Nearly 50 employers from across the region teamed with Senator Julie Morrison and Congressman Brad Schneider last Thursday to connect job seekers with openings in a variety of fields.

“With hundreds of job openings available, being able to match people with their interests and needs was definitely worthwhile,” Morrison said.

The job fair featured a diverse array of companies and organizations, including those in the insurance, banking and health care fields, as well as temporary staffing agencies, service positions and state agencies – all of whom are looking to hire now.

Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity of visiting with students and teachers from Everett Elementary School in Lake Forest.

I would like to thank all of the students who welcomed me into their classroom as well as Ms. Oh, Information Literacy Instructor.

Thank you Everett School for your warm hospitality!

To see more pictures from my visit to Everett Elementary, please visit my Facebook page.

“We require people who drive cars to earn licenses. It’s only reasonable to require boat operators to have some basic training. We require people to use headlights when they drive at night. Flying flags when you’re towing an inner tuber or water skier serves the same purpose.” - Senator Julie Morrison

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Julie Morrison’s (D-Deerfield) water safety plan – the product of months of hearings, a careful study of other state’s best practices and bipartisan compromise – passed the Illinois General Assembly. It now goes to the governor for his consideration.

“A few commonsense safety precautions can help keep Illinois’ waterways safe for children and families,” Morrison said. “We require people who drive cars to earn licenses. It’s only reasonable to require boat operators to have some basic training. We require people to use headlights when they drive at night. Flying flags when you’re towing an inner tuber or water skier serves the same purpose.”

The first part of the package is Senate Bill 2731, which requires boats that are towing inner tubers, water skiers or others to fly orange flags. Several other states, including Illinois neighbor Missouri, already have similar laws. Orange safety flags are widely available for $10 or less.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Julie Morrison’s (D-Deerfield) legislation to enable county boards to remove appointed officials who violate the public trust passed the Illinois General Assembly last week and now goes to the governor.

“When employees break their companies’ codes of conduct, their bosses can fire them. When elected officials violate the public trust, the people can vote them out or their colleagues can impeach them. Right now, if appointed officials act unethically, county boards can’t do anything but wait for their terms to expire,” Morrison said. “This situation must change.”

Morrison’s legislation, Senate Bill 3552, introduced at the request of Lake County Board, allows the county boards of the collar counties to remove appointed officials by a two-thirds majority vote. To initiate the process, the county board or county executive would have to find that the appointed official violated the county’s code of conduct, and the county board would have to hold a hearing.