The snow is melted, the birds are chirping and the spring heat wave has just begun. As great as that sounds, to me it means that Springfield is in full swing packed with committee hearings and the General Assembly is getting ready to make some tough decisions.
I am thrilled to say that March has been delightfully busy having enjoyed the excitement of passing my first bill in committee, hosting our first in district advisory committee and being grateful for the incredible help being received from residents of DuPage County.
With the committee testimonial and support of DuPage County Coroner Dr. Richard Jorgenson, I was successfully able to pass my first bill in committee earning unanimous support. HB 438, known as the School Administered Opioid Antidote, is a bill that will allow schools to administer an opioid antidote in the event that a student overdoses. I was very encouraged to see committee movement on this legislation. We have seen heroin usage become an epidemic not just in the home but also in the schools. It’s becoming a very real reality in DuPage and I believe schools should have available to them a way of prevention with the proper preparedness to administer this antidote in case a young person does overdose.
In March, I held my first citizens advisory committee on the developmentally disabled. Personally, I believe that this is a real issue to address and hear out the concerns from our residents of what is working and what can be done better. The City of Naperville and its school districts are widely known to offer the best programs and assistance for both disabled youths and adults in the state. The problem with this is that Illinois as a whole is considered to have one of the worst program for these services in the nation. We need take a serious look at these vital service programs and see how we can better fit the needs for the people who rely on them.
Lastly, but most recently, we took emergency action in Springfield to appropriate funds for the $1.6 billion shortfall in the FY15 budget. Had immediate action not been taken, the state would have had to make tremendous cuts to crucial services followed by employment lay-offs. These effects would have been crippling for vital programs, hard-working families, but most of all it would have left individuals with severe disabilities without the care and assistance needed.
All residents who would like to express their opinions or concerns on policy are encouraged to contact me via email at Wehrli@ilhousegop.org or contact Maureen in the district office at (630) 696-4160.
