SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) issued the following statement today after Governor Rauner issued an amendatory veto of historic changes to Illinois’ inequitable system of school funding:  

“Today, Governor Rauner blew up decades of work to change Illinois’ worst-in-the-nation system of school funding. His rhetoric against Chicago and CPS belittles the real challenges faced on a daily basis by the district’s nearly 400,000 students.

“I will continue working with my colleagues in the Senate to ensure this governor’s bald-faced prejudice toward Chicago schoolchildren does not harm every student in Illinois.”

SPRINGFIELD – Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) issued the following statement in response to the Senate’s passage of a balanced budget:

“Today, the Illinois Senate once again moved to end the chaos of the last two years by passing a full-year, balanced budget.

“The Senate’s balanced budget will reinstate funding for MAP grants, P-12 education, youth-employment and after-school programs, technical education, and other important human services that help treat addiction and reduce recidivism rates—all of which will help restore stability to communities that have been most devastated by Governor Rauner’s inaction over the past two-and-a-half years.

“I urge the governor to end the chaos and provide support for our communities that have been hurt the most by the state’s budget crisis by signing the Senate’s balanced budget plan into law.”

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SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) issued the following statement in response to the Bail Reform Act of 2017 becoming law:

“I am proud that Illinois' outdated system of monetary bail is finally being reformed. Low-risk offenders should not be forced to stay in jail because they can't afford bail. We should be investing in our neighborhoods, in social services and in job training programs to lift people up, instead of spending money to detain someone who is not a threat to public safety.”

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SPRINGFIELD – Senator Patricia Van Pelt’s (D-Chicago) measure intended to foster communication between law enforcement and youths and enhance neighborhood safety passed in the Illinois Senate today.

House Bill 243 would allow high schools to establish partnerships with local law enforcement to create law enforcement job training programs for high school students.

“No one is well-served when there is a breakdown in trust and communication between law enforcement and the community,” Van Pelt said. “It’s time to put into effect meaningful programs that help foster positive relationships between law enforcement and our neighborhoods and encourage Chicago youth to pursue careers in law enforcement. If successful, law enforcement agencies will be more diverse and their officers will have a better understanding of the communities they serve.”

The measure also creates the Police Training Academy Job Training Program and Scholarship Fund, which requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to administer a scholarship program for students who have participated in such programs and have been accepted into one of Illinois’ public colleges or universities.

Having passed both chambers with bipartisan support, House Bill 243 now goes to the governor’s desk.

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