SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Paul Faraci advanced a measure aimed at creating the hunger-free campus grant program.

“Student hunger is a serious issue, and it’s important that we do everything we can to support our students and ensure that they have access to healthy and nutritious food,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “This legislation is an important step towards addressing this problem and creating a hunger-free campus for our students.”

The purpose of the House Bill 2528 is to address student hunger by providing funding for grants to higher education institutions that have one or more campuses designated as hunger-free campuses. The grants will be used to leverage sustainable solutions, raise awareness of existing services on campus and build strategic partnerships to address food insecurity among students. The legislation also allows each institution to establish a hunger task force to determine strategies for achieving a hunger-free campus in order to be eligible for the grant.

Representative Carol Ammons (D-Champaign) sponsored this measure in the House.

Other states including California, New Jersey, Maryland, Minnesota, Louisiana and Pennsylvania have already adopted customized versions of the Hunger Free Campus legislation. Swipe Out Hunger reports that more than $100 million has been distributed nationwide through the Hunger Free Campus Act, with California alone supporting over two million students.

House Bill 2528 passed the Senate Higher Education Committee on Tuesday and awaits further action before the full Senate.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Paul Faraci advanced legislation to expand university admissions opportunities to community college transfer students who meet certain academic requirements.

“We have seen tremendous success with this pilot program at the University of Illinois,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “This action will give more students across our state the chance to stay in Illinois for higher education.”

House Bill 3760 would require Eastern Illinois University, Northern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University and Western Illinois University to create a four-year admissions program that admits community college transfer students each semester, beginning with the 2024-2025 academic school year.

The new program would guarantee university admission to all applicants who have enrolled at an Illinois community college after graduating from an Illinois high school, have earned a minimum of 36 graded, transferable semester hours at the time of application to the university, have attained a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in all completed transferable coursework, and have satisfied the university’s English language proficiency requirement.

House Bill 3760 builds upon two existing laws that provide automatic admissions to Illinois universities, with one designated for high school graduates and the other for community college graduates. The previous law required the University of Illinois to admit community college transfer students who meet certain requirements, and House Bill 3760 would extend that guarantee to four additional Illinois universities.

"This measure will ensure that Illinois community college transfer students who meet certain academic requirements will have guaranteed admission to these universities,” said Faraci. “It’s a win-win situation for both the students and the universities as it provides opportunities for students to continue their education while also helping the universities to fill their enrollment goals."

House Bill 3760 passed the Senate Higher Education Committee on Tuesday and awaits further action before the full Senate

CHAMPAIGN – State Senator Paul Faraci joined the Department of Human Services and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity in announcing grant awards to 70 human services providers throughout the state, including two in Champaign County.

“As a state, it’s our responsibility to ensure that all individuals have equal access to the necessary resources and services they need to lead healthy and productive lives,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “These grant awards will help our human services providers meet the needs of the communities they serve by providing safer and more accessible spaces for their clients.”

A total of $14 million in funding will be distributed to 70 human services providers in the state, including two in Champaign County. Bradley Street Day Care Center will be awarded $93,908, while Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County will receive $130,635.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Paul Faraci advanced a measure out of the Senate on Thursday that would ensure fairness in the tax collection process.

“This legislation ensures that property owners are not penalized for mistakes that were not their own and are out of their control,” said Faraci (D-Champaign). “Property owners should not have to face excess financial burdens because of the errors made by others.”

This measure would waive the interest penalty for delinquent property taxes if the property owner does not receive a tax bill because it was mailed to the wrong address or e-mailed to the incorrect address, and if the mistake was not the fault of the property owner.

Under current law, the Property Tax Code imposes a penalty of 1.5% interest per month on delinquent property taxes. Senate Bill 2277 would add that interest on delinquent property taxes will be waived when a property owner does not receive his or her property tax bill for the applicable tax year because the bill was mailed to an incorrect address.

Senate Bill 2277 passed the Senate and now heads to the House for further action.