Groups gather in Springfield for lobby day at Illinois State Capitol

Several groups will rally in Springfield on Wednesday to urge Illinois state lawmakers to pass various pieces of legislation.

Several labor unions were on their way to the Illinois State Capitol to ask lawmakers to pass the Unemployment Equity Act.

It would let school support staff and paraprofessionals get unemployment insurance when school is not in session. Those workers currently go without pay for months every year during various school breaks.

"For us, school breaks are not a vacation, they are financial crisis," paraprofessional Lashawn Wallace said. "Access to unemployment insurance would be a lifeline to [paraprofessionals] and our families to pay rent, buy groceries, and see a doctor when school is not in session."

The group will rally at noon.

Hundreds of students and advocates also will rally at the capitol for after-school support.

They will call on lawmakers to restore funding for those programs and support the "Out-Of-School Time For All" campaign, which calls for all students to have access to everything from tutoring to STEM activities and other enrichment opportunities, regardless of their zip code.

They will rally at 11:30 a.m.

There's also a rally for worker safety, paid leave, and other resources for working families.

Low-wage workers, labor unions, and community leaders will rally at noon.

They point to two bills they want passed.

One would require Illinois to adopt heat and cold safety standards for both indoor and outdoor workers.

Another would establish a statewide paid family and medical leave insurance program.