Legislative panel weighs in on children’s mental health, data centers and state vs. local control

A panel of Republican and Democratic state legislators came together Wednesday in Barrington to discuss a variety of topics, including the impact of social media and technology on children’s mental health and whether data centers should be under state or local control.

Two Republicans, state Rep. Martin McLaughlin and state Sen. Darby Hills, both of Barrington Hills, and two Democrats, state Reps. Nabeela Syed of Inverness and Anna Moeller of Elgin, fielded questions during the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce legislative breakfast, held at the Barrington Park District headquarters.

Barrington Area Unit District 220 Superintendent Craig Winkelman, one of the moderators, asked what role the state should play in helping school districts support children’s mental health.

He cited figures provided by Lurie Children’s Hospital that 49% of Illinois youth are experiencing worsening mental health.

Moeller, who represents the 43rd District, said a recently passed law requires parity in coverage for mental health. This, she said, is aimed at increasing the availability of counselors and community behavioral health workers.

She said legislators also are looking at Medicaid funding for children who don’t have access to private health insurance.

Syed, who represents the 51st District, said the state has taken action by passing a law mandating mental health screenings in schools, with parents able to opt out. She said the state is responsible for obtaining the screening tool and providing the funding.

“I think it’s worthwhile reexamining how early we are introducing technology in schools, how much screen time our children are receiving, and whether that is appropriate for those age groups,” she added.

McLaughlin, who represents the 52nd District, echoed Syed on the impact of technology but focused less on what the state can do and more on channeling children into activities that encourage social interaction and team building.

“You cannot spell team with ‘I,’ but you can certainly spell ‘iPhone,’ with an ‘I,’” he said.

Hills, who represents the 26th District, called the state’s ban on cellphones in schools a win for educators, children and parents.

“I recently held an internet safety seminar event here in Barrington, and the amount of things that are coming at our kids online is really scary,” she said.

Panelists also weighed in on data centers.

McLaughlin criticized the governor and the Democratic majority for passing hundreds of millions of dollars in incentives to attract data centers. He said he supports local communities retaining zoning and planning controls.

Although he agreed data centers are needed, he said, “That doesn't mean that we should stick data centers in Algonquin next to residents in Barrington Hills, which I oppose. That doesn't mean we should put data centers across the street from South Barrington residential units, which I oppose.”

Moeller said she does not support incentives for data centers and signed on to a letter calling on the governor to end those incentives.

But she also called for regulations on data centers, saying she co-sponsored the POWER Act, which would regulate water usage, require closed-loop cooling systems to avoid draining aquifers, and require data centers to fund any additional power generation they need from renewable sources.

“Right now, there is no state regulation over data centers,” she said. “It’s completely up to local governments on whether or not they want to allow them in their communities.”

Syed said she would favor impact fees for data centers, adding that in 2019, before she took office, support for incentives was bipartisan.

“We’ve seen the winds change on the issue because we’ve also seen the scale of data that is being collected and the proliferation of AI, and are recognizing rightfully so that this is a problem,” said Syed, who also signed the letter to the governor.

Hills touted a bill of hers that would give local communities control over data centers. She said the POWER Act raised concerns about local control. Hills’ bill, Senate Bill 1050, would prohibit a data center within three miles of residential areas.

“You’ll hear me say local control a lot, because I was a trustee for my village (Barrington Hills), and I believe that local control is paramount. We know in our districts, we know in our villages, in our communities what’s best for our communities.”

szalusky@dailyherald.com