New Simmons law to create Commission on Children of Incarcerated Parents

CHICAGO – To better advocate for the interests of children with incarcerated parents in Illinois, State Senator Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) is leading a measure to create the Commission on Children of Incarcerated Parents.

“Today in Illinois, nearly 200,000 children – or one in every 20 – have had a parent in jail or prison. We need to improve the system so that the bond between a parent and their child is honored and strengthened despite the incarceration.”

The Commission, housed within the Department of Human Services, will be tasked with implementing and coordinating the recommendations of the Task Force on Children of Incarcerated Parents within state agencies. The task force, created in 2020 will propose the changes, and the Commission will work with agencies on how to properly implement the changes.

Children whose parents are incarcerated can experience multiple negative effects such as greater mental health symptoms, difficulty with school, housing instability, and overall trauma.

“I am so glad we passed this legislation and look forward to working with House sponsor Rep. Delia Ramirez, Cabrini Green Legal Aid, and the other advocates and stakeholders who worked hard on this effort to implement the commission, said Simmons. We will see this work through so children of incarcerated parents can maintain the most important relationship they have and have their overall needs met across the entire system.”

House Bill 5525 was signed into law on Friday and takes effect on January 1st, 2023.

 

New Simmons law to strengthen lead mitigation procedures

CHICAGO - To protect communities across Illinois from the deadly impact of lead, State Senator Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) passed a law signed on Friday to strengthen lead mitigation procedures.

“Almost every community across the state is affected by lead in the water supply,” said Simmons. “This law provides an effective and expeditious solution to a decades-long problem that systemically affects low-income communities and communities of color.”

House Bill 4369 will require the Illinois Department of Public Health to follow up on lead mitigation notices by carrying out inspections to ensure the work has been completed. The past law merely permitted an inspection, while this measure will require and enforce lead mitigation efforts.

Lead is a heavy metal and suspected carcinogen that was frequently used in paint, plumbing materials, and many other items before the 1980s. Today, it is mostly found in aging water pipes, contaminated soil, and peeling paint on windows, baseboards, trim, and doors. No amount of lead exposure is considered safe for children or adults.

“Removing lead from all homes and facilities is long overdue and is a critical step toward prioritizing the overall health and safety of people across the state,” Simmons said.

House Bill 4369 was signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker on Friday and takes effect on January 1st, 2023.

Simmons issues message to non English-speaking seniors of the 7th district

ACTUALIZACIONES PARA PERSONAS MAYORES: El Senador Mike
Simmons

El Consejo Asesor de Personas Mayores patrocinado por el Senador
Simmons amplificará las voces de las personas mayores sobre temas de
calidad de vida.

Nuestra oficina se reúne regularmente con personas mayores para dar a
conocer nuestro trabajo legislativo. En esas discusiones, las personas
mayores han hablado sobre problemas sistémicos que afectan sus vidas.
En respuesta, presenté el Proyecto de Ley del Senado 702 que creará un
consejo asesor de residentes mayores en todo el estado que evaluará el
alcance estatal a las personas mayores, el impacto de COVID-19 en los
arreglos de vivienda de las personas mayores y otros problemas de
calidad de vida. Este consejo creará un espacio para que las personas
mayores de todo Illinois se conecten entre sí y con el personal del
departamento a nivel estatal para compartir ideas y recomendaciones
formales sobre cómo el estado puede mejorar la calidad de vida de las
personas mayores.
Un nuevo consejo sobre el envejecimiento LGBTQ empoderará a los
residentes
Soy el principal copatrocinador del proyecto de ley del Senado 3490,
que crea la Comisión de Illinois sobre el envejecimiento LGBTQ para
evaluar las necesidades del hogar y la comunidad de las personas
mayores LGBTQ y sus cuidadores en relación con su salud, vivienda,
salud mental, seguridad económica, vida asistida. y las necesidades
de atención a largo plazo. La comisión hará recomendaciones para
mejorar los servicios y apoyos para adultos mayores LGBTQ y sus
cuidadores.

