SPRINGFIELD - State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) joined her colleagues in the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus to promote reforms to policing in Illinois. Please take a moment to view Senator Van Pelt's comments at a press conference from the Blue Room in the State Capitol in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD –State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) has passed legislation, proposed by the Illinois State Board of Education and Cabrini Green Legal Aid, to limit the types of convictions that would automatically disqualify individuals from employment within a school district, disqualify individuals from obtaining an educator’s license or result in revocation of an educator’s license.

House Bill 494 states that persons convicted of possession of less than 30 grams of cannabis as well as those convicted of misdemeanor public indecency and prostitution will not be automatically disqualified for school district employment or obtaining licensing. The legislation also allows convicted drug offenders who have turned their lives around to apply for employment and licensing after seven years without committing new offenses.

“Those who have made mistakes in their lives should not be shut completely out of society. Those who have paid their debts to society and turned their lives around deserve second chances, and it is my hope that his bipartisan legislation will help do just that,” Van Pelt said.

The legislation was co-sponsored by both Democrats and Republicans and was promoted by the State Board of Education, along with other community stakeholders.

SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) is supporting a plan put forth by the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus to help solve a child care crisis in the state. The plan comes after high-level talks between Illinois Senate Democrats and the office of the Governor on how to keep the Child Care Assistance Program, or CCAP, funded for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2015.

“This plan provides the Governor’s office with powers they requested to help fund CCAP for the remainder of the year. The legislation will let this important program continue without putting other programs at risk, without borrowing and without raising taxes,” Senator Van Pelt said.

The plan would allow the Governor’s office to shift already existing funds in the state budget to help fill financial gaps in programs such as CCAP, a program to help working families with needed child care. That program has been at risk recently due to lack of funding which has threatened to close many providers, not only putting their clients in jeopardy, but eliminating good paying jobs.

“After over a month, we feel it is time to provide our working families and child care businesses with the solution they are demanding. With this plan, the Governor’s office will now have the tools they say are necessary to resolve this crisis for the remainder of the Fiscal Year,” Senator Van Pelt said.

CHICAGO - State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) is urging residents to attend the "Make a Connection" Small Business event, sponsored by Senator Van Pelt and others, in partnership with the Illinois Department of Central Management Services.

The event is designed to help small business owners navigate the processes of doing business with the State of Illinois.

The event is to be held on March 20th from 8:30AM to 1:00PM at the Malcolm X College Auditorium, 1900 West Van Buren in Chicago.

The event is free to the public and parking is available.

For more information, please click on the flyer to the left or contact the Illinois Department of Central Management Services at www.cms.illinois.gov/events.