Springfield… State Representative Travis Weaver (R-Edwards) was the chief sponsor of several pieces of legislation which advanced through the Illinois House of Representatives last week. In a statement, Minority Leader Tony McCombie said, “It’s great to have a freshman legislator pass two bills through the House in their first year. We appreciate Rep. Weaver’s contributions to the Caucus, and are looking forward to his continued leadership for his constituents.”
One of these bills, HB2274, expands pathways for citizens to become a speech-language pathology assistant. Previously, only those with an associate’s degree in the field could become speech pathology assistants. This legislation expands requirements to also allow those with a bachelor’s degree in the field to receive their license.
In a statement, Weaver said, “I owe all the credit to Peoria County citizens Christian and Olivia Johnson. Olivia moved to Peoria from another state where the code is more inclusive. Once in Illinois, she found herself with more education and experience than what is required for her desired career, but she was unable to receive a license due to Illinois’s broken code. I’m so honored they reached out to me for help, and I’m excited to pass this legislation so people like Olivia can follow their dreams and help kids get the care they need.”
HB2274 passed the House by a vote of 108-0.
The other bill, HB3590, advocates for hands-on apprenticeship and job training for high school and community college students. Currently, students are unable to receive this type of training, as the liabilities of allowing a student to operate machinery are too high. This bill creates the Student Career Development Liability Insurance Advisory Committee, which would make recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly on providing liability insurance to students and teachers to ensure they are receiving the training they need to succeed.
HB3590 passed the House by a vote of 107-0.
Weaver went on to say, “I ran for State Representative so I could serve my home in Central Illinois and pass meaningful legislation that positively impacts the lives of Illinoisans. Despite Illinois’s dysfunction, these two bills are proof that when you work across the aisle and put citizens first, good things happen. I consider myself a ‘Citizen First Legislator’, which means many of my bills come from ideas received from local citizens. If anybody has an idea for a bill, I encourage them to call my personal phone number at (309) 645-5892 so we can get to work!”
The deadline to pass legislation through the House was Friday, March 24. You can find more information on HB2274 here, and on HB3590 here.