Law Will Ensure Children Receive the Support and Care They Deserve
CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today signed legislation to prohibit ATM fees on EPPICards, reloadable debit cards which are methods of receiving child support payments. The new law will ensure that children receive the support and care they deserve. Today's action is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to protect consumers and support Illinois' families.
"Child support is intended to make sure that our state's youngest residents have access to the food, clothing and housing they need," Governor Quinn said. "Those funds should go towards care for the child, not bank fees. Protecting withdrawals on these cards means that parents can access the funds they are entitled to without burdensome fees."
Senate Bill 640 allows consumers to access these child support funds through an ATM without incurring additional fees. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) currently offers EPPICards to individuals receiving child support payments who do not use banking services, allowing individuals to access child support funds electronically. EPPICards help consumers avoid check cashing fees and provides protection from theft or fraud. The law is effective July 1, 2015.
"This measure protects families living paycheck to paycheck," State Senator Dan Kotowski (D-Park Ridge), sponsor of the legislation, said. "It keeps single parents who receive child support from paying unjust fees and enables them to get the money they rightfully deserve."
Governor Quinn has been a leader in protecting Illinois' consumers and making sure residents have access to their money without burdensome fees. This month Governor Quinn signed legislation protecting users of employee payroll cards by limiting the fees that can be imposed on the cards, including a prohibition on fees for overdrafts, transaction history requests and purchases.
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Governor Quinn Signs Law to Coordinate Assistance to Illinois' Servicemembers
New Partnership Will Help Guide Support for Illinois' Servicemembers and their Families
CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today signed legislation that will help coordinate the donations and grants made by the public toward Illinois' veterans. Today's action is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to support Illinois' military families.
"When it comes to supporting our veterans, Illinois is second to none," Governor Quinn said. "This law is just another way a grateful state can say 'thank you' to those who served. Now we can help ensure our servicemembers receive the support they deserve for all of the sacrifices they have made to protect our freedoms."
"We are grateful for Governor Quinn's leadership and support of our Illinois veterans and their families," Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs Acting Director Rodrigo Garcia said. "The bill he's signed into law today is a strong initiative to continue helping us to help those who've served. Senate Bill 3222 creates the Illinois Joining Forces Foundation and marks the next stage in our efforts to help so many deserving people across Illinois. We are also grateful to the sponsors and supporters of this important piece of legislation."
Senate Bill 3222, sponsored by State Senator Mike Hastings (D-Matteson), a West Point graduate and Iraq veteran, and State Representative Wayne Rosenthal (R-Litchfield), a veteran and a retired Illinois Air National Guard officer, represents the next step forward for Illinois Joining Forces. The law allows Illinois Joining Forces to be housed in a non-profit organization, the Illinois Joining Forces Foundation. The Foundation will help coordinate the "sea of goodwill" being offered to veterans and their families from numerous public and private sources. The new partnership allows the Illinois Joining Forces program to solicit, accept and disperse grants and donations on behalf of the state's veterans. This central coordination will ensure the most effective acceptance and distribution of assistance for veterans. The law is effective immediately.
"The Illinois Joining Forces Foundation is an outstanding way to show our veterans that we will honor and support them even after their services are inactive," Senator Hastings said. "When these men and women return to their homes, they should not have to go door to door to receive the services they may need and the foundation will provide an excellent one-stop-shop for them."
"With so many organizations available to assist our military service members, veterans and families, it can often be overwhelming to know where to turn for assistance," Representative Rosenthal said. "That is where the Illinois Joining Forces excels. By creating a one-stop shop to help our military find the assistance they need, the Foundation makes the process less daunting. Establishing the Illinois Joining Forces Foundation as a not-for-profit will allow for additional resources to be allocated towards their mission, services and programs."
Illinois Joining Forces has been recognized by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as an "innovative example" of expanding collaboration and information sharing at the local level. In Feb. 2014, IDVA received the Abraham Lincoln Pillars of Excellence Award from the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs for its creation of Illinois joining forces. For more information on Illinois Joining Forces, visit www.illinoisjoiningforces.org
Governor Quinn has long been a leader for supporting Illinois' military families. He initiated the Illinois Veterans Grant and Illinois National Guard Grant, which cover tuition at all Illinois public universities and community colleges for eligible veterans and serving National Guard members. He also required colleges to post all benefits available to Illinois veterans and assign a staff member to serve as the point of contact for student-veterans who need information and assistance. In 2012, Governor Quinn and the Departments of Veterans and Military Affairs spearheaded the statewide public-private partnership, Illinois Joining Forces, which has been a model for other states to follow. Today's bill signing creates a foundation that will help further this organization's mission of assisting veterans.
