SPRINGFIELD - Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon will discuss pending state and federal legislation that could improve education equity and local food access in rural Illinois Thursday at a meeting of the Governor's Rural Affairs Council (GRAC).
State Sen. Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) will also discuss progress of the Education Funding Advisory Committee, which is examining the state's current education funding system and propose a system that provides adequate, equitable, transparent, and accountable distribution of funds to school districts that will prepare students for achievement and success after high school. Simon, who serves as the state's point person on education reform, testified before the committee this week regarding inequities that often hamper rural school districts in Illinois.
A representative of Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), a member of the 2013 Farm Bill Conference Committee, will provide a status report regarding negotiations of the federal farm bill, which includes funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Simon has signed on to two letters to Congress in recent months asking that SNAP and farmers market incentives be protected from devastating cuts.
DATE: Thursday, Jan. 16
TIME: 10 a.m.
LOCATION: Stratton Office Building, Room 413, Springfield
NOTE: Media availability following meeting.
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