Skip to main content
You have permission to edit this article.
Edit

Weather Alert

Weather Alert

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON CDT /1 PM EDT/ SATURDAY
TO 7 PM CDT /8 PM EDT/ TUESDAY...

* WHAT...Heat index values 100 to 109 expected.

* WHERE...All of southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, western
Kentucky, and southeast Missouri.

* WHEN...From noon CDT /1 PM EDT/ Saturday to 7 PM CDT /8 PM EDT/
Tuesday.

* IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat
illnesses.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The first prolonged stretch of heat and
humidity of the season will amplify health impacts. Health impacts
will build with each successive day in the heat and humidity.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of
the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.

Take extra precautions when outside. Wear lightweight and loose
fitting clothing. Try to limit strenuous activities to early morning
or evening. Take action when you see symptoms of heat exhaustion and
heat stroke.

&&

Pritzker signs bills expanding protections for immigrant and refugee communities

  • 0
pritzker
By Kenzie Dillow

(WSIL) -- Governor JB Pritzker Monday signed  HB 121, SB 667, SB 1596 and SB 2665 into law, legislation expanding protections for immigrant and refugee communities.

The new laws strengthen the TRUST Act and make Illinois the second state in the nation to require local officials to end partnerships with ICE, address hate crimes against immigrant communities, expand workplace protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, and create the Illinois Immigration Impact Task Force to ensure state programs and policies best serve immigrant residents.

Governor Pritzker also signed an executive order creating the Welcoming Illinois Office. The Office will work to coordinate, develop and implement policies and practices to make Illinois a more welcoming and equitable state for immigrants and refugees.

“Throughout my governorship I’ve directed my administration to adopt policies that make Illinois a welcoming state for immigrants, and I’m proud to sign these accountability measures into law to advance our cause,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Every family, every child, every human being deserves to feel safe and secure in the place they call home. I am committed to making sure that value defines what it means to live in Illinois.�

HB 121 expands protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients by adding a new definition for ‘work authorization status� to the Illinois Human Rights Act.  The change clarifies that it is a civil rights violation for employers to refuse to hire, segregate, or engage in harassment on the basis of work authorization status.

SB 667 strengthens the Illinois TRUST Act and the Voices of Immigrant Communities Empowering Survivors (VOICES) Act to protect immigrant families in Illinois. The legislation:

  • Provides clarity around action that law enforcement officials can and cannot take around warrants.
  • Prohibits state or local governments from signing contracts with the federal government to detain immigrants.
  • Places limitations on local enforcement prohibiting officials from inquiring about the citizenship or immigration status of an individual in custody unless they’re presented with a federal criminal warrant, or otherwise required by federal law.
  • Increases transparency by requiring state and local law enforcement agencies to submit annual reports regarding requests from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
  • Authorizes the Attorney General to conduct investigations into violation of the Illinois TRUST Act.

SB 1596 expands protections against immigrant communities by amending the Criminal Code of 2012 to include hate crimes based on citizenship and immigration status. The changes will also assist law enforcement officials in identifying and reporting anti-immigrant hate crimes separate from other hate crimes, including to the FBI hate crimes database.

SB 2665 creates the Illinois Immigration Impact Task Force to study how state policies and programs affect immigrant residents. The Task Force will consist of 27 members and require the Department of Huma Services to staff and examine a number of issues. The Task Force will submit a report with its finding and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly on or before May 31, 2022.

HB 121, SB 667 and SB 2665 are effective immediately. SB 1596 is effective January 1, 2022.