GLENVIEW – Youth in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services will have a few mew more protections in place under a new law taking effect sponsored by State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview)

Senate Bill 191 deals with eligibility for the Family Support Program services or an Individual Care Grant. Under current statue, parents may be forced to give up custody of their children in order for the children to receive necessary mental health care. This causes many parents to opt not to provide that care, which negatively impacts the health and well-being of the child. The result is often that the youth will begin to engage in delinquent acts or have difficulty managing or coping with negative emotions and behaviors.

“Having to choose between your child’s well-being and keeping custody of your child is a decision that no parent should be forced to make,” Fine said. “That dilemma is removed under this bill, which allows parents to provide their children with the care they need.”

The new law allows children who are placed under DCFS guardianship to retain their eligibility for Individual Care Grants, which provide funding to parents of children with mental illnesses.

SB191 also raises the age when cases involving children in youth care automatically expire, from 19 to 21.

“When a child who was once in care comes of age, that doesn’t automatically mean that they no longer require assistance,” Fine said. “Extending the age by just two years gives these young adults a little bit more time to find the stability they need to begin their adult lives.”

The bill is an initiative of the Office of the Cook County Public Guardian, and contains elements from two of Fine’s measures that were sent to the House of Representatives. The House Sponsor combined the bills into one to ease the legislative process. SB 191 passed through both chambers of the General Assembly with unanimous, bipartisan support and is effective immediately.

“Legalization doesn’t eliminate the need for medical cannabis.”

SPRINGFIELD – Hours after the Illinois House approved legislation legalizing the use of recreational cannabis, State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview) led the charge in the Senate to expand Illinois’ medical cannabis program.

“The legalization of recreational cannabis doesn’t eliminate the need for medical cannabis,” Fine said. “Many people rely on medical cannabis as part of their treatments and will still continue to do so once recreational cannabis becomes legal. We need to make sure they’ll still have access to the medications they require.”

Senate Bill 2023 expands access to the medicinal cannabis program. It gives nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants the authority to certify a patient’s eligibility for medicinal cannabis. Currently, only doctors have this authority. The bill also adds 12 additional conditions for eligibility bringing the total number of conditions to 54.

“Medical cannabis has been proven to be an effective method for treating debilitating medical conditions,” Fine said. “By expanding the number of possible conditions as well as the number of medical professionals that can certify eligibility, we can ensure that patients who need medical cannabis for their treatment can receive it.”

The bill passed the Senate on concurrence. It will be sent to the Governor for approval.

SPRINGFIELD – A balanced budget passed the Illinois Senate today after receiving support from a majority of the body, including State Senator Laura Fine (D-Glenview), who afterward issued the following statement:

“Today I joined many of my colleagues in the Senate in passing a fiscally responsible, balanced budget for the next fiscal year. This budget will provide funding to essential human services, schools and universities in our state.

“I’m thrilled at the investment this budget puts toward not just colleges and universities, but prospective students as well. We are investing in our students through an increase in MAP grants and the AIM HIGH. We need to show students in Illinois that we are willing to invest in their education and their futures.

“This budget, although not perfect, will provide predictability for our providers, municipalities, schools, community colleges and universities. It will bring stability as our state moves into the next fiscal year”

The budget passed the Senate as a series of several bills, and must be approved by the House of Representatives before being sent to the governor. Should they receive the governor’s signature, they would go into effect July 1.