MARION - Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, is working with other legislators to create a special commission in the Illinois Senate on poverty elimination.

The measure follows a report issued by Heartland Alliance's Mid-America Institute that indicates an increase in the number of people living in poverty throughout the state. According to the report, 12.3 percent of Illinois residents are below the poverty line, one third of those being children. Hamilton and Williamson Counties have a poverty rate of 10 to 14.9 percent and Franklin County has 15 percent.

"With the economy in the tank and thousands of families working as hard as they can just to barely make ends meet, we must have a more comprehensive plan to defeat poverty in Southern Illinois and work together to give our children a brighter future," Bradley said in a press release.