LEGISLATIVE UPDATE FROM EQUIP FOR EQUALITY
The following are disability-related bills and/or issues pending in the Illinois General Assembly that are scheduled to be heard in committee during the week of January 27, 2020:
Senate Higher Education Committee
January 28, 2020, 3:00 p.m.
Room 212, Capitol Building
Springfield, IL
SB 2333, Senator Dan McConchie
Amends various Acts relating to the governance of public universities and community colleges in Illinois. Provides that if a student has a personal support worker through the Home-Based Support Services Program for Adults with Mental Disabilities under the Developmental Disability and Mental Disability Services Act, the governing board of the public university or community college district must permit the personal support worker to attend class with the student but is not responsible for providing or paying for the personal support worker. Provides that if the personal support worker’s attendance in class is solely to provide personal support services to the student, the governing board may not charge the personal support worker tuition and fees for such attendance.
Senate Human Services Committee
January 28, 2020, 3:00 p.m.
Room 409, Capitol Building
Springfield, IL
SB 2328, Senator Laura M. Murphy
Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Administrative Act. Provides that the Department of Human Services shall create and maintain an online database and resource page on its website. Provides that the database and resource page shall contain mental health resources specifically geared toward post-secondary social workers, counselors, parents, faculty, graduate assistants, school administrators, graduate and undergraduate students, and support personnel with the goal of connecting those people with mental health resources related to crisis services, wellness, sexual health, survivor support, gender-based violence, nutrition, stress reduction, anxiety, depression, violence prevention, suicide prevention, and substance use and encouraging information sharing among educational administrators, security personnel, resource officers, faculty, students, and all other employees of a university or college.
NOTE: If you wish to take any action regarding any of these bills/issues, you may wish to attend the committee hearing and/or contact the members of the Committee conducting the hearing and/or the legislators in your home district. The names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all legislators, both Representatives and Senators, can be found on the Illinois General Assembly website at: www.ilga.gov. You may check this website to find out if any of the committee hearing dates or times have been changed, which may happen upon very short notice. You may also use this website to file an electronic witness slip for any bill that is posted for hearing by clicking on “GA Dashboard” on the homepage. For additional information, please contact:
Cheryl R. Jansen, Public Policy Director
Equip for Equality
cherylj2@equipforequality.org
217-544-0464 ext. 6013
