SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Doris Turner passed an important measure through the Senate that designates the soybean as the official state bean of Illinois.

“The 48^th Senate District is home to the soybean capital of the world – Decatur, Illinois,” said Turner (D-Springfield). “When designating state symbols, we have to recognize the impact the soybean has on our economy and the number of jobs it creates.”

House Bill 4439 would designate the soybean as the official state bean of Illinois. According to the Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois is the No. 1 soybean-producing state in the country, with 15% of all U.S. soybeans being produced in Illinois.

"As the largest soybean-producing state, we commend Senator Doris Turner and the General Assembly in passing House Bill 4439 to recognize the importance of soybeans to Illinois agriculture on the 60th Anniversary of the Illinois Soybean Association," said Illinois Soybean Association Chairman Ron Kindred.

House Bill 4439 passed the Senate with bipartisan support.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senators Doris Turner and Christopher Belt laid out a plan Thursday to ensure physicians who perform autopsies are able to accurately do their job without fear of legal retaliation.

“After conversations with Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon, it was clear that we need to ensure the people who perform autopsies are protected,” said Turner (D-Springfield). “Putting the rest of the state in line with Cook County will ensure further transparency in the death care industry.”

Senate Bill 2779 would require counties to indemnify and hold harmless a physician, designated by the county or the coroner’s office, to perform autopsies. Indemnification describes the concept where an employer compensates or covers the liability of an employee for conduct the employee committed while they were doing their job in accordance with the employer’s guidance or policies.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Doris Turner (D-Springfield) released the below statement in response to the U.S. Postmaster General’s decision to move the Springfield Post Office’s distribution to St. Louis:

“The decision to convert the Springfield Post Office into a local processing center is extremely disappointing and will have lasting effects on residents across Central Illinois. There is no reason for our mail to be diverted out of state, but sadly this is our new reality.

“I joined hundreds of residents, postal workers and local elected officials at a town hall on March 26 to share our grave concerns about the proposal. USPS did not listen to our community. This will not only slow down mail delivery time, but also create life threatening hardships for those who rely on the mail service for their medication needs, especially our seniors.

“Springfield is home to Illinois’ state government. Why are we delaying delivery of important documents by sending them to Missouri? This is a poor decision that will affect each and every one of us.”

SPRINGFIELD – A measure to address food deserts by providing grants for farmer-owned grocery stores or markets led by State Senator Doris Turner advanced out of the Senate on Friday.

“We have to prioritize our small-scale farmers who work every day to ensure we have food on our tables,” said Turner (D-Springfield). “Food deserts across the state deprive people of fresh, nutritious foods. Allowing farmer-owned grocery stores and markets to receive grants will continue our effort of tackling food deserts while providing resources to our farmers and rural communities.”

Senate Bill 3219 would expand on the 2023 Illinois Grocery Initiative by allowing the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to provide grants for equipment upgrades for farmer-owned grocery stores or markets. Currently, DCEO provides these grants to existing independently owned for-profit grocery stores, cooperative grocery stores or not-for-profit grocery stores.