August 6, 2025 • 6 mins
From saving mothers’ lives to protecting consumers from car scams, this episode of The Sound of the State covers four new Illinois laws making a difference. Senators Preston, Feigenholtz, Castro, and Murphy explain how they’re addressing maternal health inequities, easing teacher shortages, improving firefighter safety, and holding unlicensed car dealers accountable.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to this edition of the News Brief, part of
the Sound of the State podcast series from the Illinois
Senate Democratic Caucus, keeping you up to date with what's
happening in Springfield and around the state. I'm Colby Huff.
Implicit bias training surrounding maternal health for healthcare workers will
now be required in Illinois thanks to a new law
led by State Senator Willie Preston. Senator Preston of Chicago
(00:21):
said in part black women are three times more likely
to die from pregnancy related cause of death than white
women in Illinois. Protecting maternal healthcare is about more than healthcare. Rather,
it is about human rights, and we must protect the
rights of all mothers. House Built twenty five seventeen will
expand implicit bias training for healthcare workers in Illinois to
include training and potential maternal health risk factors associated with
(00:43):
marginalized communities with increased mortality rate. Under the law, the
training must be at least one hour that includes an
understanding of the risks facing black and Indigenous women and
other marginalized communities in maternal healthcare. It will also include
information on medical care plans and programs that have been
demonstrated to successfully decres maternal mortality rates and complications before
and after pregnancy. Senator Preston continues, this law ensures we
(01:06):
are taking collective action to ensure that we support the
future of our daughters and their daughters. We are moving
forward toward a healthcare system that's more just, responsive, and
more compassionate for all people. House Built twenty five seventeen
was recently signed into law and takes effect July first,
twenty twenty six, State Senator Sarah Figenholtz championed a newly
signed law strengthening Illinois's efforts to address the teacher shortage
(01:28):
by removing unnecessary hurdles that drive people away from becoming
an educator. Senator Fagenholts of Chicago said, for years, parents
and teachers in my district have been feeling the crunch
of the teacher shortage. As we continue to equip our
teachers with resources and support, we need to make sure
they don't face setbacks because of family or medical obligations.
The law, originally Senate Bill fifteen eighty four, comes in
(01:49):
response to a local resident who took family and medical
leave during her pregnancy when she was licensed under short
term approval for many educators, including Senator Feigenholtz's constituent, short
term approval and a new subject area is a path
to becoming a more versatile teacher who can teach more classes,
but it typically only lasts three years to ease barriers
for these educators. Senator Feigenholt's new law allows teachers to
(02:11):
take family and medical leave while they are licensed under
short term approval without jeopardizing their short term licenses. This
change stops the proverbial clock when someone takes fmla leave,
so they can pick up where they left off without
losing any of their short term approval period. Senator Feigenholtz continues,
someone who overcame barriers to earn their teaching license shouldn't
continue facing hurdles to entering the classroom When life happens.
(02:34):
Educators need the flexibility and support to be able to
put their health first without jeopardizing their careers. Recognizing the
heightened risk of cancer, trauma related mental health conditions, and
other illnesses faced by firefighters, Illinois will begin to track
and record firefighters' causes of death under a new law
led by State Senator Christina Castro of Elgin. This is
(02:55):
about transparency, said Senator Castro, for the families of fallen firefighters,
and it's about helping the state understand what we can
do better to protect the first responders who put their
lives on the line every day, whether a tragedy happens
from injuries in the line of duty or from the
lasting effects of firefighting. Over time, this data will shed
light on where current gaps exist so we can intervene.
Over the past twenty years, the US Fire Administration reports
(03:18):
nearly two thousand firefighters have died in the line of duty.
In addition to injuries and deaths that occur in the
line of duty, firefighters are at a high risk of
cancer and other illnesses, highlighting the need for state level
data to guide interventions that protect their health and safety.
