Shelly in the Country Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 (edited) Not Ellen, but here is a link to HSLDA's alert for the situation and it includes a list of committee members with phone numbers. Edit: Oh nvm, you wanted the other (ad hoc?) committee members.... oops:blush: Edited February 11, 2011 by Shelly in the Country Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Contact info: Here is what I pulled from a friend's blog post: Committee Chairman, Sen. James T. Meeks (D-Chicago) Springfield: 217-782-8066 District: 708-862-1515 http://www.senatedem.ilga.gov/index.php/contact-us/12-sen-contact/26-senator-james-t-meeks Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Westchester) Springfield: 217-782-8505 District: 708-343-7444 http://www.senatedem.ilga.gov/index.php/contact-us/12-sen-contact/22-senator-kimberly-a-lightford Sen. Gary Forby (D-Benton) Springfield: 217-782-5509 District: 618-439-2504 http://www.senatedem.ilga.gov/index.php/contact-us/12-sen-contact/9-senator-gary-forby Sen. Susan Garrett (D-Highwood) Springfield: 217-782-3650 District: 847-433-2002 http://www.senatedem.ilga.gov/index.php/contact-us/12-sen-contact/11-senator-susan-garrett Sen. Iris Y. Martinez (D-Chicago) Springfield: 217-782-8191 District: 773-463-0720 http://www.senatedem.ilga.gov/index.php/contact-us/12-sen-contact/25-senator-iris-y-martinez Sen. John G. Mulroe (D-Chicago) Springfield: 217-782-1035 District: 773-763-3810 http://www.senatedem.ilga.gov/index.php/contact-us/12-sen-contact/6-senator-john-g-mulroe Sen. David Luechtefeld (R-Okawville) Springfield: 217-782-8137 District: 618-243-9014 http://www.luechtefeld.senategop.org/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=1&Itemid=3 Sen. Kyle McCarter (R-Decatur) Springfield: 217-782-5755 District: 217-428-4068 mccarter51@att.net Sen. Suzi Schmidt (R-Lake Villa) Springfield: 217-782-7353 District: 847-752-7004 suzi@suzischmidt.com Sen. Christine Johnson (R- Sycamore) *Will be sworn in on Feb. 14th Springfield: 217-782-1977 District: 815-895-6318 could not find contact info for Sen. Johnson I sent them all a letter yesterday. Also, I heard the hearing was moved to Wednesday, 2/16 at 3:15 pm. I am pretty sure I can go to this one and bring my younger two. The oldest has college classes, so he can't leave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELaurie Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 (edited) Contact info: Here is what I pulled from a friend's blog post. I sent them all a letter yesterday. Also, I heard the hearing was moved to Wednesday, 2/16 at 3:15 pm. I am pretty sure I can go to this one and bring my younger two. The oldest has college classes, so he can't leave. Great - thanks! Wednesday is better for us too. I'll spread the word. Do you have a link to info about the change in date and time for the hearing? Edited February 11, 2011 by ELaurie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Well, there is confusion about that now. The state website is a little messed up right now with links to unrelated bills so I'll keep us posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELaurie Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Well, there is confusion about that now. The state website is a little messed up right now with links to unrelated bills so I'll keep us posted. Thanks. I just emailed everyone on the list - back to Chemistry and phone calls :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paintedlady Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Senator Maloney claims he doesn't understand what the big deal is. We're going to show him. Most homeschoolers I know will be at the hearing in Springfield Tuesday at 10:45. ICHE is also holding a rally before the hearing. Please take a moment to call or e-mail the senators on the committee, as well as the author of the bill. If you go to Illinois Family Institute's website, the link to blast e-mailing all of them is on the front page. Thank you. We're going, whether it's Tues or Wed. still waiting to hear for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELaurie Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I love this! Can we compile this for the hearing? I think this is a great idea too, and I briefly quoted statistics from the HSLDA website in my letters to senators. You can find some statistics here :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELaurie Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 The date and time for the hearing have not changed. ====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Illinois: Come to Homeschool Freedom Summit Before Hearing on Registration Bill Dear HSLDA Members and Friends, Illinois Christian Home Educators has organized a Homeschool Freedom Summit meeting from 9:00 to 10:15 a.m. on February 15 to help us all prepare for the 10:45 a.m. hearing on the homeschool registration bill. All homeschoolers are invited to attend all or part of the Summit if possible! The address is the Howlett Building, 501 South 2d St., Springfield, Il. From there it is easy walking distance to the Capitol building. Important information will be communicated during the Summit. Since it will occur inside the Howlett auditorium, indoor standards of decorum should be observed (i.e., no signs, no posters, no boisterous activities--it's not a "rally".) This would be an excellent opportunity to bring well-behaved children to learn first-hand about the legislative process. Your children need to know that the protection of freedom requires help from everyone! One or two people have asked if the date and time of the hearing has changed. The answer is no. It is still scheduled for 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday, February 15. Another bill Sen. Maloney is sponsoring, SB 1226, is set for a hearing on February 16, but it does not pertain to homeschooling. Thank you for standing with us for freedom! Sincerely, Scott Woodruff HSLDA Senior Counsel ====================================================================== Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paintedlady Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Got my room booked. I'll be there, with bells on. