An area senator has lent her support to a group home bill with history in the Illinois General Assembly over the past couple of years.
Senator Jil Tracy has given her support to House Bill 1843. It would ban local zoning boards and plans commission from creating restrictions for community integrated living arrangements.
Jacksonville has had a positive history with these homes in neighborhood settings.
Tracy says this bill is close to her heart.
She has a brother who lives in a group home, and Tracy says it has been a wonderful experience for him.
Tracy has been working with others on amendments to the bill that might give it a better chance of passage.
Tracy says the closing of such institutions of the Jacksonville Development Center and a court ruling have made the group homes a necessity.
She says the clients at CILAs need to feel a part of a neighborhood, and understand they can contribute to the community.
The bill has passed out of the House. Tracy is now working in the Senate to make the measure amenable to lawmakers.