LIBERTYVILLE – State Senator Mary Edly-Allen announced 12 school districts in the 31st District have received more than $27,000 to provide resources to libraries through books, e-books, audiobooks, periodicals, multilingual materials, technology and programs.

“As an educator, I know how essential these grants are to our students and the benefits that come with it,” said Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville). “By providing high-quality educational materials, the state is not only preparing future generations to come but also ensuring students have the resources and skills they need for a bright academic career.”

Based on a statutory formula, school districts receive $0.885 per student enrolled at each school with a qualified library. Funding for the 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 Edly-Allen’s district received a total of $27,194:

LIBERTYVILLE – The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program is now open to all income-eligible households, and State Senator Mary Edly-Allen is urging eligible families to apply to receive assistance with natural gas, propane and electricity bills.

“Families shouldn’t have to decide between groceries and paying utility bills in the winter to keep warm,” said Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville). “The state is offering assistance for families in need, and I strongly encourage all eligible residents to apply to ensure everyone stays safe and healthy.”

LIHEAP provides one-time payments directly to energy service providers on behalf of recipients. While the amount of support varies based on the needs of individual families, last year over 311,000 households received LIHEAP, with an average of over $1,000 per household.

All income-eligible households can now apply for assistance, and applications will be accepted through Aug. 15, 2024, or until funds are exhausted. The energy bill assistance program offered through the Help Illinois Families Program in program year 2024 will provide $237 million to eligible families for energy bill assistance.

For more information or to apply to the program, visit HelpIllinoisFamilies.com or your local agency.

ROUND LAKE – State Senator Mary Edly-Allen is encouraging Lake County residents to donate blood at the Round Lake Area Park District from 2-6 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 16.

“Blood donations continue to be essential to the health of people in our community,” said Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville). “There is a critical need for blood donations from healthy individuals, and this event will be a safe and accessible opportunity to help strengthen our blood supply.

The blood drive will be hosted by Versiti and Edly-Allen at the Round Lake Area Park District’s Senior Center, located at 814 Hart Rd. in Round Lake. Individuals are encouraged to sign up ahead of time, however walk-ins are welcome as well.

“I’m proud to team up with Versiti once again to provide a safe outlet for people to make a difference,” said Edly-Allen. “We must meet the needs of our community by working together.”

For more information about this blood drive or to schedule an appointment, please visit the Versiti website.

LIBERTYVILLE – President Joe Biden issued a landmark executive order to establish new safety and security stands for artificial intelligence, a move applauded by State Senator Mary Edly-Allen and State Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz.

“We need to balance rapidly progressing technology that maximizes artificial intelligence possibilities while also protecting against the potential harms it can cause,” said Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville). “We are starting to see how unrestricted technology can do harm without practical safeguards in place. I applaud the Biden administration for taking urgent action to work toward ending the exploitation, humiliation and harassment that AI has caused.”

President Biden issued an executive order Monday to establish new standards or AI safety and security, protect Americans’ privacy, advance equity and civil rights, stand up for consumers and workers, promote innovation and competition, and more.

The move comes just months after Edly-Allen and Gong-Gershowitz visited the White House to discuss ways to combat online abuse, hate and harassment at the federal and state level.

This year, Edly-Allen and Gong-Gershowitz were instrumental in passing a measure to crack down on the abusive and harmful use of digital forgeries – also known as deepfakes. The law – found within House Bill 2123 – creates a civil cause of action against any person who knowingly distributes, creates or solicits a digital forgery of another individual without their consent and for the purposes of harassing, extorting, threatening or causing harm to the falsely depicted individual.

Previously, the two legislators led legislation to create the Civil Remedies for Nonconsensual Dissemination of Private Sexual Images Act, allowing victims of revenge porn to recover economic, non-economic, and punitive damages.

“AI is a rapidly-developing tool that fundamentally impacts every sector of our society, including individual safety and civil rights,” said Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview). “We must ensure that appropriate legal protections and standards are in place to properly address the complex set of dangers and opportunities that AI introduces in order to effectively safeguard individual consumers and the public against the inherent risks to safety, security, and truth it can pose.”

Edly-Allen and Gong-Gershowitz will continue to advocate for ways to provide protection and security from the ever-growing AI industry.