in locating a missing loved one,” Loughran Cappel said. “It is crucial to take advantage of every resource we have at our disposal.”

 The Silver Search Task Force utilizes an Endangered Missing Person Advisory when a person with Alzheimer's or dementia goes missing, dispersing as much information as possible about a missing person through email, radio, television broadcast, text message, and law enforcement bulletins. Additionally, the task force has partnerships with the Illinois Department of Transportation and Illinois Tollway Authority in order to post advisories with information on missing persons that may be driving vehicles.

 Of the 121 Silver Alerts that have been issued since the creation of the Silver Search program in 2016, all but one person has been found.

 “We have seen this program used to great effect at the state level,” Loughran Cappel said. “In order for a fully successful program, we need local buy in as well. It is my hope that county officials will utilize Silver Search programs to their full potential and help bring missing people home safely.”

 Senate Resolution 91 will now be heard before the Senate.

SHOREWOOD – School districts in the 49th District are set to receive $127 million in additional funding to help address the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood) announced Wednesday.

“Over the course of the last year, teachers, students, and parents have gracefully made the best of an impossible situation. Every single one of them deserves a tremendous amount of credit for their perseverance,” Loughran Cappel said. “This funding will allow us to address difficulties that plagued our school districts last year and effectively plan for the future.”

The funding comes as part of the most recent federal COVID-19 relief packages. Schools, students and parents have overcome challenges that no one could have imagined before the pandemic began, including remote and hybrid learning, digital connection issues, new processes for receiving state and federal aid that normally flow through schools, and more.

Local school districts are set to receive the following amounts:

• Joliet Public School District 86 - $42,595,457
• Oswego Community Unit School District 308 - $10,768,168
• Troy Community Consolidated School District 30C - $4,304,161
• Richland School District 88A - $1,701,605
• Plainfield School District 202 - $21,456,858
• Indian Prairie Community Unit School District 204 - $12,261,096
• Valley View Community Unit School District 365U - $34,857,485

The majority of the funding comes from the American Rescue Plan, which gives local schools a great deal of flexibility in how they can use the money over the next 3 ½ years. At least 20% of the funding must be used to address learning loss, but beyond that, school districts can use the money to address many different issues and costs. For example, it can be used to better equip schools for safe learning, to prevent layoffs, to address students’ social and emotional needs, to fund summer programs, or to ensure all students have access to reliable Wi-Fi and technology.

The State Board of Education, in collaboration with other state agencies that address education, has produced a guide for local school districts to help them decide how to best use their resources. While the guide and other state-sponsored services are completely voluntary, the state aims to support local districts during this difficult time.

“To the teachers, para educators, social workers, coaches, and everyone else who made the school year possible: thank you,” Loughran Cappel said. “We owe you a debt of gratitude and look forward to a hopefully seamless 2021-2022 school year.”

In total, Illinois received nearly $7 billion to support local school districts.

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation led by Senator Meg Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood) that is aimed at addressing a glaring gap in financial preparedness among Illinois students passed through the Senate Education Committee Tuesday.

“One of the primary goals of our state’s education system is preparing students to lead fulfilling, successful adult lives,” Loughran Cappel said. “Part of that is knowing what to do with your money and practicing good financial habits. These key life skills, which can be carried for a student’s entire life, deserve to be promoted in our schools.”

Senate Bill 1830 would allow either one year, or a semester, of a financial literacy course to count toward the math requirement to graduate high school.

In a study conducted by USA TODAY, of those who attended college, only 41% said they received enough information in college to build good financial habits and 30% said their high school education did so. When asked what they wish they had learned more about in school, financial topics were at the top of the list.

Currently, in order to receive a high school diploma, students must take three years of mathematics which must include one year of algebra I, one year that includes geometry content, and one year of either algebra II or Advanced Placement computer science. SB 1830 would add a financial literacy class to the list of courses that count toward the three year requirement.

The measure now moves to the Senate floor for further consideration.