SPRINGFIELD – Voting would be easier for Peoria-area residents under legislation that State Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) supported on Thursday.

Senate Bill 250 would bring automatic voter registration to Illinois and remove a burden from individual voters.

“Under this legislation, the people will have more of a chance to have their voices heard without unnecessary obstacles and will create more safeguards to protect against voter fraud by streamlining the process,” said Koehler. “With automatic voter registration we are making it easier for all citizens to join the political process by voting.”

With SB 250, when someone applies for an Illinois state ID or driver’s license they will automatically be registered to vote. Automatic voter registration is a more cost-effective, streamlined system that also gets more citizens engaged in the political process. With this bill, people will still have the option to opt-out of being a registered voter.  

Senate Bill 250 passed the Senate and now goes to the House for further consideration.

SPRINGFIELD – Today, the Illinois Senate passed a bipartisan plan to restore the state's critical social services. State Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) voted to restore nearly $715 million for seniors, the homeless, residents with medical concerns and social service providers.

"Authorizing dollars to be passed from the state to local level so they can provide services is particularly important," Koehler said. "This is the first step in the right direction to not only helping seniors, urban and rural families in central Illinois but in solving the budget impasse."

Senate Bill 2038 would help human service providers from having to shut their doors. Dollar amounts for key components are below:

•    Nearly $250 million to the Department of Human Services for homeless assistance and prevention programs and services, sexual assault programs, autism programs, mental health services, addiction services and after school programs.

•    More than $240 million to the Department on Aging for the Community Care Program, elder abuse and neglect and home delivered meals.

•    More than $20 million for breast and cervical cancer screenings, AIDS/HIV services, prostate cancer research, children's health programs and SIDS services.

Senate Bill 2038 passed the Senate 56 to 0 and now goes to the governor’s desk.

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Senate passed Sen. Andy Manar’s proposal to overhaul the state’s outdated education funding formula. Sen. Dave Koehler (D-Peoria) supported the measure that would change the way school districts receive state funding based on need rather than geography.

“Senator Andy Manar’s education funding reform gives every student in Illinois a chance for success regardless of their ZIP code or socioeconomic background. The current formula, created more than 20 years ago, no longer fits the issues many of our communities are currently facing, especially in many urban and rural areas.

“I voted in favor of Senate Bill 231 so that we can continue to find real solutions that provide relief and give stability to our most underserved communities. The overhaul of classroom funding would start us on the right path of education funding stability, which many of our school districts need.”

Senate Bill 231 now goes to the House for further consideration.

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.