SPRINGFIELD – To prevent more tragic losses of emergency responders and highway workers, Assistant Majority Leader Tony Munoz (D-Chicago) passed legislation through the Senate on Thursday that strengthens Scott’s Law and finds a way to end senseless roadway fatalities.

“We need drivers to yield to first responders on the side of the road,” Munoz said. “It’s absolutely unacceptable that we are losing officers who are trying to keep us safe due to reckless driving.”

This year, Troopers Christopher Lambert, Brooke Jones-Story and Gerald Ellis were killed in the line of duty when hit by vehicles while their patrol vehicles were stalled on the side of the road. The law was initially passed in memory of Lieutenant Scott Gillen.

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SPRINGFIELD – To help with locating missing persons, Assistant Majority Leader Tony Munoz (D-Chicago) is carrying legislation that strengthens the relationship between local law enforcement and the National Missing and Unidentified Persons Systems.

“When someone is missing, we want to make sure law enforcement is able to use every tool available to find them,” Munoz said. “By utilizing this national system we have the opportunity to find people sooner.”

House Bill 2708 adds NamUS to the list of laboratories law enforcement agencies can coordinate with under the Missing Persons Identification Act. NamUS is a national information clearing house and resource center for missing, unidentified and unclaimed person cases across the country.

Missing people’s information would need to be submitted to NamUS within 45 days. In high-risk missing person cases, law enforcement would be required to submit a packet of all relevant DNA samples to NamUS within 30 days.

Law enforcement agencies would also be allowed to attempt to collect and create a reference DNA sample from family members of the missing person, and collect a DNA sample of the missing person. All DNA samples collected in missing person cases from family members of the missing persons cannot be retained once the person has been located or identified.

The proposal was approved by the Senate and will head back to the House on concurrence.

 

SPRINGFIELD – To prevent more tragic losses of emergency responders and highway workers, Assistant Majority Leader Tony Munoz (D-Chicago) announced legislation Tuesday that strengthens Scott’s Law and finds a way to end senseless roadway fatalities.

“As a former police officer, I know the life-threatening situations facing law enforcement every day, and I’m proud this legislation will protect and serve our brave men and women in uniform,” Munoz said. “We can’t afford to lose any more lives, so I implore all drivers to slow down and move over when you see first responders on the roads.”

This year, Troopers Christopher Lambert, Brooke Jones-Story and Gerald Ellis paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the line of duty. The law was initially passed in memory of Lieutenant Scott Gillen.

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SPRINGFIELD – Undocumented students would be eligible for state financial aid programs under a proposal that was co-sponsored by Assistant Majority Leader Tony Munoz (D-Chicago).

“Our undocumented youth has an immense amount of untapped potential due to policies that ignore the contributions undocumented people make to our society on a daily basis,” Munoz said. “I commend all those young people who have worked tirelessly to obtain degrees in spite of rules meant to hold them back, and look forward to the outcomes of this change.”

The Retention of Illinois Students and Equity Act makes undocumented and transgender students eligible to receive state financial aid at all colleges and universities in Illinois.

The RISE Act also removes a cap on the Monetary Award Program that only allows students to use up to 75 hours of MAP awards during their freshman and sophomore years of college.

House Bill 2691 will now head to the governor’s desk for approval.