SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Senate passed an emergency funding bill to keep public universities open and help MAP grant recipients attend classes.

“Students should be able to attend college without worrying about piling up excessive amounts of debt,” said Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria). “Funding MAP grants and helping our public universities remain open will allow thousands of students to learn and grow in a stable environment.”

Senate Bill 2059 will provide $600 million in funding for public universities, community colleges, city colleges and MAP grant recipients.

The Illinois Senate also passed Senate Bill 2047, which provides emergency funding for human services.

“Today, my colleagues and I passed emergency funding in the Senate to give human service providers a necessary relief while we work to end the budget impasse,” said Koehler.

Senate Bills 2059 and 2047 passed the Senate 55-0. Senate Bill 2047 now goes to the House for further consideration.

SPRINGFIELD - Elderly care facilities along with community programs may soon be required to have staffs that are adequately trained to deal with Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. Under new legislation proposed by State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria), elderly care facility and community program staff persons will undergo special training if the staff person cares for patients with Alzheimer’s or dementia.

There is an expected 25 percent increase in dementia patients in the next decade because of aging Boomers. This has created the need for reforms in care. With SB 2301, Sen. Koehler has answered the call to ensure these facilities have trained professional staffs to deal with these increases.

“Over 200 thousand Illinois residents are affected by Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia,” Koehler said. “My plan will make sure elderly care facilities along with community programs’ staffs are trained to properly take care of our most vulnerable elderly.”

The measure, Senate Bill 2301, sets a standard of a minimum of 6 hours of initial training within 3 months of the law’s effective date for staff with direct access to clients with Alzheimer’s or dementia.

Senate Bill 2301 passed out of the Illinois Senate today. It now goes to the Illinois House for approval.

SPRINGFIELD – Seniors and disabled property owners in supportive living facilities will soon be able to keep their property tax savings thanks to successful legislation from Senator Dave Koehler (D – Peoria).

The measure updates current law to allow a taxpayer moving into a supportive living facility to keep their homestead exemption. Currently, homestead exemptions apply to specific nursing facilities, not including supportive living facilities.

“Seniors and disabled property owners should not have to pay more in property taxes because their health or family situations have forced them into a nursing facility,” said Sen. Koehler. “And we cannot allow some facility residents to keep their benefits, while residents in other similar facilities cannot.”

Supportive living facilities are a newer type of nursing home care option officially defined in 2006 as an alternative, more independent-living option for low-income seniors and disabled persons under Medicaid.

“Even in these trying times, we can still find substantive solutions to protect the well-being of our state’s most vulnerable,” Koehler said.

The legislation, Senate Bill 2934, passed the Senate and now heads to the House for further action.

Senator Koehler met with representatives from OSF Healthcare at the Capitol during The Illinois Health and Hospital Association's Quality Improvement Showcase. OSF Healthcare is a not-for-profit Catholic health care corporation headquartered in Peoria that operates a medical group, hospital system and other health care facilities.