SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Bill Cunningham issued the following statement in regards to the education funding reform vote taken today.

“For over 20 years, schools in Chicago and the Southwest Suburbs have been shortchanged by the most inequitable formula in the country. Today, we took a step to end that inequity,” Cunningham said. “This bill will provide more equitable funding and for the first time, provide a path for property tax relief in districts with high tax rates.”

The legislation, Senate Bill 1947, passed the Senate today and awaits the governor’s signature to become law.

SPRINGFIELD – Families in Mount Greenwood, Beverly and Morgan Park will soon see increased enrollment opportunities to the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences (CHAS) because of a measure being signed into law.

“Unique public education experiences should be available to all students in Chicago and throughout Illinois,” State Senator Bill Cunningham said. “The Ag School will now have more seats to offer to more students in our community because of this new law.”

Senate Bill 447, sponsored by Senator Cunningham, would allow for 40 more seats to be opened up to local families and would statutorily authorize the special education cluster that currently exists at the school

CHAS was created by state law more than 20 years ago. During that time, the school has provided special education services. But those programs were not recognized by state law until the introduction of Senate Bill 447.

“We need to ensure that special education services are provided wherever there is a need,” Cunningham said. “Today, we have guaranteed access to those critical services will continue to exist right here in our community.”

The legislation will go into effect on January 1, 2018.

SPRINGFIELD – A bipartisan measure to close a conflict of interest loophole in Illinois statute became law on Tuesday.

“Good government should apply to everyone throughout the state,” said State Senator Bill Cunningham. “This new law will help ensure grant awards aren’t compromised by conflicts of interest.”

The new law bans members of the Illinois Energy Conservation Advisory Council from receiving any state grants for teaching continuing education regarding any rule proposed by the council. The measure received unanimous support in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly.

“This is not the end of our work. We need to continue as a state to close these loopholes and this law is just a step in the right direction,” Cunningham said.

The new law is effective immediately.

SPRINGFIELD—Local communities will soon have new protections to stop squatters from legally taking possession of abandoned homes or businesses thanks to a measure signed into law this week.

The new law, sponsored by State Senator Bill Cunningham, was introduced when a squatter attempted to take control of an abandoned building in Beverly by utilizing a loophole in an obscure housing law.

"An individual moved into an abandoned storefront on a commercial street and attempted to claim ownership of the property under a law designed to improve dilapidated housing," Cunningham said. "If alert neighbors hadn't called the police, the scheme might have succeeded in civil court."

Introduced by Cunningham as Senate Bill 1562, the new law requires that local government zoning boards be alerted by the court if any group or individual attempts to claim ownership of property under the Abandoned Housing Rehabilitation Act.

"Local government officials and zoning boards have a much better idea of what's going on with residential and commercial properties than a judge in a downtown courtroom," Cunningham said. "The new law will allow those local officials to intercede in court almost immediately if someone is improperly attempting to take ownership of an abandoned house or place of business."