Expanding the Organ Donor Registry becomes law

With nearly 5,000 people on the organ donor waiting list, families may soon see a second chance at life for their loved ones thanks to legislation passed by State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) that will allow 16- and 17-year-olds to register for the state’s First Person Consent Organ/Tissue Donor Registry when they receive their driver’s license or identification card.

“Choosing to give life to another is a wonderful gift,” Hunter said. “Opening the donor registry will broaden the number of overall donations and save countless lives. For donors, their decision to register can turn a troubling time into a source of comfort for families and individuals in need. The campaign has not only been designed to increase the donor registry list, but to also celebrate those that have helped save lives through the gift of donation.”

Under current law, an individual must be at least 18 to join the registry. While this legislation leaves the decision up to teenagers, Senator Hunter encourages youth to discuss their decision with their parents.

By joining the First Person Consent Organ/Tissue Donor Registry, 16- and 17-year-olds can give consent to donate their organs and tissue at the time of their death. However, the procurement organizations, Gift of Hope Organ and Tissue Network and Mid-America Transplant, are required to contact a parent or guardian to ensure approval of the donation. Ultimately, the parent or guardian will have the opportunity to overturn the child’s decision.

The legislation becomes effective immediately.

Hunter: This legislation will keep young mothers in school

Many mothers often worry about finding a safe place to nurse or breastfeed. Thanks to a new law sponsored by State Senator Mattie Hunter (D- Chicago), public and charter schools will now be authorized to provide reasonable breastfeeding accommodations to students.

“Breast milk provides the ideal nutrition for infants, “said Hunter. “It’s important that we provide our youth, especially, with a private, clean and safe place to produce milk for their young. This bill will also keep many of our young mothers in school who often times miss out because of the restrictions of the campus environment.”

House Bill 2369 requires public and charter schools to provide reasonable breastfeeding accommodations to pupils. Furthermore, a school campus shall provide reasonable accommodations for a lactating student to provide breast milk, breastfeed an infant child or address other needs related to breastfeeding.

Reasonable accommodations can be defined as:
•    Access to a private and secure room other than a restroom to express breast milk or breastfeed an infant child;
•    Access a power source for a breast pump or any other equipment used to express breast milk; and
•    Access to a place to store expressed breast milk safely.

The legislation was signed into law and takes effect Jan. 1, 2018.

Governor prolongs much needed stability for schools and students

In response to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s amendatory veto to the widely supported school funding reform measure, State Senator Mattie Hunter (D- Chicago) released the following statement:

“Sadly, the governor continues to use our children as pawns to advance his political agenda. Governing the state of Illinois is not like playing a game of chess. The governor touts saving the children of this state by putting families first but does the complete opposite with his inexplicable inaction on much needed reforms.

By refusing to work in good faith and compromise, the governor and his allies in the General Assembly have spent more time pitting communities against one another. It has taken us 20 years to get to this point on school funding reform and we can only solve this issue together in a bipartisan fashion.

This is not about a win for Chicago, nor is it about a loss for Southern Illinois. This is about providing adequate dollars for all schools and future generations. The longer it takes to realize this the longer our students will suffer under a broken system.

So, let’s not fight about this, instead, let’s make fundamental changes. Wholeheartedly, I would like to believe the governor has our children and schools in his best interest. Unfortunately, today’s veto proves otherwise. We need to save our schools and our students.”

Senator Hunter happy to share good news out of DCFS

Illinois State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) expressed her congratulations to all the recent high school graduates who are able to attend college thanks to scholarships from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

“This is a great example of the state doing something positive for young men and women’s lives,” said Hunter. “They’ve been through so much and still managed to excel through the many obstacles they’ve faced. I appreciate the state’s efforts in encouraging young people to take the next step.”

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services awarded 53 students a four-year scholarship to any public university. Out of the nearly 250 applicants, the winners were selected based on academic achievement, community involvement and an essay.

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