Illinois Statehouse News

March 13, 2023

State to Relocate At Least Half of Choate Residents over Three Years 

At least half of residents at the Choate mental health and developmental center will be relocated to community settings over the next three years following reports of rampant abuse at the center, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Wednesday. 

 Along with the relocation announcement, Pritzker Wednesday detailed a variety of structural improvements he plans for the center and for the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS). 

 “It starts with carefully repurposing Choate, beginning now and over the next three years, while partnering with families to find new high-quality placements in community settings, or other state facilities for residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. While that transition takes place, IDHS is already investing in campus infrastructure improvements, and immediately implementing new safety enhancements at Choate and across all state-operated developmental centers, including hiring a new chief resident safety officer, improving our incident tracking system, and hiring 10 additional staff in the independent IDHS inspector general's office,” he said. 

 Sen. Laura Fine (D-Glenview) and Rep. Lindsey LaPointe (D-Chicago) are heading the legislature’s efforts to oversee behavioral and mental health reforms. 

 “As was mentioned earlier, people are not afraid to talk about mental health care needs anymore. They realize that mental health is the same as physical health. And as long as we keep this out in the forefront, we're going to be able to tackle this problem and make sure that people get the care they need. Anything,” Fine said Wednesday. 

 Legislation Proposes Safety Warnings on Gas Stoves 

 Gas stoves would come with a safety warning marker under new legislation proposed by Rep. Anne Stava-Murray (D-Downers Grove). 

 HB 3572 (Stava-Murray) would require that any new gas stoves sold in Illinois carry a marker explaining their potential risks. 

 “The problem with gas stoves and homes is that the harmful exhaust that they create is not automatically removed, like the exhaust from other gas appliances. Exhaust products like carbon monoxide, fine particulate matter, and nitrogen dioxide can all build up inside the home quickly,” said Brian Urbaszewski, director of environmental health programs for the Respiratory Health Association. 

 “We know air pollutants from burning gas like nitrogen dioxide, for example, can trigger asthma attacks. The EPA sets health standards for nitrogen dioxide and outside air and it measures outside air quality so that it can warn the public about unhealthy air days. But simply cooking a meal on a gas stove can result in nitrogen dioxide levels above the EPA air quality standards inside a home. People simply do not know that they are potentially putting their families at risk.” 

 Advocates for reducing the use of gas stoves in homes, especially those with children, said that having hoods that extract emissions and other air filtering devices can help make those residences safer. 

 Pritzker Launches Childhood Behavioral Health Workforce Initiatives 

 Southern Illinois University will be home to a new Childhood Behavioral Health Workforce Education Center under a plan to grow the child mental health care workforce, Gov J.B. Pritzker announced Wednesday. 

 “We are laying out a plan to build the best behavioral health system in America. Built in Illinois, we will lead we will lead the nation when we're all done with this. But in order to make all of that happen, we need a quality robust workforce to meet the demands of the time, especially in light of our nationwide critical worker shortage,” Pritzker said Wednesday. 

 The center was created in partnership with the University of Illinois Chicago Jane Addams College of Social Work, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS). 

 IDHS Secretary Grace Hou said that the state is expected to have a deficit of 3,300 behavioral health providers by 2030 without any intervention. 

 “We know that we're not alone, there's a national shortage in the behavioral health workforce and at the same time, more and more of us are seeking services. And while we are not alone in our workforce challenges, as the governor stated we are taking leaps and bounds ahead and taking extraordinary steps to mitigate and combat them,” she said. 

 $40 Million in Annual Energy Transition Grants Awarded 

 The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) is distributing $40 million to more than 50 local communities throughout the state that have been impacted by recent or upcoming fossil fuel energy plant or coal mine closures as part of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) Energy Transition Grants Program. 

 “These communities across Illinois are committing to clean energy and a sustainable future, and I’m proud that DCEO is supporting them in this important work,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Transitioning to a cleaner energy system doesn’t have to negatively impact local municipalities - in fact, it should make them stronger and healthier. This grant program ensures that’s possible, equipping communities with the resources they need to make our state the best place in the country to live.” 

 “Supporting communities and bolstering economic development in energy transition communities is at the heart of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act,” Acting DCEO Director Kristin A. Richards said in a statement. “The Energy Transition Community Grant Program supports dozens of projects in impacted areas – providing communities with the resources necessary to invest in their workforce, infrastructure and economy for decades to come.” 

 Agreements regarding the grants are expected to close in July 2023, and $40 million per year will be awarded until 2045 as part of the state's overall effort to transition to clean energy sources. 

 The full list of recipients can be found HERE. 

 Pritzker shakes up ICC with new chair, two other new appointments 

Crain's Chicago Business - 3/10/2023 

Reporter Steve Daniels 

 Gov. J.B. Pritzker is taking dramatic steps to overhaul the Illinois Commerce Commission, with Chair Carrie Zalewski leaving the agency and Doug Scott, a former ICC chairman and key energy adviser to Pritzker, taking over. In addition, two other new commissioners will join. Ethan Kimbrel, the last remaining member named by former Gov. Bruce Rauner, isn’t being reappointed following the recent expiration of his term.