New class session begins on Sunday, Jan. 3.  The schedule is the same as November/December with one new addition - Thursday Evening Hatha Flow from 6-7:00 pm.

Please use the booking website (link below) to book your class of choice. 
BOOK YOUR CLASS TODAY!  
https://www.momoyoga.com/heart-and-soul-yoga-with-sharon/register

SIUE just published their Online and Education Outreach Spring 2021 Catalog.
You can click here to access a PDF. https://hlcc.chamberofcommerce.me/highland/docs/2021_SIUE_OEO_Spring_Catalog.pdf

Know a dislocated worker? SIUE has partnered with Madison County Employment and Training Department and is seeking those interested in pursuing a career in the fields of Laboratory Technician, Food Science Technician and Chemical Technician. Click here for more information.

Members of the child care and early childhood workforce are invited to a Jan. 15 meeting to discuss and learn more about two important topics:
·      COVID vaccine distribution for the early childhood field, and
·      New funding included in last month’s federal-relief legislation to help support child care providers during COVID-19.

When: Friday, January 15, 2021
·      In English: 11:30 a.m. 
(register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4474273865380816142)
·      In Spanish: 1:15 p.m. 
(register at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7390246871963823118)


This announcement comes from IDHS, the Governor’s office and the Illinois Department of Public Health.  IDHS adds:  “The Town Hall will be delivered as a webcast hosted by our partners at INCCRRA and is intended for the entire early learning provider community. Due to the large number of people anticipated to join, we will not answer live questions during the webcast. However, participants will have the opportunity to submit questions during the webcast via the chat as well as submit questions prior to the webcast to help inform the presentation.

“Please submit your questions by Monday, January 11, 2021, to Katlyn.Halstead@illinois.gov.  All questions gathered before and during the webcast will be cataloged and made available in a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document also following the webcast. The PowerPoint slides and a recording of the presentation will be made available through multiple websites following the webcast.

“This webcast does not qualify for Continuing Education credits (CEUs). For more information, contact Sessy.Nyman@illinois.gov.”    

Upcoming Events 

• 1/12 MANAGING THE REMOTE WORKFORCE (Webinar) 
• 1/13 The COVID-19 Rebuttable Presumption for Workers Compensation (Webinar) 
• 1/21 Supervisory Training for New and Seasoned Supervisors (Effingham, IL) 
• 1/27 Looking Ahead: Need-to-Know COVID-19 Employment Issues for the New Year (Webinar)  
• 1/27 How to Play the Game: Opportunities and Pitfalls in a “Gamified” Workplace (Webinar) 
• 1/28 Drafting and Litigating Restrictive Employment Covenants (Webinar)

Small Business Update: More on PPP Loans and the Employee Retention Tax Credit

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) will re-open the week of January 11 for new borrowers and certain existing PPP borrowers. To promote access to capital, initially only community financial institutions will be able to make First Draw PPP Loans on Monday, January 11, and Second Draw PPP Loans on Wednesday, January 13. The PPP will open to all participating lenders shortly thereafter.

Watch the U.S. Chamber's Neil Bradley, and CO-'s Jeanette Mulvey discuss additional stimulus details, including more on the PPP and ERTC.

Very recently, the Illinois Black Caucus of the General Assembly introduced four bills with intention of passage during this lame duck session starting tomorrow and ending Wednesday. HB 163 deals with policing reforms. HB 2170 focuses on education reform. HB 5548(House Amendment 1) and HB 3840 (Senate Amendment 1) are identical healthcare and human services reform bills. Expect more from the Chamber about the healthcare bills in the near future. 

Today we want to take a deeper dive into the fourth bill, HB 5871 the Economic Equity Act. This bill is a massive governmental intrusion into business and an unnecessary drag on our economy. We will break down just a few of the problematic sections of this bill. This is a massive bill with a lot of information to digest and the following represents our first impressions. 

Concerns & Recommendations for Employment Law Provisions
Pages 1-6: Creates the Employee Background Fairness Act. This proposed new Act would impact employer hiring practices and policies regarding the hiring of individuals with criminal backgrounds. It also provides limited legal protections for employers upon hiring of workers with criminal backgrounds. 

While we are open to negotiating changes to the proposal, we strongly recommend that the "Job Opportunities for Qualified Applicants Act" (Ban the Box/(820 ILCS 75/1 et al)) is a better place to meet the objectives of the proposed new Act while allowing employers to more easily comply. We are able to provide a counterproposal amending the current law.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Humanitarian Award recognizes persons who demonstrate the humanitarian qualities and philosophy of nonviolent social change such as those expressed and demonstrated by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  SIUE Community members are invited to make nominations online in the categories below. Nominations will close January 18, 2021.

The awardees will receive recognition at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Awards Celebration to be held virtually on Friday, January 29, 2021.

MLK Humanitarian Award Online Nomination Form

Highland Moose Lodge would like to acknowledge employees of local businesses. Employers can nominate their employee by emailing their name along with a write up of why they were chosen to lodge2479@mooseunits.org by the 30^th of each month. The Lodge will choose one person each month from the write ups that were received. The person that the Lodge chooses will receive a $100 gift certificate from the Highland Chamber of Commerce. 

October Honoree

Vickie Jarrell - Tru Buy 

Vickie is always on time and does a lot more than she is expected to do. She is willing to work overtime. She is very friendly to everyone.

On January 8, 2021, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland began administering the second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The second dose of this vaccine is given 21 days after the first dose.  The first hospital colleague to receive the second vaccine dose was Amanda Ennen, emergency department director, who was also the first to receive the first dose on December 18, 2020.  
 
Dr. Robert Schaefer, HSHS Medical Group family medicine physician in Highland was the first physician to be vaccinated at HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland on December 18 and received his second dose on January 8 as well. All of the vaccines were administered smoothly and safely.
 
HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland Chief Medical Officer Dr. Vinjay Bhooma shared...