Turner measure prioritizing school bus riders passes Senate

• SB2340

SPRINGFIELD – To further increase student safety, State Senator Doris Turner spearheaded a measure through the Senate that would allow school busses to have two extended stop arms.

“Student safety has to be our top priority,” said Turner (D-Springfield). “Allowing school busses to have an extended arm would provide more protections for passengers and hopefully lessen the number of drivers who pass stopped busses.”

Senate Bill 2340 would allow a school bus to be equipped with a maximum of two stop arms that partially obstruct the roadway. The extensions would be required to be on the driver's side of the school bus and contain a system of flashing red lights.

“Too often, the safety of our students at bus drop offs and bus pick-ups are placed in jeopardy by distracted drivers. While we hire great bus drivers and teach children to look both ways, we can’t control the actions of a distracted motorist,” said Tip Reedy, Superintendent of Williamsville School District. “We value and appreciate the efforts of Senator Turner and other lawmakers who are taking steps to prevent the occurrence of unsafe and illegal passing of stopped school buses before a tragedy occurs.”

School officials across Illinois have increasingly seen instances of people not properly stopping for a school bus, putting the lives of kids at risk.

“It seems as though the number of distracted drivers on the road is increasing daily, and that is a concern for our bus riders. A flashing stop arm extender is directly in the field of vision of an oncoming driver and will do great things to help combat stop arm violations and continue to make sure our students are transported safely to and from school,” said Matt Peterson, Assistant Superintendent Reed-Custer School District. “The stop arm extender simply takes out any question of ‘do I have to stop?’. When it comes to the safety of the students, we should do whatever we can to make sure vehicles stop for the kids.”

According to a survey conducted by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, 79,959 school bus drivers from around the country reported that 51,593 vehicles had illegally passed their buses on a single day during the 2021-2022 school year.

“We applaud the efforts of Senator Turner and the co-sponsors of Senate Bill 2340 for taking action to empower the use of school bus safety technology to protect students in Illinois on their journey to and from school,” said Trevor J. Clatfelter, Vice President and Director of Government Affairs at BusGates.

Senate Bill 2340 passed the Senate and heads to the House of Representatives for further consideration.

Turner champions measure to address nursing shortage through the Senate

• SB1779

SPRINGFIELD – In an effort to address the nursing shortage, State Senator Doris Turner championed a measure through the Senate that would bring back a much-needed program to give licensed nursing professionals more time to provide critical resident care.

“We have seen the impact the nursing shortage has left across the state and country,” said Turner (D-Springfield). “Ensuring our loved ones have the care they need is important, while also prioritizing the people caring for them. Nurses work long hours and this program can provide some relief while also uplifting them.”

Senate Bill 1779 would establish the Medication Aide Program to give licensed nursing professionals more time to provide critical resident care, while also heightening job satisfaction levels for nurses and offering a potential career path for Certified Nursing Assistants.

The Medication Aide Pilot Program was established during the 98^th General Assembly, but expired June 30, 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the workforce shortage within long-term care facilities. Currently, 38 other states utilize medication aides as an integral part of their long-term care workforce.

“The passage of SB1779 is a crucial step in alleviating the staffing pressures long term care providers are experiencing in Illinois,” said Matt Hartman, Executive Director of Illinois Health Care Association. “This will allow registered nurses to focus on other more critical direct care concerns, create an important step on the career ladder for certified nursing assistants, and help to continue quality improvement in long term care centers across the state. IHCA is grateful for Senator Turner’s dedication to this and to the Senate as a whole for passing it from the chamber.”

Senate Bill 1779 passed the Senate and now heads to the House of Representatives.

Turner advances measure to protect school bus passengers

• SB2340

SPRINGFIELD – In an effort to increase student safety, State Senator Doris Turner passed a measure through the Senate Transportation Committee Tuesday that would allow school busses to have two extended stop arms.

“When students are getting on or off a school bus, we have to prioritize their safety,” said Turner (D-Springfield). “Drivers often don’t take stopped school busses seriously. An extended arm would prevent drivers from putting students in danger.”

Senate Bill 2340 would allow a school bus to be equipped with a maximum of two stop arms that partially obstruct the roadway. The extensions would be required to be on the driver's side of the school bus and contain a system of flashing red lights.

According to a survey conducted by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, 79,959 school bus drivers from around the country reported that 51,593 vehicles had illegally passed their buses on a single day during the 2021-2022 school year.

“It’s statistics like this that show us that there is a problem,” Turner said. “We have to ensure our kids can get to and from school safely.”

Senate Bill 2340 passed the Senate Transportation Committee and heads to the Senate floor for further consideration.

Turner spearheads measure bringing Illinois one step closer to developing new state flag

• SB1818

SPRINGFIELD – To promote public involvement and embody civic pride for Illinois, a measure spearheaded by State Senator Doris Turner that would create a commission to develop a new official state flag passed the Senate Thursday.

“History is living, breathing and ever evolving,” said Turner (D-Springfield). “We need to ensure government is evolving with the times so that people are engaged and a part of what is going on across the state.”

Senate Bill 1818 would create the Illinois Flag Commission to develop new state flag designs. The commission would make recommendations to the General Assembly deciding whether the current state flag should be replaced with a redesigned state flag by Sept. 1. If they decide the flag should be replaced, the commission would report recommendations to the General Assembly by Dec. 3, 2024.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources explains Illinois’ state flag history. There have been two official state flags – the first was adopted in 1915. The second was adopted in 1969, which did not change the original design of the flag but added “Illinois.”

In 2021, Utah passed a similar law creating the Utah State Flag Task Force which provided design toolkits to libraries, schools and other institutions. The task force received around 7,000 flag designs and over 44,000 public comments. According to Utah’s Department of Cultural and Community Engagement, students, educators, families and more were invited to participate in the process of choosing Utah’s new state flag.

“We need a flag that truly represents Illinois – a state with a strong workforce, an agriculture champion and so much more,” said Turner.

Senate Bill 1818 passed the Senate and heads to the House of Representatives.