SPRINGFIELD- It is a traumatic experience for a seven- year-old girl to have to explain experiences of sexual abuse to a courtroom full of strangers and her attacker. To relieve some of this stress and anxiety, Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) advanced Senate Bill 1389 to permit courts to allow comfort canines in courtrooms.

“During my time as a prosecutor, we had to deal with the difficult task of putting children on the stand to testify and go through the emotional struggle of explaining a traumatic experience,” said Bennett. “Our goal is to alleviate some of their anxiety and stress by providing some comfort through the use of therapy dogs.”     

SB 1389 would allow courts to authorize the use of “comfort canines” when children or others with a severe developmental or intellectual disability have to testify in court on sexual assault cases.  

Authorized dogs would be required to go through training and be evaluated and registered as a member of Assistance Dogs International.

“We need to do whatever we can to provide additional support to children during these distressing experiences,” said Bennett. “The use of dogs in the courtroom can help bring a major change in how we can meet the emotional needs of those involved in the criminal justice system.”

This measure passed out of the Senate’s Committee on Criminal Justice and now moves to the full Senate for consideration.

DANVILLE – Working to bring state services and free health screenings to seniors in Danville and Rantoul, State Senator Scott Bennett (D–Champaign) is hosting free senior workshops next week.  

DANVILLE:

Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Time: 9:30 a.m. to noon
Location: CRIS Healthy Aging Center, 309 N. Franklin Street, Danville, IL

Services available:

•    Presentation on financial and health care fraud from the Attorney General’s Office
•    Presentations on services by Melody Erhlich, Regional Director of Presence Health, Sue Rieche from Community Action Weatherization/Energy and Representatives from CRIS Healthy Aging Center
•    Live Zumba Presentation with CURVES Health Club
•    Flu shots and healthcare information provided by Walgreens (Please bring your insurance information)
•    Illinois Treasurer’s office will be available to help seniors access the state's I-CASH Database to search for unclaimed property

RANTOUL:

Date: Thursday, April 2, 2015
Time: 9:30 a.m. to noon
Location: Rantoul Recreation Department, 100 W. Flessner Ave., Rantoul, IL

Services available:

•    Presentation on financial and health care fraud from the AARP
•    Information on community volunteer opportunities with Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP)
•    Flu shots and healthcare information provided by Walgreens (Please bring your insurance information)
•    Illinois Treasurer’s office will be available to help seniors access the state's I-CASH Database to search for unclaimed property

SPRINGFIELD- A survey released earlier this year revealed there will be more than 500 new jobs in central Illinois that will need to be filled by those trained in career and technical programs such as welding, trucking and design engineering.

However, employers will be unable to fill these jobs due to workforce shortages in the region.

State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) advanced Senate Bill 1393 to promote a career and technical education to help alleviate workforce shortages in Illinois.

“Not all students are interested in four-year degrees. Career and technical training is an opportunity for students to jump start their training while in school and find good-paying jobs immediately after graduation,” Bennett said. “We need to match Illinois residents with high-demand jobs to keep employers and workers in Illinois.”

SB 1393 requires the Illinois State Board of Education to identify industries and occupations in Illinois that face workforce shortages or a lack of adequately trained, entry-level workers and award grants of $1,000 per pupil to school districts for each student who successfully completes an industry-recognized certification program that was designed to mitigate workforce shortages.

“There are real jobs here at home. This initiative will ensure we continue to work to guarantee Illinois’ workforce meets the demands of our economy,” Bennett said.

The measure passed the Senate’s Education Committee and now moves to the full Senate for consideration.

SPRINGFIELD– Taxpayers would have a better understanding of the work of government boards  under a proposed law state Sen. Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) advanced today.

“Good government requires transparency and accountability. It’s our duty to hold administrations accountable and keep people informed,” said Bennett.

His proposal, Senate Bill 1339, does two things.

First, it requires government boards to post video on their websites of the board meeting within 24 hours. This would apply to boards where the governor appoints at least one member that is confirmed by the Senate.

“This simply makes it easier for taxpayers to access public information,” Bennett said. “The technology is readily available today to make this possible and affordable.”

Second, Bennett’s proposal would require those boards to post its public meeting agenda at least 72 hours prior to the meeting, except in cases of emergencies. The current posting requirement is only 48 hours.

SB 1339 passed the Senate’s Executive Committee with bipartisan support and moves to the full Senate for consideration.