Illinois General Assembly
West Chicago, IL….State Representatives Mike Fortner (R-West Chicago), Franco Coladipietro (R-Bloomingdale), Sandy Pihos (R-Glen Ellyn), Darlene Senger (R-Naperville), Michael Connelly (R-Naperville), Patti Bellock (Westmont) and State Senator Randy Hultgren (R-Wheaton) will be hosting a Legislative Forum on Autism. This forum is free and open to the public. In addition to residents sharing their concerns with the representatives, there will be three guest speakers sharing information about existing programs available to local residents.

The information for the forum is as follows:
Time: 7 p.m.
Date: Monday, March 8

Location: Wheaton Community Center
1777 S. Blanchard Rd.
Wheaton, IL 60187

Speakers: Ami Chambers, Parents Alliance Employment Project
TOPIC – “An Introduction to Adult Supported Employment Services”

Christopher M. Kennedy, Esq. Partner of Kennedy, Pierson & Strachan, LLP
TOPIC – Advocacy & Legislative Issues

Karen Sweeney, QMRP, Director of Community Services, PACT
TOPIC – “State Funded Community Services”

After much compromise, legislation heads to the full House for consideration

Springfield, IL… Critical legislation filed last year by State Representative Darlene Senger (R-Naperville) aimed at addressing the harmful “sexting” trend among teenagers has finally cleared a key house committee and is headed to the Illinois House floor for consideration.

The legislation, HB 4583, seeks to change Illinois’ juvenile code to prevent these children from registering as a sex offender. The legislation, which received a technical amendment during prior committee hearings altering the placement of the potential law within the state statutes, unanimously passed the House Juvenile Justice committee yesterday.

“It’s great that this issue, which I have been working on for some time, is finally moving through the political process,” stated Senger. “It makes the hours spent behind the scenes working with my colleagues worth it,” she added.

After changing forms several times, the legislation will now seek to place minors under court supervision and obtain required counseling and supportive services if it is discovered if that minor transmits indecent visual depictions of either themselves or another minor to anyone via electronic communication.

The main intention remains keeping juveniles engaged in “sexting” out of the jurisdiction of adult courts subject to stringent and often life altering sentences applied to sex offenders. It is necessary to create legislation that keeps up with the trends of our youth and the technologically rich world they currently live in.

House Resolution adopted congratulating Evan Lysacek on Gold Metal

Springfield, IL… The Illinois House of Representatives yesterday honored Olympic Figure Skater Evan Lysacek on his recent gold metal victory at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia.

“I know this town is proud of Evan, and this is just a small thing we could do to let him know that,” stated Senger. “When you stand back and think about it, it really is a pretty amazing accomplishment,” added Connelly.

Lysacek, a 2003 Neuqua Valley High School graduate, was the first American man to win the Olympic gold medal in figure skating since Brian Boitano in 1988. He finished the competition with a career-best to secure the gold medal.

The Resolution, HR950, was a unanimously agreed to resolution.

Click here for the original story on WJBC

2/20/2010 12:02:00 PM
By: Emily Ford and Jim Fitzpatrick

Sexting among minors is a growing problem especially when they can be charged with a sex offense. Taking and sending nude pictures of a minor with a cell phone is considered child pornography by law. Currently, the criminal code makes no distinction between adults and minors accused of child pornography. State Representative Darlene Senger, however, thinks there should be different levels of punishment.

Rich Wistocki, Juvenile Investigator for the Naperville Police Department, says minors need protection from themselves when it comes to sexting.

Senger is sponsoring legislation which would change the charge for minors from a felony to a misdemeanor.

As seen in the Naperville Sun Letters to the Editor

February 17, 2010

Addressing education funding crisis

We understand Illinois’ dire budget situation is making times very tough for local school districts.

We are not happy about how the state’s mismanagement by the governor has created uncertainty for hundreds of teachers and threatened to cut services for thousands of students.

So while we want to reassure you that the money allocated for this year is absolutely guaranteed to school districts since education was fully funded, we do find the manner in which these payments have been executed to be unacceptable, and it needs to be fixed immediately.

It is for this reason we will be requesting a meeting with the governor this week to discuss the delayed release of these payments along with strategies for expediting the delayed payments for schools.

While school districts are receiving scheduled General State Aid payments, as well as federal funds and stimulus money, funding for mandated categorical services for special education and transportation programs has been significantly behind.

On Jan. 15, school districts just received first-quarter special education and transportation reimbursements and early childhood education payments for September and October; and while these delayed payments are obligated and will get paid, the fact remains that schools districts are left with temporary budget gaps.

