Inside:
- New state laws taking effect this week
- Farm tour with the Boys and Girls Club
- Celebrating America 250
- More news
New state laws taking effect this week
With the calendar turning to July, several new Illinois state laws have taken effect.
One of the most noteworthy is the elimination of the requirement for many seniors to take a behind-the-wheel driving test. Previously, Illinoisans over the age of 79 were required to take the behind-the-wheel test in order to renew their license. That age has been raised to 87. The Secretary of State’s office estimates that there are more than 350,000 Illinois motorists between the ages of 79 and 86.
The newly created Illinois Department of Early Childhood launched on July 1. It combines services which were previously split between three existing state agencies and is geared toward bringing new oversight and more efficiency to the state’s early childhood programs.
The Department of Children and Family Services is now required to do more to prepare youths over the age of 14 to transition out of care and in to independence. These new youth transition plans will focus on such topics as physical health and well-being, employment, documents needed in adulthood and post-high school goals.
A “cocktails to go” law is now in effect. It allows bars and restaurants to sell drinks for delivery and curbside pickup.
More information about contraband in prisons must now be reported by the Department of Corrections under a new law inspired by recent problems with exposure to dangerous substances. IDOC must report on what kinds of contraband are found, how it got inside, what disciplinary action was taken and if any staff required a medical response or hospitalization.
The state has also suspended the 1.3 cent increase in the gas tax which was scheduled for July 1. It will now go into effect on January 1.
Read more about new Illinois laws by clicking here.
Farm tour with the Boys and Girls Club
We had a really fun day at the farm when the students from the Boys and Girls Club of the Mississippi Valley came by for a tour.
About two dozen elementary school students came by for what has become an annual summer event at our farm. This year’s group was the biggest one yet and included some new faces but also a few who visited the farm last summer.
The kids got to experience the sights and sounds (and smells) of a real working farm, including the pig barn and the cattle yard. Mom even treated the kids to some of her delicious homemade cookies. Afterward, we headed back to the district office in Woodhull for some educational material from the Henry County Farm Bureau about beef, pork and corn farming, followed by lunch and ice cream sundaes.
Thanks to Garrett and Cecilia from the Boys and Girls Club for bringing this fun group down to visit, and thanks to the kids for asking some great questions and making it a truly delightful day on the farm.
Celebrating America 250
I hope that you and your family have a very safe and joyous celebration of America 250 this weekend!
It has already been a tremendous year of pride in our nation and its history. This celebration marks the journey of our nation from the “embattled farmers” at Lexington and Concord to the superpower that we are today. It celebrates our evolution as a nation and as a people: all that we have endured and all that we have overcome. And it reminds us that there is still much work yet to be done to create that “more perfect union” to which the Founders aspired.
We are also mindful of those who guard the freedoms we all cherish – those who are serving far from home in defense of liberty, and their families here at home who are celebrating without them this weekend. And no commemoration of America 250 is complete without remembering those who gave their lives to make America what it is today.
Visit il250.org to find out about the many great America 250 events taking place all over Illinois this weekend and for the remainder of this year.
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