SPRINGFIELD – To ensure students experiencing homelessness are aware of available resources, State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) advanced a bipartisan initiative out of the Senate to require higher education institutions to designate one employee to serve as a housing insecurity liaison.

“Oftentimes students without permanent housing are not aware of the resources available to them on campus and in their communities,” Glowiak Hilton said. “By creating a housing insecurity liaison, we are working to prevent homeless students from falling through the cracks by connecting them with aid.”

A study by the University of Chicago found that 4.2 million youth and young adults experienced homelessness during a 12-month period, and that nearly 29% of all young adults who experienced homelessness were enrolled in college or another educational program at the time.

Glowiak Hilton’s legislation requires each institution to appoint a Housing and Opportunities Useful for Students' Excellence (HOUSE) liaison. Their responsibilities would include identifying appropriate services, understanding aid eligibility, tracking graduation and retention rates, reporting the number of students using homelessness resources, and developing a plan to provide access to on-campus housing between academic breaks to homeless students enrolled at the institution.

Under the legislation, higher education institutions would also be required to provide information about available services and assistance regarding homelessness in financial aid and admission packets, as well as on the institution's website.

“Stable housing is foundational to academic and social success,” Glowiak Hilton said. “Creating this position is one step toward combatting homelessness for students and ensuring they have access to better opportunities.”

Senate Bill 190 passed the Senate and moves for further consideration in the House.

VILLA PARK –State Senators Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park) and Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) are excited to see incoming improvements to roads and bridges in their communities after last week’s announcement from the Illinois Department of Transportation regarding funding for infrastructure investments in DuPage County.  The projects come as a part of the bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program.

“As we look to address Illinois’ aging infrastructure, I am happy to see our community set to receive the investments needed to improve our roads and bridges,” said Cullerton, who sits on the Senate Committee on Transportation. “For people in our community, or even those who are just driving through, better roads make travel safer and more efficient.”

The projects in DuPage County include:

• Interstate 55 at Madison Street: Deck overlay and bridge repairs scheduled to begin this summer and be completed in late 2023.
• I-55 at Lemont Road: Existing bridge replacement with a wider bridge and interstate reconstruction to accommodate the wider bridge to begin this summer and be completed in fall 2023.
• Illinois 83 (Kingery Highway) from Third Avenue to Illinois 171 (Archer Avenue): Ongoing project to modernize traffic signals, install rumble strips, repaint pavement markings and replace sections of guardrail started in summer 2020 and anticipated to be completed this summer.

The Rebuild Illinois capital program is investing $33.2 billion into the state’s aging transportation system, creating jobs and promoting economic growth. It is the largest capital program in Illinois history and touches all sectors of Illinois transportation.

“By upgrading infrastructure in DuPage County, our state is committed to improving safety, fulfilling transportation needs and creating economic opportunities,” Glowiak Hilton said. “Residents, motorists and visitors will benefit from these investments for many years to come.”

For a map of the projects in DuPage County, visit here. Find traffic and road conditions at http://www.gettingaroundillinois.com/. 

OAKBROOK TERRACE – To prevent residents from being misled by phone scams, State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) has advanced an initiative with bipartisan support to outlaw scam call operators from disguising their identity by having a false telephone number show up on caller ID.  

“As technology advances, scammers use creative, deceitful tactics to trick residents into giving them personal information,” Glowiak Hilton said. “By prohibiting automated solicitors from falsifying caller ID, I hope to protect residents from falling victim to telephone scams.”

In Illinois, the Telephone Solicitations Act requires a live operator to state his or her name, the organization they are representing, and the purpose for the call. The law also prohibits a solicitor from manipulating caller ID, commonly known as spoofing.

Current state law does not address when the caller is not a live operator.

To protect consumers, Glowiak Hilton’s initiative requires the operator of any soliciting telephone call to immediately state the affiliated business and the purpose of the call, and to confirm consent from the receiver.

“Deceitful business practices like spoofing are shameful,” Glowiak Hilton said. “Call authentication is critical for protecting consumers against scammers who mask their identity and intentionally seek to defraud vulnerable residents.”

Senate Bill 2225 passed the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee Thursday and moves for further deliberation before the full Senate.

OAKBROOK TERRACE – State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) is announcing that school districts in the 24th District will receive an estimated total of $30,551,639 in additional funding to help address the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Thank you, teachers, administrators, students and parents for your sacrifices over the last year to maintain a safe, beneficial learning environment,” Glowiak Hilton said. “Your efforts have saved lives, and it is a relief to see these investments in our local school districts to help our education system recover.” 

The funding comes as part of the most recent federal COVID-19 relief packages. Schools, students and parents have overcome challenges that no one could have imagined before the pandemic began, including remote and hybrid learning, digital connection issues, new processes for receiving state and federal aid that normally flow through schools, and more.

Local school districts are set to receive the following amounts:

• Western Springs School District 101 -  $1,186,905

• Glen Ellyn School District 41 -  $3,595,263

• Lombard School District 44 -  $3,560,759

• Butler School District 53 -  $219,993

• Maercker School District 60 -  $1,779,838

• Hinsdale Township High School District 86 -  $2,921,792

• Glenbard Township High School District 87 -  $9,065,618

• Community Consolidated School District 89 -  $1,741,161

• Westmont Community Unit School District 201 -  $1,702,453

• Lisle Community Unit School District 202 -  $1,675,038

• Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 -  $3,102,819

The majority of the funding comes from the American Rescue Plan, which gives local schools a great deal of flexibility in how they can use the money over the next 3 ½ years. At least 20% of the funding must be used to address learning loss, but beyond that, school districts can use the money to address many different issues and costs. For example, it can be used to better equip schools for safe learning, to prevent layoffs, to address students’ social and emotional needs, to fund summer programs, or to ensure all students have access to reliable Wi-Fi and technology.

The State Board of Education, in collaboration with other state agencies that address education, has produced a guide for local school districts to help them decide how to best use their resources. While the guide and other state-sponsored services are completely voluntary, the state aims to support local districts during this difficult time.

“An end may be in sight; however, our work to eradicate the pandemic is not over yet,” Glowiak Hilton said. “I encourage residents to continue wearing masks and social distancing. We are strongest when we work together to keep our neighbors and communities safe.”

In total, Illinois received nearly $7 billion to support local school districts.