Due to this situation, we have taken measures during this General Assembly session to give schools the flexibility to navigate through. We passed legislation preventing the State Board of Education from placing school districts on the Financial Watch List when delayed state payments are the cause of an unbalanced budget (HB 944/P.A. 96-668), and we provided school districts, regional superintendents and other educational entities the ability to establish a line of credit with a bank or other financial institution (HB 999/P.A. 96-19). Continue reading »

Click here to go to the audio podcast of Darlene’s interview with Greg Jarrett

Naperville… State Representative Darlene Senger (R, Naperville) would like to invite the public to a forum discussion on closing the achievement gap for minority students. Representatives from Districts 204 and 203, the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois State Parent Teacher Association will be participating in the discussion.

What: Forum Discussion: Closing the Achievement Gap

Where: Naperville Municipal Center – 400 S. Eagle St., Naperville, IL

When: Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 6:30 pm

This event is open to the public and sponsored by State Representative Darlene Senger and Minerva Education Foundation of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. For more information call 630-219-3090 or 630-536-8685.

All media is encouraged to attend.

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Naperville… State Representative Darlene Senger (R, Naperville) will again be hosting a forum for parents of developmentally disabled children, focusing on the preparations to be made to assist in their child’s eventual transition into adulthood. In particular, the discussion will focus on the steps the parents of children in elementary school can be taking now to better prepare for their children’s future.

The program will largely mirror that of Senger’s previously hosted seminar based on the same topic.

“The transitional forum which took place in mid-December was a resounding success, with over 150 attendees. We received a tremendous amount of positive feedback, with many saying the event needed to be held again,” stated Senger.

The program is based in part by the recommendations of Senger’s legislative advisory group specifically aimed at parents of disabled children from both Districts 203 and 204 who are coping with this often troubled transitional period. The group, which meets quarterly, brought up the idea on the heels of a similar informational seminar conducted by the Ray Graham Association based in Downer’s Grove, Illinois.

Children with disabilities are typically provided Individual Service Plans throughout high school. These highly tailored plans can help tremendously in their development towards varying levels of independence. However, once disabled individuals either leave high school or reach the age of 22, their options dwindle, leaving many families without the resources to care for them

“As I’ve stated before, programs exist to help, but it takes meticulous planning and a wealth of knowledge to navigate the little assistance that is provided. I am hoping to provide as much information as possible to these families and actually have legislation in the works to help these families. But regardless of the legislative initiatives, I want to do what I can to help,” she added.

Cathy Ficker Terill, of the Ray Graham Association will be on hand to present, along with parents, teachers and special needs representatives from both Districts 203 and 204 on an array of topics dealing with this transitional period. The program’s information is as follows:

When: Friday, January 29th

10:00am to 11:00am

Where: Naperville City Hall, Council Chambers

400 S. Eagle St.

Naperville, IL 60540

It should also be noted that this seminar is open to any family with a special needs child residing in either Districts 203 or 204, including home schooled children.

If anyone has any questions, or would like more information regarding the event, contact Senger’s office at (630) 219-3090 or email via her website at www.darlenesenger.com.

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Many left wondering about his take on the state budget and economic climate

Springfield… After attending today’s annual “State of the State” address given by Governor Pat Quinn, State Representative Darlene Senger (R, Naperville) was left wondering what the Governor actually plans to do about the state’s financial woes and poor economic climate.

“I am just amazed that Governor Quinn didn’t address any of the state’s problems, really,” stated Senger. “I can’t believe the tenor of the speech, it really seemed to be an extension of his reelection campaign,” she added.

Throughout today’s speech, Quinn highlighted many of the things he considered accomplishments since taking the reigns from Governor Blagojevich over a year ago; however, he largely avoided many of the largest issues facing state government. Continue reading »

The State of Illinois awards scholarships through your local State Representative. I am pleased that I can be of assistance through this program to those within the 96^th Representative District of Illinois who are seeking to continue their education and who have not previously received a General Assembly scholarship from any legislative source.

The scholarships will be awarded for the Fall / Spring semesters of the 2010-2011 school year. This office will be awarding a total of eight one-year scholarships to the University of Illinois and to the other State Universities in Illinois. The scholarships are good for tuition only, not for housing, medical care, books and the like.

Below is an application and information sheet for the General Assembly Scholarship Program. Completed application and an official high school / college transcript must be received in our District Office (125 Water St., Naperville, IL 60540) by April 1, 2010. Recipients of legislative scholarships will be notified in writing by June 30, 2010. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact my office.

Sincerely,

Darlene Senger

Illinois State Representative 96^th District

Download the Scholarship Application