The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is monitoring large events of waterfowl mortality at numerous locations around the state now as test results received so far indicate “bird flu” is the cause. Members of the public are now encouraged to report to the State DNR any large concentrations of five or more deceased birds found at one site by going to the DNR’s website. Due to the risk of infection to other animals, dogs and other pets should be kept away from the carcasses of birds that may have died.
Many downstate lawmakers and others say their fears about the end of cash bail are now coming true and they are concerned for an end to the electronic monitoring program. Citing data that shows a growing number of pre-trial defendants allowed to remain free due to the Pretrial Fairness Act are now being charged with other crimes committed during the time they are free to move about for school, work, and other activities. Authorities say safety can no longer be guaranteed by the law for these people.
A new state law taking effect in 2025 will add the United States Space Force to Illinois’ state statute where any reference to armed services are made. Impacted public acts include the Flag Display and various personnel codes. The U.S. Space Force was created by President Donald Trump during his first term in 2019, taking effect now in Illinois.
Illinois lawmakers could soon make it easier for children in foster care to live with their relatives or other people close to them. Child welfare experts have long touted the benefits of foster children staying with kin. Advocates say those arrangements offer children more stability, decrease the trauma they experience, improve their mental health and reduce the number of times the child is moved from home to home.
But both state and federal law often made those placements impractical. To get paid to support the children, relatives had to follow the same stringent rules that apply to other foster parents. They go through a rigid home inspection with bedroom size requirements, as well as restrictions on the number of people and gender of individuals who can sleep in the same bedroom. Prospective parents also go through lengthy classroom training. In 2023, though, the federal government decided to allow states to use separate standards for relatives of children in foster care than for other foster parents, in an effort to pair more children with relatives.
Now, Illinois lawmakers are moving forward with a plan to do just that, along with making other changes that will encourage the placement of children with relatives. The Illinois Senate unanimously approved the measure, known as the Kinship in Demand, or KIND Act, in the fall. But the House must sign off on the changes by the time it adjourns in early January, otherwise the bill must go through the entire legislative process again to reach the governor’s desk.
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