>> IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW WHAT
THE NEW YEAR WILL BRING BUT 2022
HAS SOME CHANGES IN STORE FOR
CERTAIN, AMANDA VINICKY JOINS US
WITH A RUNDOWN OF NEW LAWS
TAKING EFFECT IN THE NEW YEAR.
AMANDA.
>> PARIS, I WILL BE HONEST
REPORTING ON NEW LAWS THAT TOOK
EFFECT AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS
YEAR WAS TOUGH BECAUSE OF COVID
THE LEGISLATURE WAS OFF COURSE
SO THEY DID NOT PASS A LOT THAT
TOOK EFFECT IN 2021 AND THAT IS
NOT THE CASE FOR THIS YEAR.
THERE ARE A LOT OF LAWS TAKING
EFFECT IN 2022 SO AN EARLY PLUG
TUNE IN TO "CHICAGO TONIGHT"
TOMORROW EVENING.
WHERE I WILL BE REPORTING ON
LAWS THAT MIGHT CHANGE
EVERYTHING FROM WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN YOU VISIT A PHARMACY TRYING
TO APPLY FOR A LICENSE FOR A
GUN.
FOR THE NEXT FEW MINUTES I WILL
BE FOCUSING ON LAWS IMPACTING
EDUCATION.
INCLUDING A LAW THAT REQUIRES
ILLINOIS SCHOOLS K-12 TEACH ONE
UNIT OF HISTORY REGARDING
ASIAN-AMERICANS AND PACIFIC
ISLANDERS.
>> IT DOES MEAN THAT
ASIAN-AMERICAN HISTORY WHICH IS
OFTEN INVISIBLE, THERE HAS BEEN
ASIAN-AMERICANS IN THIS COUNTRY
SINCE THE MID-1800'S.
BUT THERE HASN'T BEEN A LOT
TAUGHT IN THE SCHOOLS AND THE
SCHOOLS ALLOW ALL THE CHALLENGES
AS WELL AS SUCCESSES TO BE PART
OF AMERICAN HISTORY THAT IS
TAUGHT TO SCHOOLS.
>> TECHNICALLY SCHOOLS HAVE
UNTIL THE 2022-23 SCHOOL YEAR
FOR ACTUAL IMPLEMENTATION.
BUT THE WORK DOES BEGIN NOW WHEN
DEVELOPING A UNIT.
AND THE LAW DOES NOT REQUIRE
SPECIFIC LESSONS BE TAUGHT.
GRACE CHAN MCKIBBEN SAYS THERE
ARE A LOT OF OPTIONS.
>> JUST THE FIRST ACT
IMMIGRATION LAW AND THE ONLY
IMMIGRATION LAW THAT EXCLUDES A
GROUP OF PEOPLE ON THE BASIS OF
NATIONALITY.
AND THEN THE JAPANESE
INCARCERATION DURING WORLD WAR
II WHERE CITIZENS REGARDLESS --
PEOPLE BECAUSE OF NATIONALITY OR
NATIONAL ORIGIN REGARDLESS OF
CITIZENSHIP WERE INCARCERATED.
>> A DIFFERENT LAW SAYS WHEN
TEACHING HISTORY ILLINOIS
SCHOOLS HAVE TO INCLUDE
CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIETY BY
AMERICANS OF DIFFERENT FAITHS
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
THOSE OF MUSLIM, JEWISH,
CHRISTIAN AND BUDDHIST
AMERICANS.
MEANWHILE, SCHOOLS MAY HAVE TO
UPDATE THEIR DRESS CODES.
ANOTHER LAW TAKING EFFECT BANS
SCHOOLS FROM DISCRIMINATING
AGAINST NATURAL AND ETHNIC HAIR
STYLES LIKE LOCKS, TWISTS AND
AFROS THIS IS NAMED AFTER A
FOUR-YEAR-OLD WHOSE SCHOOL DID
NOT ALLOW HIM TO WEAR BRAIDS.
>> THE REAL CULPRIT ARE THE
INSTANCES WHERE BLACK YOUTH HAVE
BEEN EXPELLED, SUSPENDED, FORCED
OFF SPORTS TEAMS.
