JOLIET – State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel’s Office will be traveling to the Joliet Public Library on Thursday, May 16 to increase accessibility to residents across the 49^th District.

“I urge folks in need of services to take advantage of our traveling office hours,” said Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). “Being accessible to the community is crucial and I hope we can reach more community members with this event.”

The free event will be held on Thursday, May 16 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Joliet Public Library, located at 3395 Black Rd. Coffee will be provided for attendees.

Staff from Loughran Cappel’s office will be onsite to offer assistance with state issues, provide resources and hear input from residents. Traveling office hours are hosted on different days, times and locations to improve accessibility.

For more information, residents can contact Loughran Cappel’s office at 815-267-6119 or visit www.SenatorLoughranCappel.com.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel passed a measure through the Senate Licensed Activities Committee Wednesday that addresses background check delays at childcare facilities across the state.

“I continue to hear about delays with the state’s licensing process,” said Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). “As we face a shortage of qualified early education teachers, we have to take the necessary steps to speed up the process.”

House Bill 4412 would allow a childcare facility, non-licensed service provider, day care center, or home-based day cares to use a third-party vendor licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation for the required fingerprinting that is part of the application process for facility licensure and as a condition of employment.

Loughran Cappel’s initiative aims to reduce delays to prevent qualified applicants from losing interest and seeking employment elsewhere. Currently the background check process takes between six and 12 weeks to receive results.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel is working on a measure that would bring equity to funding for special education students by creating a fair reimbursement rate for special education day schools.

“I spent 15 years in the classroom as a special education teacher,” said Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). “We have to ensure our students can receive a quality education in the least restrictive environment. This initiative would achieve equitable funding for all special needs students, no matter their placement.” 

Senate Bill 3606 would equalize the reimbursement rate received by public school districts from the Illinois State Board of Education when sending high-needs special education students to private and public special education day schools.

Under Loughran Cappel’s measure, public schools would be eligible to receive a reimbursement, regardless of where the student is sent, from ISBE for tuition costs for high-needs special education students that exceed the average cost for students not receiving special education services.

SPRINGFIELD – To address the shortage of Career and Technical Education teachers, State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel led a measure through the Senate that would allow them to be granted tenure.

“The need for CTE teachers continues to grow as more students enroll in these programs across the state,” said Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). “We have to acknowledge the crucial work they do to educate students with hands-on learning experiences.”

Senate Bill 463 would allow CTE teachers to be granted tenure if they have a license with credentials. Under current law, teachers are required to have a Professional Educator License to be granted tenure. Loughran Cappel’s measure aims to expand the requirements to include CTE teachers.