GRAYSLAKE — State Senator Melinda Bush issued the following statement after a severe storm damaged structures Sunday night throughout the Round Lake area, Hainesville, Grayslake, Wildwood and Gurnee, including her home:

“Elected officials and agencies throughout Lake County are working together on storm damage assessments and power restoration for thousands of Lake County residents,” said Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake). “Across the county, neighbors are helping neighbors, cleaning up trees and debris. We’re seeing a spirit of cooperation that will help piece together some of what was lost in this storm.”

Lake County EMA Coordinator Kent McKenzie said damage assessment continues with other organizations to quickly address residents’ needs.

“We're coordinating with the municipalities and townships that were affected, we're conducting that damage assessment to see what the needs are, and we're working to get ComEd accurate information so they can quickly restore power to those without it, and we're also in touch with human services like the Red Cross to assist those without insurance or other means to get their property repaired,” McKenzie said Monday morning.

Senator Bush encourages anyone who is having trouble getting the storm assistance they need to contact her District Office at (847) 548-5631, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Bruce Rauner signed three measures into law today that State Sen. Melinda Bush chief-co-sponsored.

House Bill 2556

Bush, D-Grayslake, served as chief co-sponsor of House Bill 2556 in the Illinois Senate. The new law requires certain businesses in Illinois to post information about the National Human Trafficking Resource Center. Concerned citizens can call the center’s 24-hour hotline to report suspected cases of human trafficking.

“We think of human trafficking as something happening far away, but it’s not,” Bush said. “By requiring this information to be posted in places like transit hubs, hospitals and certain businesses, we’re reminding the public that this heinous act happens in our backyard and that we can do our part to fight it.”

House Bill 2554

House Bill 2554 helps property taxpayers who seek to appeal an assessment by making it easier to meet filing deadlines. Under the new law, a challenge will be considered to be filed on time if it is postmarked by the deadline. Under the current law, a challenge misses the deadline if it arrives in the mail after the date in question. Bush was chief co-sponsor of the measure in the Senate.

“This makes the property tax assessment challenge process much more fair to taxpayers,” Bush said. “With this change, we are guaranteeing constituents that if they mail their challenge on time, there is no question they have met the deadline to appeal their property taxes.”

Senate Bill 1312

Senate Bill 1312 requires the Illinois Commerce Commission to provide information about Illinois solar energy usage and barriers to solar energy growth in its annual report.

“We need to focus on renewable energy as we plan the future of Illinois,” Bush said. “By requiring this report, we can get a clear view of what is being done and what needs to be done to more widely adopt a sustainable source of energy.”

The new laws take effect Jan. 1.

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Bruce Rauner signed into law a measure to require the proper separation of sharp medical waste Monday.

State Sen. Melinda Bush, D-Grayslake, was chief co-sponsor of the legislation. The new law would require “sharp” medical waste, such as syringes, to be properly separated from regular waste. It also requires the state to provide collection services for such waste.

“This is an important safety measure, not just for our sanitation workers, who can be put at risk when people wrongly dispose of dangerous material in their regular recyclables, but for everyone,” Bush said. “This makes it harder for accidental injuries and infections to occur. I’m glad to see the governor sign a common sense safety regulation into law.”

For proper disposal, syringes and other “sharps” should be collected in an appropriate sharps disposal container and can be disposed of in your regular trash. Even when placed in the appropriate plastic container, sharps should never be disposed of with recyclables.

Under the new law, disposing of sharp waste like syringes in recycling would be prohibited. It would also permit local governments to establish sharps collection points at medical centers and police or fire stations and to create a U.S. Postal Service-approved sharp waste mail-back program.

The legislation was Senate Bill 793. It will take effect Jan. 1.

Lake County News-Sun - July 17, 2015 | Original article

by Yadira Sanchez Olson

Dortha and Estern Rivers' days for the past 21 years have been filled with songs, games and nap times.

In their Rivers Home Daycare in Zion, the couple cares for kids ages 1 to 6 while their parents are at work or school. Now, because of uncertainty over state funding, the Rivers are facing tough choices when it comes to their business and their livelihood.

The couple say they may have to say good-bye to families whose little ones they've cared for since birth, like Jasmine Williams' 2-year-old son Cameron.

Williams depends on the Department of Human Services' Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), which provides parents with subsidies for some or all of their day care costs.

The state-funded program has been in jeopardy of losing funding since the last fiscal year when it was deemed underfunded by $300 million, said Maria Whelan, president of the Illinois Action for Children.

"We're looking at $177 million in cuts," Whelan said.

The overall budget cut to CCAP includes three key elements: the elimination of care for children ages 6 and older; no future funding for relatives who stay home to watch children; and an increase in parent co-pays, Whelan said.

Illinois lawmakers have been unable to agree on a state spending plan for the fiscal year that started July 1, and it's uncertain if or when a new state budget will be in place. Providers will be paid for the month of June, but state funding beyond that is unclear.

Until lawmakers and Gov. Bruce Rauner can agree on a budget that funds the program, 612 Lake County home day care providers, like the Rivers, will have to wait and see wether they will receive payments from the state this month. In Illinois about 32,000 day care providers would be affected by the cuts, Whelan said.

For the Rivers that could mean that more than 50 percent of their monthly income would be shorted, since only 3 out of the 10 children they care for are not in the child care assistance program.

Although Dortha said she wouldn't close the day care to the three families who don't depend on CCAP, she's not sure whether she'll continue to work with the families who can't afford to pay.

Williams said her toddler, Cameron, would miss out on being with the people he's known all of his life.

"I wouldn't know who to take my son to while I work," Williams said. "I need to work to pay my bills."

Dortha's not ready to give up yet.

In hopes of sending a message to legislators and to the governor about the importance of maintaining CCAP funding, the Rivers recently welcomed state Rep. Melinda Bush, D-Grayslake, to their home.

Read more ...