Being a first responder is stressful, and constituents of State Rep. Fran Hurley (D-Chicago) (pictured) told her firsthand – their firefighter son killed himself.

“We had a conversation about the need to do more for our first responders,” she told a Springfield news conference Friday, “to listen to them, to train them, to counsel them, so suicide does not keep on happening and the mental health stresses and the PTSD don’t continue to affect our first responders.”

A new law makes peer counseling more available for these people and to shield them from repercussions at work for seeking out mental health treatment. 

Another one removes the requirement that you need a bachelor’s degree to join the state police. “The training they get when they come to the academy is what makes them special,” said acting Illinois State Police director Brendan Kelly. “Not necessarily a diploma that they may have received from some university.”

The governor also enacted a measure attempting to attack the backlog of rape kits.         

As a veteran educator but a first-time principal, Stephanie Gage of Prospect Heights’ Betsy Ross Elementary School saw little need for a mentoring program. Her attitude was, “you know what? I’ve been an educator for 24 years. Like, what do I need? I’ve got this! I’ve got this!”

Two weeks into the job, the attitude changed to “Ope – I need help!”

Her story provided support for the Illinois Principals Association’s request for more than $1 million for principal mentoring. Gage and the association’s lobbyist testified before a House education appropriations committee.