Koehler passes measure helping families of fallen soldiers

“To be frank, I was shocked to learn that this isn’t already the law,” Koehler said. “Gold Star families shouldn’t be tied down to leases when going through the loss of a loved one.”

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation that would give families of armed service members killed in action or on duty the power to terminate their fallen loved ones’ lease obligations passed the Illinois Senate today.

Current law allows service members to terminate a lease if they receive orders for a change in duty station or deployment longer than 90 days. House Bill 4317 would extend the right to terminate to the dependents of fallen service members.

State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) is sponsoring the measure after a constituent in his district brought the matter to Springfield.

“To be frank, I was shocked to learn that this isn’t already the law,” Koehler said. “Gold Star families shouldn’t be tied down to leases when going through the loss of a loved one.”

HB 4317 now goes to the governor’s desk for his signature.

Koehler passes fracking transparency measure in Senate

“Bringing transparency to fracking operations can help allay those concerns and bring peace of mind to those nearby property owners.” - State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria)

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation that brings transparency to the fracking process passed the Illinois Senate last week.

Senate Bill 3174, sponsored by State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria), would require the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to post drilling reports from fracking sites within 30 days of receiving them. The legislation also requires the operators of the wells to provide a list of chemicals being used in drilling and the GPS coordinates of their wells.

Koehler said the bill is about letting landowners know what’s going on in their backyard.

“As we have seen in Oklahoma, fracking can cause serious problems and bring about environmental concerns for adjacent property owners,” Koehler said. “Bringing transparency to fracking operations can help allay those concerns and bring peace of mind to those nearby property owners.”

The legislation now moves to the House of Representatives.

Koehler passes measure protecting students with asthma

“SB 3015 will help children even more by allowing backup inhalers to be kept at the school, similar to EpiPens.” - Statew Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria)

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Senate passed legislation today to protect students with asthma by allowing their schools to keep backup inhalers on hand.

The measure, Senate bill 3015, would allow school nurses or other personnel to administer asthma medication that is registered in the name of a school district, public school, charter school or nonpublic school to a person in respiratory distress. Similar laws already apply to life-saving EpiPens, which are applied to combat severe allergic reactions.

State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) said the legislation will help build on the progress the state has made thus far in combating asthma.

“Illinois has made great strides in helping children with asthma attend school without the fear that their school will be unprepared for an inevitable asthma attack,” Koehler said “SB 3015 will help children even more by allowing backup inhalers to be kept at the school, similar to EpiPens.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Illinois Department of Public Health, approximately 8.4 percent of children in the United States and 13.6 percent of children in Illinois currently have asthma. Asthma is one of the leading causes of school absenteeism with an estimated 13.8 million school days missed due to asthma in the United States in 2014 alone.

Koehler measure would guarantee bathroom breaks for bus drivers

“Forcing our transit workers to negotiate when and if they can use the restroom endangers both the health of the driver and the safety of their passengers.” - State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria)

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation guaranteeing that mass transit workers are allowed to take bathroom breaks while on duty passed the Senate Transportation Committee today.

Senate Bill 2210 would guarantee up to ten minutes of restroom breaks for every four hours worked by a transit worker. The legislation would also guarantee the workers are not docked any pay for taking the break.

State Senator Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) introduced the legislation after discussing it with transit workers affiliated with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 416.

Peoria’s CityLink, the operator of the Greater Peoria Mass Transit District, attempted to use bathroom breaks as leverage against the members of ATU Local 416 during their last collective bargaining agreement negotiations, and Koehler said this new measure would prevent bathroom breaks from being held hostage for worker concessions.

“Being able to use take a bathroom break is about two things: public safety and dignity,” Koehler said. “Forcing our transit workers to negotiate when and if they can use the restroom endangers both the health of the driver and the safety of their passengers.”

The measure now goes to the Senate floor for consideration.