[EDITORIAL] The Time, It Is A-Changing Again wmay.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wmay.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Three new laws to go into effect Friday hometownregister.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from hometownregister.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
State Senator Andy Manar championed the program during negotiations for the Rebuild Illinois construction plan.
“Quality, affordable housing is a fundamental human need. We negotiated the landmark, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan because we recognized it’s a need that government has the ability to play a critical role in providing,” said Manar, who chairs the Senate Appropriations II Committee. “Repurposing vacant buildings not only makes it easier for struggling families to put a roof over their head, but it also gives Downstate municipalities that have seen their budgets devastated by COVID-19 the opportunity to add value to their communities.”
Illinois should create a state agency to oversee early education instead of relying on multiple agencies steering different programs with little accountability or transparency, according to a draft recommendation from a statewide commission.
It should also spend almost seven times the amount it does on early childhood education, the group said, an ambitious goal in a budget year marked by a pandemic, rising unemployment, and the defeat of a graduated income tax proposal aimed at easing Illinois chronic budget crunch.
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Two of the commission s co-chairs, state Senator Andy Manar and advocate George Davis, previewed the recommendations Thursday night in a town hall for providers, advocates and policymakers. Currently, Illinois spends about $1.9 billion on early education programs, including state-funded preschool, child care subsidies for low-income working parents, and initiatives for infants and toddlers. Chicago also has fueled its universal prekindergarten expansion wi