Under the new law, the Office of the Illinois State
Fire Marshal must track and record the causes of death
for all active firefighters in Illinois, including those who died
(03:39):
by suicide and from fire service related cancers, within one
year of retiring. The goal is to improve firefighter safety,
promote transparency for loved ones, and ultimately help the Office
of the State Fire Marshal develop recommendations to prevent further
deaths and injuries of these vital first responders. Senate Bill
fourteen forty six was recently signed into law and takes
effect on Janus Quary. First State Senator Laura Murphy spearheaded
(04:03):
a new law to protect consumers by cracking down on
unlicensed car dealers deceiving consumers with sales of defective cars.
This law, said Senator Murphy, of Desk Planes, ensures that
we are holding unlicensed car dealers accountable and ensure every
car sale meets the standards of safety and honesty. Ending
curbstoning lifts a burden off of Illinois consumers. The goal
is to make the already illegal practice of curbstoning, a
(04:25):
scheme where individual sellers draw car shoppers to places like
parking lots and side streets to sell used cars without
a license, more difficult. The cars are sold for more
money than they are worth and typically have significant issues
such as water damage, mileage rollbacks, mechanical issues, or salvage titles,
which are only issued if the car has sustained enough
damage to be declared a total loss. Under the law,
(04:46):
vehicle dealers will not be able to park in advertise
cars on public streets or highways, public parking lots, or
public property. Law enforcement agencies would be allowed to authorize
towing services to remove a car if it is displayed
for sale with the damaged, destroyed, removed, covered, or altered
vehicle identification number. In addition, the law will create the
Unlicensed Motor Vehicle Dealer Enforcement Task Force to review unlicensed
(05:08):
car dealership enforcement in the state. The task Force will
recommend ways to extend additional protections to customers, investigate online sellers,
and explore enhanced penalties and enforcement mechanisms. Senator Murphy continues,
I am committed to protecting all consumers in every area
of Illinois. This law protects consumers and insures fair practices
in the automotive industry. For more on the stories you
(05:33):
just heard and others, visit Illinois Senate Democrats dot com
and subscribe to our weekly Majority Report newsletter. You can
listen to the Sound of the State podcast series, as
well as our Spanish version, Estado della Stato with Carlos Mendez,
featuring regular updates and in depth conversations with our senators
on your choice of platforms including the iHeartRadio app, Spotify,
(05:53):
Amazon Music, Apple, podcasts, andorra and more from the Springfield
Office of Senate to President Don Harmon. I'm Coldbee Huff
Welcome to this edition of the News Brief, part of
the Sound of the State podcast series from the Illinois
Senate Democratic Caucus, keeping you up to date with what's
happening in Springfield and around the state. I'm Colby Huff.
Implicit bias training surrounding maternal health for healthcare workers will
now be required in Illinois thanks to a new law
led by State Senator Willie Preston. Senator Preston of Chicago
(00:21):
said in part black women are three times more likely
to die from pregnancy related cause of death than white
women in Illinois. Protecting maternal healthcare is about more than healthcare. Rather,
it is about human rights, and we must protect the
rights of all mothers. House Built twenty five seventeen will
expand implicit bias training for healthcare workers in Illinois to
include training and potential maternal health risk factors associated with
(00:43):
marginalized communities with increased mortality rate. Under the law, the
training must be at least one hour that includes an
understanding of the risks facing black and Indigenous women and
other marginalized communities in maternal healthcare. It will also include
information on medical care plans and programs that have been
demonstrated to successfully decres maternal mortality rates and complications before
and after pregnancy. Senator Preston continues, this law ensures we
(01:06):
are taking collective action to ensure that we support the
future of our daughters and their daughters. We are moving
forward toward a healthcare system that's more just, responsive, and
more compassionate for all people. House Built twenty five seventeen
was recently signed into law and takes effect July first,
twenty twenty six, State Senator Sarah Figenholtz championed a newly
signed law strengthening Illinois's efforts to address the teacher shortage
(01:28):
by removing unnecessary hurdles that drive people away from becoming
an educator. Senator Fagenholts of Chicago said, for years, parents
and teachers in my district have been feeling the crunch
of the teacher shortage. As we continue to equip our
teachers with resources and support, we need to make sure
they don't face setbacks because of family or medical obligations.
