CENTREVILLE – Eighteen local school districts will receive more than $23,000 in grants through the Illinois secretary of state’s School Library Grant program, State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Centreville) announced Wednesday.

The grants, which are issued by the Illinois State Library, are meant to help public schools offer more library books and materials to students.

“This grant will be very beneficial for these well deserving schools in my district,” Belt said. “It’s very pleasing to see these libraries receiving additional funds to buy materials that will increase student’s reading and language skills, which ultimately helps with developing student’s minds.”

Schools receiving school library grants include:

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Centreville) sponsored an initiative that lead to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation hiring its first military liaison to help military families through the licensure process.

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation created a military liaison position to help service members and their spouses navigate the licensure process. The military liaison will enhance communication and improve the overall application process for service members and spouses when they choose to work in Illinois. If military families provide all the necessary documents in their license applications, IDFPR can expedite their licensure within 60 days.

“This change will provide better accommodation to service members and their spouses when looking to obtain work in Illinois,” Belt said. “We must continue to make the lives of our military families easier for the notable sacrifices they have made for us.”

SPRINGFIELD - State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Centreville) will serve on the Illinois Commission on Equitable Early Childhood Education and Care Funding to improve access to quality early childhood programs for all Illinois families.

“If we expect our children to have successful careers, we need to continue to invest in early childhood education,” Belt said. “This starts with making sure students have an intellectual skill set before entering kindergarten and ensuring the most disadvantaged children have the opportunity to succeed alongside their more advantaged classmates.”

Governor JB Pritzker and early childhood experts created the 29-member commission to establish funding goals and funding tools to provide reasonable access to high-quality early childhood education, care services for all children from birth to age five and their families.

The members who will serve on the commission are child care providers, advocates, educators and legislators.

SPRINGFIELD – A measure aimed to reduce the insane cost of prescription insulin cost pass the Illinois Senate today with the support from State Senator Christopher Belt.

Senate Bill 667  will caps out patients' out of pocket costs for prescription insulin at $100 for a 30-day supply and directs the Attorney General's office to investigate reasons for rising prescription insulin costs to ensure sufficient consumer protections in the pricing of prescription insulin drugs.

“African Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes and these prices of prescription insulin cost has seriously affected them,” Belt said. “These drug companies are taking advantage of people who have no choice but to purchase insulin and this legislation will put to stop that.”

According to the American Diabetes Association, there are over 30 million Americans who have diabetes and approximately 7.4 million depend on insulin. The price of insulin as tripled between 2002 and 2013, which has led to many patients rationing their insulin and sacrificing other daily needs to pay for insulin.

The legislation would make Illinois just the second state in nation to cap out of pocket insulin cost for diabetics. Colorado became the first earlier this year.

The measure passed the Senate 48-7 and will move the House for further consideration.