This past week a bipartisan committee
began the task of examining how the state’s school-aid formula has been
transformed over the past decade, focusing on how to return the program to its
original intent. Among several areas of
concern with education funding in Illinois is how Chicago schools’ poverty
grants have reduced the amount of general state aid dollars available to other
areas of Illinois, including McHenry County, according to State Sen. Pamela
Althoff (R-McHenry).
In bill action during the week, two
measures were signed targeting Illinois motorists. Beginning January 1, 2014,
the speed limit on all interstates and toll highways will increase to 70 miles
per hour (mph), and Illinois residents will no longer be allowed to talk on
cell phones when they are behind the wheel, unless using hands-free technology.
The Governor also signed legislation to protect the rights of Illinois’
homeless.
Althoff reminds residents of the
public hearing on boating safety legislation
Althoff is encouraging local residents
interested in watercraft safety to attend a public hearing scheduled for August
29 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. to obtain input on three boating safety measures
sponsored by State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Deerfield). The meeting, to be held at the Lake County
Central Permit Facility in Libertyville, will discuss the proposals then give
opponents and proponents the opportunity to testify and share their opinions
and/or concerns.
The three measures – Senate Bills
1477, 1478, and 1805 – were assigned to the Special Committee on Watercraft
Safety in the Senate. Senate Bill 1477
would suspend the driver’s license for three months of any person who is found
to have operated a watercraft under the influence. Senate Bill 1478 would prohibit anyone born
on or after January 1, 1990 from operating a watercraft without a valid Boating
Safety Certificate issued by the Department of Natural Resources. Lastly, Senate Bill 1805 would require
operators of a watercraft towing a person or persons to display a red or orange
flag on their watercraft.
Althoff, who is a member on the
Special Committee, is urging those with a vested interest either for or against
the proposals to attend the meeting and voice their opinions.
Althoff said that if anyone wishes to
testify for or against the three legislative measures, they must call Senator
Morrison’s district office at 847-945-5200 to be placed on a list of speakers
at the meeting. Additionally, Althoff
said there is the potential for this to be the first in a series of similar
public hearings on these legislative proposals.
Bipartisan Committee Tackles Education Formula
The special bipartisan Senate Advisory
Committee on Education Funding met in Springfield Aug. 19 to hear testimony
from the Illinois State Board of Education and others. The Committee was
prompted by a Senate
Republican study of school funding in Illinois that first drew attention to
shifts in school-aid funding and called into question school financing
decisions that have been made largely out of the public eye. Upon further
review, Senate Republicans found these decisions appear to steer a
disproportionate amount of general state education dollars to Chicago public
schools.
The state’s general state-aid formula
was created as a “resource equalizer” to assure that all school districts
receive a core foundation of financial support from the state. However, over
the past decade core education funding has flat-lined, while specialized
formulas for property tax and poverty grants have skyrocketed. As a result,
more and more state dollars have been directed to schools in Chicago and away
from downstate and suburban school districts with little or no debate among
public policy makers. Althoff said that
because of the Chicago schools’ poverty grants, children in poverty in Chicago
receive more state funding than children in poverty in McHenry County.
One goal of the Committee will be to
determine if the funding shifts have a fact-based foundation in education, or
if they instead represent political decisions to steer funding to specific
areas of the state.
Much of the first committee meeting
was given over to a presentation by the State Board of Education, which
confirmed the trends outlined in the GOP report.
One contentious issue is likely to be
the formula used by the state to allocate poverty grants to school districts.
Rather than use the federal government’s clear-cut income guidelines to define
children in poverty, Illinois has elected to define poverty by using a child’s
eligibility for other assistance programs. Additionally, the state follows a
formula that heavily weights the amount of aid a school district receives based
on the percentage of students in poverty.
This weighting means that some
districts receive nearly $3,000 for each child defined as poor, while other
school districts may receive only $355. Critics of the program acknowledge that
while school districts with a high percentage of poverty students may need more
money to educate those students, the allocation formula appears arbitrary and
based on political, rather than educational, considerations.
New law sets speed limit at 70 MPH in 2014
Beginning Jan. 1, Illinois’ speed
limit will be in line with most of the rest of the country, under a new law signed
August 19 by Gov. Pat Quinn.
Senate Bill 2356, which was
co-sponsored by Althoff, increases the maximum speed limit to 70 miles per hour
(mph) on all interstates and toll highways.
Sponsored by lawmakers from both
political parties who represent all regions of our state, the new law updates
speed limits to reflect the reality of current driving speeds in Illinois and
other states. Interstates were designed for a higher rate of speed, and
currently, there are 34 states with speed limits of 70 mph or higher.
All of Illinois’ neighboring states, except Wisconsin, have speed limits
of 70 mph. Fifteen states have speed limits of 75 mph and one state has a
speed limit of 85 mph.
At the request of the Illinois State
Police, Senate Bill 2356 provides public safety enhancements in the form of a
lowered threshold upon which the penalty for speeding is increased from a petty
offense to a misdemeanor. Speeding in excess of 26 miles per hour but
less than 35 mph (currently 31-40 mph) will be a Class B misdemeanor.
Speeding in excess of 35 mph (currently 40 mph) will be a Class A
misdemeanor.
Senate Bill 2356 also allows Cook
County, the collar counties, Madison County and St. Clair County to opt out of
the higher speed limit via ordinance.
The new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2014.
Use of cell phones while driving ban to take effect
Jan. 1
Though Illinois motorist may soon get
to speed up on certain roadways, they won’t be doing it with a phone in their
hands. Illinois drivers will no longer be allowed to talk on cell phones while
driving, unless using hands-free technology, under a newly signed law that
takes effect on January 1, 2014.
Illinois is one of about a dozen states with similar laws banning the
use of cell phones while driving, and already has a prohibition in place for
texting and driving.
Proponents say the new law will cut
down on distracted driving, making Illinois roads safer. Opponents, however,
argue that it should be up to drivers to exercise proper safety precautions
instead of leaving this burden to the police who will enforce this new law. The
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has found little difference between
safety of drivers who use hand-held cell phones and those who use hands-free
devices. Althoff did not support the
measure.
Devices that are still allowed include
Bluetooth headsets, speaker phone systems built into car stereos, and mounted
cell phone holsters that allow a driver to use the speaker function on their
phone without holding it. Additionally, drivers will still be legally allowed
to make calls on hand-held phones in emergency situations.
Violators of the law will be fined $75
for a first offense. Fines of as much as $150 could be issued for repeat
offenses, and offenders could face a moving violation on their driving record. Althoff noted that this law will be strictly
enforced.
New law establishes protections for Illinois’
homeless
A new law creating a “Homeless Bill of
Rights” was signed Aug. 22, making Illinois one of the first states to enact a
Bill of Rights for the homeless.
The measure establishes that a
person’s rights, privileges or access to public services cannot be denied or
altered solely because of his or her homeless status. Senate Bill 1210,
supported by Althoff in the Senate, protects an individual’s right to maintain
gainful employment, access emergency medical care; protects their right to the
privacy of personal property, records and information; and protects their right
to vote on the same basis as other people. If someone believes that their rights
have been violated because of their homeless status, Senate Bill 1210 allows
that person to take legal action and pursue damages.
Previously, Rhode Island was the only
state in the nation with a law granting legal protections for homeless.
Other measures signed into law
A complete list of measures signed
into law this week can be found at Althoff’s website at www.senatoralthoff.com.
