SPRINGFIELD – School district, community college and public university employees who are required to isolate or quarantine due to contracting or being exposed to COVID-19 may be given as many administrative leave days as necessary thanks to a measure sponsored by State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Swansea) that passed the Senate Wednesday.

“Teachers have faced so many challenges since the pandemic began,” Belt said. “From remote learning to hybrid learning, teachers continue to make sacrifices for their students. They shouldn’t have to worry about using their personal time when they need to take time off due to COVID-19.”

If an employee is required to isolate or quarantine, all public school districts, community colleges and public universities must provide employees with as many administrative leave days needed to follow all public health guidance, mandates and requirements issued by the Illinois Department of Public Health. In addition, employees will receive administrative leave days if they need to care for their child in elementary or secondary school who was sent home because of COVID-19 protocols.

EAST ST. LOUIS – State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Swansea) congratulated local businesses struggling from the pandemic that were awarded grants from the latest round of the Back to Business program awards.

The B2B program allocated $250 million in American Rescue Plan dollars for small businesses negatively affected by the pandemic. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $150,000 per business and can be used to cover a wide range of operations such as staff and overhead costs.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our communities and have been hard hit during the pandemic,” Belt said. “As the holiday season approaches, I encourage residents to shop local and support businesses that continue to recover.”

EAST ST. LOUIS – To provide residents with a secure option for shredding documents containing personal information, State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Swansea) and Representative LaToya Greenwood (D-East St. Louis) have teamed up to host an event tomorrow in Lebanon offering free, safe discarding services.

The shredding truck will be available in the parking lot of True Value Hardware, located at 753 True Value Dr. in Lebanon, from 9-11 a.m., or until the truck is full tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 23. A limit of two boxes of documents per car is encouraged.

“It’s important to safely dispose of old personal documents,” Belt said. “Join us tomorrow to get rid of any unnecessary papers piled in your home in a secure manner.”

Examples of documents with personally identifiable information that should be safely discarded include bank statements, outdated medical records, tax returns, bills, junk mail, credit card applications and receipts.

If residents have questions about the event, Belt urges them to contact his office at 618-875-1212 or Greenwood’s office at 618-646-9557.

EAST ST. LOUIS – Metro East SNAP recipients can now purchase groceries online at Schnucks, State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Swansea) announced Thursday.

“Income level should not determine whether people can put food on their table,” Belt said. “Expanding access for SNAP recipients to buy groceries online allows them to have the same safety and convenience as other shoppers.”  

To order groceries online at Schnucks, SNAP participants can sign up on the Instacart website or mobile app. Customers can also add their SNAP/EBT card through payment methods within account settings.