SPRINGFIELD – With support from State Senator Laura Ellman, six school districts in the Naperville area have received over $20,000 to provide resources to libraries through books, e-books, audiobooks, periodicals, multilingual materials, technology and programs.

“School libraries offer many necessary services to students, and the resources we give to them are put back into our community,” said Ellman (D-Naperville). “Funding our school libraries helps foster an enriching learning environment and provides students of all ages with access to modern learning tools.”

Funding for School District Library Grant Program originates from the General Reserve Fund and is appropriated for this purpose by the Illinois General Assembly.

The following school districts in Ellman’s district received a total of $28,830:

• Community Consolidated School District 89 - $1,857
• Glen Ellyn School District 41 - $2,831
• Glenbard Township High School District 87 - $6,683
• Lisle Community Unit District 202 - $1,239
• Lombard Elementary School District 44 - $2,471
• Naperville Community Unit School District 203 - $13,746

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Laura Ellman announced that North Central College will receive $129,992 to address student homelessness and help provide necessities many students lack.

“Students have an important role in our society — they carry the torch for future generations,” said Ellman (D-Naperville). “North Central College will now be able to address the needs of its most vulnerable students so they can be strong leaders and learners.”

The End Student Housing Insecurity grants were awarded by the Illinois Board of Higher Education and will be used to support ongoing efforts to address systemic causes of student homelessness and basic-needs insecurity. North Central College is one of 10 institutions chosen by the IBHE.

The grants were awarded by a competitive application process based on the school’s ability to address primary causes of homelessness and basic-needs insecurity, and to help students overcome barriers to graduation. The $129,992 investment to North Central College is just one step in the state’s higher education plan to close equity gaps for students.

“Student success should not be mitigated by food insecurity or factors related to homelessness,” said Ellman. “This grant will ensure students’ well-being and gives them the opportunity to succeed.”

For more information on the End Student Housing Insecurity grants, click here.

SPRINGFIELD – At the start of the 2024-2025 school year, every state-required health course will provide mandatory fentanyl education to high school students, thanks to a new law supported by State Senator Laura Ellman that took effect Jan. 1.

“In order to combat the ongoing opioid epidemic on all fronts, we need to educate our most vulnerable populations, which includes young people,” said Ellman (D-Naperville). “The age of fentanyl exposure is younger than we think, and I am pleased this law implements such indispensable education for students.”

House Bill 3924 requires health courses for high school students in each school district to educate them on the dangers of fentanyl and fentanyl contamination through instruction, study and discussion.

“The increase in opioid-related deaths each year signals to Illinoisans that more underlying issues need to be addressed,” said Ellman. “In the next school year, students across the state will begin to learn more about fentanyl addiction, which can empower them to set a healthier example for others and hopefully lead to fewer overdoses and deaths.”

House Bill 3924 took effect Jan. 1.

NAPERVILLE — Construction of small-scale nuclear reactors will soon be possible in the state for the first time since 1987, thanks to an initiative supported by State Senator Laura Ellman that was signed by the governor Friday.

“Our state’s energy portfolio can be improved if we invest more into carbon-free nuclear-based energy,” said Ellman (D-Naperville). “This law signals to investors that Illinois prioritizes clean and reliable energy as we move toward the next generation that prioritizes nuclear technologies.”

The legislation repeals the state’s decades-long moratorium on the construction of small modular reactors rated at 300 megawatts or less, approximately one-third the size of the smallest existing nuclear power plants in Illinois, beginning Jan. 1, 2026. The law also requires the state to commission a study to inform rules for regulating small modular reactors.

“New nuclear power broadens the shift from fossil fuels to sustainable and secure energy and helps achieve meeting our goal of being 100% carbon-free,” said Ellman. “Illinois recognizes the importance of nuclear power, and this allows us to build on it.”

House Bill 2473 – which Ellman was a chief co-sponsor of – is effective June 1, 2024.