SPRINGFIELD – Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) voted today for a supplemental budget solution that restores funding for human service organizations and higher education. The legislation authorizes spending for the second half of the current fiscal year.

“I’m proud to be part of the bipartisan group of senators who voted to restore funding for MAP grants, technical education programs and important human services that help reduce recidivism rates, treat addiction and provide youth employment,” Van Pelt said. “Investing in these programs is the key to ensuring our neighborhoods are safe and our communities are strong.”

The stopgap budget expired Jan. 1, leaving public universities, addiction treatment centers, senior programs, mental health providers, programs for victims of sexual assault, youth services and breast and cervical cancer screening programs without state funding. This has forced many organizations to cut back on services or shut down completely. Senate Bill 6 would ensure organizations are paid for services rendered. It also appropriates funds for state worker pay.

Senate Bill 6 is part of a budget and reform package of legislation currently being considered in the Senate.

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SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) issued the following statement in response to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s annual budget address:

“For the third year in a row, the governor failed to fulfill his constitutional duty to propose a balanced state budget,” Van Pelt said. “Governor Rauner’s lack of leadership and ownership shows that he’s not willing to make fixing Illinois’ budget crisis his problem. As a result, human service programs that provide opportunities and assistance to those in need will continue to be underfunded. And while I appreciate his calls to fund public safety and criminal justice reform efforts, he has spent the last two years talking, not doing. It’s time for the governor to put his money where his mouth is and finally take action to fund human service programs and enact meaningful criminal justice reform.”

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SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) issued the following statement in response to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s State of the State address:

“Governor Rauner may have touted his work on criminal justice reform, but his recent comments calling Chicago the murder capital and his refusal to stand up to President Trump, rather than actually investing in programs that would help reduce crime in Chicago speaks volumes,” Van Pelt said.

“The governor’s refusal to compromise on a budget directly impacts our criminal justice system and makes it harder for criminal justice reform attempts to succeed. The lack of budget has caused underfunding for important human service programs that help reduce recidivism, treat addiction and help prisoners re-enter the workforce, all of which are critical parts of criminal justice reform. In order to make significant progress toward reforming the criminal justice system, the governor needs to make funding human service programs and investing in our neighborhoods a real priority.”

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At the end of each year, we publish a list of new laws set to take effect on Jan. 1. While a great deal of the General Assembly’s focus in 2016 was on the ongoing Illinois budget stalemate and a stopgap budget to keep vital programs and services going, a variety of new laws regarding safety, ethics, criminal justice reform, and employment wages and benefits will become effective Jan. 1.

Here are our Top 10 New Illinois Laws for 2017.