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Governor Quinn Signs Legislation to Keep Dangerous Substances Away from Illinois' Schools
Additional Laws Help Combat Drug Use and Possession by Illinois' Children
CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today signed three new laws to fight the use and manufacture of illegal drugs in Illinois. The laws toughen penalties for meth manufacture near schools, add certain synthetic drugs to the Controlled Substances Act and prohibit anyone under 18 from purchasing or possessing any product containing the herbal drug Kratom. Today's action is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to keep schools safe and protect the health of the people of Illinois.
"Dangerous substances have no place near our schools or children," Governor Quinn said. "These laws will help ensure that drugs stay away from these special places of learning. To those who choose to violate the law and manufacture the drug, today we are sending a strong message - these harmful drugs do not belong anywhere near our children."
House Bill 4093, sponsored by State Representative Daniel Beiser (D-Alton) and State Senator William Haine (D-Alton), increases the penalty for methamphetamine, or meth, manufacture if it occurs within 1,000 feet of any school property.
The offense is now classified as aggravated participation in methamphetamine manufacture, a Class X felony with tougher penalties than the Class 1 felony of participation in methamphetamine manufacture. The possible sentences for breaking the law are now a minimum of six years in prison, with up to 60 years possible, and fines up to $400,000 or the total street value of the drug. The new law is effective Jan. 1, 2015.
"I introduced House Bill 4093 after a very serious situation was brought to my attention by the South Roxana Police Department involving methamphetamine manufacture near a daycare," Representative Beiser said. "I was shocked to discover our current law had a loophole in its language regarding proximity to what constituted school property. House Bill 4093 closes this dangerous loophole. I want to thank the law enforcement community for bringing this to my attention so that we can work together to protect schoolchildren and prosecute those reckless criminals who would otherwise put them in harm's way."
"The evils of meth are all around us. It destroys individuals, families and neighborhoods," Senator Haine said. "Meth is a highly addictive and disruptive substance. There is no redeeming social value in the manufacture of meth."
Governor Quinn today also signed Senate Bill 3275, sponsored by State Senator Kirk Dillard (R-Hinsdale) and Representative Dennis Reboletti (R-Addison), that adds the synthetic drugs 25-I, 25-C and 25-B to the listed of controlled substances which are illegal to manufacture, deliver or possess with the intent to distribute. These hallucinogenic substances have been available for purchase online and are linked to a number of serious or fatal reactions, particularly among high school students. The new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2015.
The Governor also signed House Bill 5526, sponsored by Representative Reboletti and State Senator Michael Connelly (R-Naperville), which makes it illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to purchase or possess any product containing the herbal drug Kratom and also makes it illegal for anyone to sell or provide Kratom to a minor. This stimulant made from leaves indigenous to southeast Asia can mimic the effects of heroin or frequently abused pain killers in higher doses. The new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2015.
Since taking office, Governor Quinn has worked toward a drug free Illinois. He signed the Emergency Medical Services Access law in 2012, which provides immunity to a person who, in good faith, seeks or obtains emergency medical assistance for someone experiencing an overdose. As part of the Drug Overdose Prevention Program, a life-saving law took effect in 2010 to allow non-medical persons to dispense a drug overdose antidote in an emergency to prevent a drug overdose from becoming fatal.
Additionally, in 2009, the Governor approved law enforcement tracking of online or over-the-counter drug purchases to reduce access to pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, ingredients involved in the manufacture of methamphetamine commonly found in over-the-counter allergy and cold medicines. The Methamphetamine Precursor Tracking Act made a pilot program to track purchase of methamphetamine ingredients permanent and makes it tougher for meth manufacturers to obtain their ingredients in Illinois.
The pilot program helped Illinois State Police Methamphetamine Response Teams locate and seize 155 meth labs and make 231 meth arrests. The federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) reported that in calendar year 2012, Illinois had 801 clandestine methamphetamine lab incidents, the fifth highest in the country.
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