The law, originally Senate Bill fifteen eighty four, comes in
(01:49):
response to a local resident who took family and medical
leave during her pregnancy when she was licensed under short
term approval for many educators, including Senator Feigenholtz's constituent, short
term approval and a new subject area is a path
to becoming a more versatile teacher who can teach more classes,
but it typically only lasts three years to ease barriers
for these educators. Senator Feigenholt's new law allows teachers to
(02:11):
take family and medical leave while they are licensed under
short term approval without jeopardizing their short term licenses. This
change stops the proverbial clock when someone takes fmla leave,
so they can pick up where they left off without
losing any of their short term approval period. Senator Feigenholtz continues,
someone who overcame barriers to earn their teaching license shouldn't
continue facing hurdles to entering the classroom When life happens.
(02:34):
Educators need the flexibility and support to be able to
put their health first without jeopardizing their careers. Recognizing the
heightened risk of cancer, trauma related mental health conditions, and
other illnesses faced by firefighters, Illinois will begin to track
and record firefighters' causes of death under a new law
led by State Senator Christina Castro of Elgin. This is
(02:55):
about transparency, said Senator Castro, for the families of fallen firefighters,
and it's about helping the state understand what we can
do better to protect the first responders who put their
lives on the line every day, whether a tragedy happens
from injuries in the line of duty or from the
lasting effects of firefighting. Over time, this data will shed
light on where current gaps exist so we can intervene.
Over the past twenty years, the US Fire Administration reports
(03:18):
nearly two thousand firefighters have died in the line of duty.
In addition to injuries and deaths that occur in the
line of duty, firefighters are at a high risk of
cancer and other illnesses, highlighting the need for state level
data to guide interventions that protect their health and safety.
Under the new law, the Office of the Illinois State
Fire Marshal must track and record the causes of death
for all active firefighters in Illinois, including those who died
(03:39):
by suicide and from fire service related cancers, within one
year of retiring. The goal is to improve firefighter safety,
promote transparency for loved ones, and ultimately help the Office
of the State Fire Marshal develop recommendations to prevent further
deaths and injuries of these vital first responders. Senate Bill
fourteen forty six was recently signed into law and takes
effect on Janus Quary. First State Senator Laura Murphy spearheaded
(04:03):
a new law to protect consumers by cracking down on
unlicensed car dealers deceiving consumers with sales of defective cars.
This law, said Senator Murphy, of Desk Planes, ensures that
we are holding unlicensed car dealers accountable and ensure every
car sale meets the standards of safety and honesty. Ending
curbstoning lifts a burden off of Illinois consumers. The goal
is to make the already illegal practice of curbstoning, a
(04:25):
scheme where individual sellers draw car shoppers to places like
parking lots and side streets to sell used cars without
a license, more difficult. The cars are sold for more
money than they are worth and typically have significant issues
such as water damage, mileage rollbacks, mechanical issues, or salvage titles,
which are only issued if the car has sustained enough
damage to be declared a total loss. Under the law,
(04:46):
vehicle dealers will not be able to park in advertise
cars on public streets or highways, public parking lots, or
public property. Law enforcement agencies would be allowed to authorize
towing services to remove a car if it is displayed
for sale with the damaged, destroyed, removed, covered, or altered
vehicle identification number. In addition, the law will create the
Unlicensed Motor Vehicle Dealer Enforcement Task Force to review unlicensed
(05:08):
car dealership enforcement in the state. The task Force will
recommend ways to extend additional protections to customers, investigate online sellers,
and explore enhanced penalties and enforcement mechanisms. Senator Murphy continues,
I am committed to protecting all consumers in every area
of Illinois. This law protects consumers and insures fair practices
in the automotive industry. For more on the stories you
(05:33):
just heard and others, visit Illinois Senate Democrats dot com
and subscribe to our weekly Majority Report newsletter. You can
listen to the Sound of the State podcast series, as
well as our Spanish version, Estado della Stato with Carlos Mendez,
featuring regular updates and in depth conversations with our senators
on your choice of platforms including the iHeartRadio app, Spotify,
(05:53):
Amazon Music, Apple, podcasts, andorra and more from the Springfield
Office of Senate to President Don Harmon. I'm Coldbee Huff
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies!
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!