Coronavirus: What you should know

Stadelman moves to protect survivors of sexual assault

State Senator Steve Stadelman has introduced a bill that would make a civil no-contact order permanent if an individual is criminally convicted of sexual assault. Under current law, sexual assault survivors must see their alleged assailants in court every two years to renew their no contact orders.

“Survivors of sexual assault have to live day in and day out with the trauma caused by assault,” Stadelman said. “The least we can do to help them is not to force them to relive their trauma every 2 years.”

Stadelman developed the Senate Bill 3617 in consultation with the City of Rockford and Rockford Sexual Assault Counsel (RSAC). Similar lifetime protection orders are already in place for stalking victims.

“If an individual believes that it’s in the best interest of their safety to extend an order of no contact against their criminally convicted perpetrator, they should have the right to do so,” Stadelman said. “People should have the right to feel safe in their daily lives without having to endlessly go to court.”

Stadelman fights for rights of kids to run lemonade stands

State Senator Steve Stadelman voted last week for legislation that would prevent children from having their lemonade stands shut down by overzealous local bureaucrats. The legislation was inspired by the story of 11-year-old Hayli Martinez, who last week told the Senate Public Health Committee about how officials in Kankakee flagged and quickly closed her lemonade operation last summer. 

“My lemonade stand is a dream I shared with my grandma before she passed away -- she always told me to make lemonade out of lemons, so I did,” Martinez said. “When my lemonade stand was shut down, I became very upset. I asked myself, "Why me?" I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Stadelman is the sponsor of Senate Bill 3169 and co-sponsor of Senate Bill 3459. Both would eliminate local requirements such as a license, permit or fee to sell lemonade for an individual under the age of 16.

“We should be encouraging our young entrepreneurs. The current law does nothing but discourage them,” Stadelman said. “I remember what it was like to be a kid in the summer, trying to find something to do. This legislation allows our youth to be creative and make a small profit at the same time.”

SB 3459 passed committee and will now be reported to the Senate floor for full consideration.

 Stadelman legislation to spur construction spending passes Senate

Legislation introduced by State Senator Steve Stadelman to help the state finance construction projects across Illinois passed the Senate last week.

Stadelman's bill allows the Illinois Treasurer to invest up to 5 percent of the state’s investment portfolio in Illinois infrastructure development companies, a change that would permit up to $700 million in financing.

“This measure creates new economic development opportunities for the state,” Stadelman said. “The construction industry is a key part of our state’s economy, so it only makes sense to allow the treasurer to invest in infrastructure projects.”

In case you missed me on Facebook ...

Congratulations to recipients of the YWCA achievement awards at the 40th Leader Luncheon today and thank you to Calvin Wesley for his kind letter supporting my nomination in the racial justice category. In his letter, Calvin expressed hope for his personal growth, having obtained free legal assistance to expunge an old criminal record through the Second Chances Summit, a partnership between my office and Prairie State Legal Services.

Rockford area members of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition came to the Capitol to advocate for more state investment in wind and solar energy.