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 (edited) The hearing is on Tuesday morning. I posted this on the other SB 136 thread, but I'm reposting here to make sure it is seen. Those of you who are going to the hearing, I am urging you to help make sure that the senators hear the voices of those who live here in IL. About a decade ago ago, a bill was proposed in the IL Assembly about vaccinations that would have been a de facto homeschool registration bill. Despite having a room full of homeschoolers who were prepared to speak on the issue, HSLDA managed to make themselves the mouthpiece for the entire group, disallowing Illinois residents from speaking. They did such a poor job on refuting the committees concerns that the bill surprisingly made it out of committee, requiring a massive grassroots effort to defeat it when it came to a vote on the floor. This is not about bashing HSLDA, but about making sure that Illinoisans insure that their right to participate in the political process is not co-opted by a well-meaning organization that does not represent all homeschoolers. If we feel we are so inept that we cannot speak intelligently to our legislators, but rely on outsiders to do it for us, perhaps we don't deserve the freedom we seek. Edited February 11, 2011 by dirty ethel rackham not finished yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Downtown parking can be a bear with all he snow still piled up. If people could carpool that might help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gfengel Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 I just came across this posted on one of the other message boards I belong to and thought some might find it interesting. I'm most excited that there are already 2 committee members who have come out opposing the bill. http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2011/02/education-committee-meet-homeschoolers.html#tp I'm going to post this on the other SB 136 threads, so I want to say 'sorry' in advance for those of you who get this info twice. :) I'm hoping to see many of you in Springfield on Tuesday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELaurie Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Illinois: 4,000 Homeschoolers Say "No" to Registration Bill Dear HSLDA Friends and Members, An awe-inspiring 4,000 homeschoolers flooded the Statehouse today as Sen. Maloney did his best to get the Senate Education Committee to support his plan to mandate registration for homeschoolers. But the committee did not vote, so homeschoolers must continue to press for the withdrawal of the bill. ACTION REQUESTED Please call your own senator and ask him or her to contact Sen. Maloney and ask him to withdraw--NOT AMEND--his bill. Use our legislative toolbox at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=10343 to find your senator. BACKGROUND Sen. Maloney has stated he intends to amend his bill so it impacts homeschoolers only--not other private schools. There is no way to amend his bill to transform it into a good bill. Its objective is to push government control into your living room and kitchen, and that is unacceptable no matter how he may amend it. Prior to the hearing this morning, the entire auditorium filled up quickly for the 9:15 a.m. Home School Freedom Summit in the Howlett Building. After that, homeschoolers poured into the Statehouse. They filled the committee hearing room, then completely filled that entire floor of the Statehouse, even pushing up into the upper galleries. Security estimated the crowd at 4,000. While waiting for the hearing to start, the crowd beginning singing. Strains of "America the Beautiful," "God Bless America," "Amazing Grace," and "The Star-Spangled Banner" drifted into the committee room. No one present will ever forget the huge, orderly, but passionate crowd, the singing, and the sense that their presence made a powerful statement in defense of liberty. No Illinois senator or representative will forget that statement, either, I believe. Recognizing the crowd, staff agreed--for the first time in the history of the Illinois legislature--to leave the doors to the committee hearing room open during the hearing (if the crowd would stay quiet)! The hearing went longer than scheduled. Homeschool leaders testified powerfully against the bill. Sen. Maloney testified that officials "needed to know" who was homeschooling, though it was never entirely clear why. Some senators worried about homeschoolers "falling through the cracks." But if "falling through the cracks" means kids ending high school without a diploma, without being able to read, without being able to enter college without remedial classes, and with a juvenile justice record, then "falling through the cracks" is quite common in public schools. The sad truth is that the public schools do not have the solution to "falling through the cracks!" Why have the least effective system of education supervise the most effective system? The senators on the committee seem closely divided between "for" and "against" on SB 136. The change of a single vote could have dramatic consequences. The efforts of every single homeschool family in the state are urgently needed. Sincerely Yours, Scott A. Woodruff HSLDA Senior Counsel ====================================================================== Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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