THAT IS THE WAY WE WROTE THE
LEGISLATION I HOPE SCHOOLS WILL
TAKE IT AS A GESTURE TO BE MORE
OPEN MINDED AROUND ALL HAIR
STYLES IT IS A FORM OF
EXPRESSION AND STUDY AFTER STUDY
HAS TOLD US THAT DISCRIMINATING
AGAINST HAIR STYLES FOR YOUNG
PEOPLE HAS A NEGATIVE EFFECT ON
THEIR MENTAL HEALTH.
GIVEN EVERYTHING THAT OUR YOUNG
PEOPLE ARE GOING THROUGH WE NEED
TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO HELP
AND HEAL AND TO LEARN.
>> STUDENTS EXPERIENCING MENTAL
OR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ISSUES WILL
BE PERMITTED FIVE EXCUSED
ABSENCES FROM SCHOOL BECAUSE IN
2022, ILLINOIS WILL INCLUDE
MENTAL HEALTH AS A VALID REASON
FOR MISSING CLASS AFTER TWO
MENTAL HEALTH DAYS AND SCHOOL
CAN REFER THAT STUDENT TO
APPROPRIATE SCHOOL PERSONNEL
SOMEBODY LIKE A COUNSELOR.
MEANWHILE, GRADUATING ILLINOIS
HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS NO LONGER
NEED TO SWEAT TAKING THE SATES
OR THE ACTS IN ORDER TO GET INTO
ONE OF THE STATE'S PUBLIC
UNIVERSITIES.
>> MEANING THAT A STUDENT FROM
CHICAGO OR EVANSTON OR DES
PLAINES CAN APPLY TO COLLEGE U
OF I OR CHICAGO STATE AND THE
ADMISSIONS PROCESS WILL CONSIDER
THEIR GPA INTERVIEWS,
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES BUT
THERE IS NO REQUIREMENT TO
SUBMIT TEST SCORES.
>> STUDENTS CAN SUBMIT THEIR
SCORES BUT THEY DON'T HAVE TO.
REPRESENTATIVE KAM BUCKNER SAYS
THIS IS A WAY TO GIVE ILLINOIS
RESIDENTS A LEG UP IN THE
ADMISSIONS PROCESS.
WHEN STUDENTS LEAVE THE STATE TO
GO TO A SCHOOL SAY SOMEWHERE
LIKE ARIZONA, THEY OFTEN DON'T
COME BACK.
>> IF YOU LOOK AT ENROLLMENT AT
PLACES LIKE THE PUBLIC
UNIVERSITIES IN ARIZONA YOU WILL
SEE A BUMPER CROP OF ILLINOIS
RESIDENTS THIS ADDRESSES THAT
AND GIVES THEM A LEG UP OUT OF
ALL THE 50 STATES ONLY NEW
JERSEY LOSES MORE COLLEGE AGED
INDIVIDUALS OUT OF STATE WHO
NEVER RETURN COMPARED TO US.
WE WANT MORE ILLINOIS STUDENTS
TO STAY IN COLLEGE, TO STAY IN
ILLINOIS FOR COLLEGE TO
CONTRIBUTE TO OUR STATE TO
CONTRIBUTE TO OUR ECONOMY AND
THE RAISE FAMILIES AND START
BUSINESSES HERE.
>> BUCKNER SAYS THE LAW CAN HELP
TO CLOSE ACHIEVEMENT GAPS.
STANDARDIZED TESTS DO NOT
CAPTURE A STUDENT'S POTENTIAL.
>> WE KNOW THAT THE TEST SCORES
CAN OFTEN ACT AS A BARRIER TO
POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION.
FURTHERMORE, FAR TOO OFTEN WHEN
WE SEE THOSE FOLKS WHO DO WELL
ON TEST SCORES COMPARED TO THOSE
WHO DON'T, WE KNOW THAT THEY
COME FROM CERTAIN SOCIOECONOMIC
BACKGROUNDS IN MANY CASES.
AND FAR TOO OFTEN THE WAGE GAP
WITH IN FAMILIES TURNED IN THE
ACHIEVEMENT GAP AND THE QUALITY
OF LIFE GAP AND THE LIFE
EXPECTANCY GAP.
>> ON JANUARY 17TH, ILLINOIS
WILL HAVE THE FIRST
COMMEMORATIVE HOLIDAY
REMEMBERING MOHAMMED ALI.
THIS IS JUST A SMALL SAMPLING OF
THE LAWS AND WE WILL TALK MORE
TOMORROW INCLUDING LAWS