SPRINGFIELD – Local libraries in Springfield, Decatur and Litchfield will soon receive a combined $300,000 to improve services and offer new products to residents, State Senator Doris Turner (D-Springfield) announced Thursday.

“Investing in our libraries by providing free access to educational, news and historical resources helps keep our communities informed with facts,” said Turner. “These grants will be used to help children and families learn and grow for years to come.”

The Lincoln Library located in Springfield will receive $171,468.75, part of $18.1 million in grants awarded to 638 public libraries across the state. The Decatur Public Library is expected to receive $112,279.95 and the Litchfield Public Library District will receive $13,263.20.

For more than 40 years, the Illinois Public Library Per Capita and Equalization Aid Grants Program has helped public libraries with a low library tax base to ensure a minimum level of funding for library services.

“People depend on their public libraries for a wide variety of services,” said Turner. “Libraries often help our children find a love for reading that they can carry with them for their entire lives.”

For more information on the grants, people can visit the secretary of state’s website.

SPRINGFIELD – Agricultural sciences will now be added as a type of course that may be counted towards the requirement for three years of sciences in order to gain admission to an Illinois public university under a plan backed by State Senator Doris Turner’s (D-Springfield).
“This is simply an effort to highlight the importance of agricultural science,” said Turner. “It is my hope that students are encouraged to work and study in the field now that we’ve expanded our current curricula to include specialized sciences.”

Currently, the minimum requirements to gain admission to state universities include the completion of at least 15 units of high school coursework in the following subjects: English, Social studies, Mathematics, (Laboratory) Sciences and electives in either foreign language, music, vocational education, or art.

Currently, some colleges may accept agricultural science under the auspice of a "science course" but not all are doing so. This legislation will add some conformity to the available options.
“Students should feel confident and passionate about their career choice when choosing to study multidisciplinary sciences,” said Turner. “This is a great way to get high school students interested in agricultural sciences before entering a state university.”

Senate Bill 1624 was signed into law, and will become effective immediately.

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois students with learning disabilities who historically would have been sent to out-of-state schools will now have the opportunity of gaining an in-state education thanks to a plan backed by State Senator Doris Turner’s (D-Springfield).

“We have a responsibility as a state to protect our most vulnerable residents,” Turner said. “This duty means protecting our students and putting their needs first. I hope this law meets the needs of every student in this state while ensuring them a safe learning environment.”

House Bill 41 requires school districts to offer any child being placed in an out-of-state special education residential facility the option for placement in an in-state special education residential facility. The initiative, led by the Hope School in Springfield, was spurred by a shortage of residential facilities in other states.

Additionally, if the special education program of a school district is unable to meet the needs of a child and the child attends a private school or a public out-of-state school, then the child’s home district will be required to pay the cost of tuition and special education services during the regular school and summer terms and during the summer school term.

The legislation was signed into law today, and has an immediate effective date.

SPRINGFIELD – Following a weekly phone conference with Montgomery County and its Community Risk Committee, State Senator Doris Turner (D-Springfield) released the following statement urging Montgomery County residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine as cases rise in the area:

“I’d strongly encourage those of you who haven’t already done so to go out and get vaccinated. Even though the state has entered Phase 5 of Illinois Restored, COVID-19 is still here. Many people are now being exposed to the more infectious variant, so we must work together to protect ourselves and our families.

“Getting vaccinated is the first step toward us getting back to our normal lives. It breaks my heart that so many lives were lost over this past year and we’re starting to see cases on the rise again in the Montgomery County area. This is still very real and very serious, so we must fight this disease together. I implore you to please go out and get vaccinated.”