Las expansiones de atención médica ampliarán el acceso a los
servicios de salud preventiva
Soy uno de los principales copatrocinadores del proyecto de ley del
Senado 2969, que requerirá que los planes de atención médica
brinden cobertura para monitores continuos de glucosa para cualquier
persona diagnosticada con diabetes tipo 1 o tipo 2 y que requiera
insulina para el control de su diabetes. A nadie que padezca diabetes
se le debe negar el acceso al tratamiento.

También estoy luchando para ampliar la elegibilidad de ingresos para
la cobertura de Medicaid para personas de bajos ingresos pero que
actualmente no tienen una cobertura de salud confiable y constante.

 

长者事宜的重要更新

由参议员西蒙斯赞助的长者咨询委员会将扩大长者在生活质
量问题上的呼声

我们的办公室定期与长者会面，以塑造我们的立法工作。在
这些讨论中，长者谈到了影响他们生活的系统性问题。作为
回应，我提议了参议院 702 号法案，该法案将创建一个全
州资深长者居民咨询委员会，该委员会将评估伊州对长者的
外展活动、COVID-19 对长者生活安排的影响以及其他生活
质量问题。该委员会将为来自伊利诺伊州各地的长者创造一
个空间，让他们相互联系，并为州级部门的工作人员分享有
关州如何改善长者生活质量的想法和正式建议。

一个新的 LGBTQ (女同性戀、男同性戀、雙性戀、跨性別
和酷兒或質疑) 老龄化委员会将赋予居民权力

我是参议院第 3490 号法案的首席共同发起人，该法案创建
了伊利诺伊州 LGBTQ 老龄化委员会，以评估 LGBTQ 长者
及其家人在健康、住房、心理健康、经济安全、辅助生活方
面的家庭和社区需求和长期护理需求。该委员会将提出建议
，以改善对 LGBTQ 长者及其照顾者的服务和支持。

医疗保健扩张将扩大到预防性健康服务的领域

我是第 2969 号参议院法案的首席共同发起人，该法案将要
求医疗保健计划为任何被诊断患有 1 型或 2 型糖尿病并需
要胰岛素来管理糖尿病的人提供持续血糖监测仪的覆盖范围
。任何患有糖尿病的人都不应被拒绝接受治疗。

我还在努力为低收入但目前没有任何可靠的健康保险的人扩
大医疗补助保险的收入资格。

亲爱的邻居们，

作为您的州参议员，我努力提高我们多元化地区居民的需求
，为我们所有人争取响应迅速且可获取的资源。我非常高兴
能够特别照顾我所代表的人，尤其是我们的长者，他们建立
了我们今天生活的美丽社区。我想与您分享我工作的一些最
新情况。

我在这里是为了你们。当您或您所爱的人需要帮助时，请访
问我位于 5533 N. Broadway 的办公室或致电 773-769-
1717。也请随时给我写信。您的造访对我来说非常重要，
因此请随时与我们联系。我和我的员工喜欢与居民一起工作
，并确保他们感到被倾听、被理解，并且喜欢他们的问题已
得到解决。

在接下来的几个月里，请保护您的身心健康，善待自己。

最良好的祝愿，

州参议员
迈克·西蒙斯

 

MỘT SỐ CẬP NHẬT QUAN TRỌNG CHO NGƯỜI CAO NIÊN
Hội Đồng Cố Vấn Cao Niên được bảo trợ bởi TNS Simmons sẽ nâng cao tiếng nói của
người cao tuổi về các vấn đề chất lượng cuộc sống
Văn phòng của chúng tôi gặp gỡ thường xuyên với quý vị cao niên để định hình công việc lập
pháp mà chúng tôi phụ trách. Trong những cuộc thảo luận đó, quý vị cao niên đã nói về những
vấn đề mang tính hệ thống ảnh hưởng đến cuộc sống của họ. Để đáp lại, tôi đã giới thiệu Dự
luật Thượng Viện 702, thành lập một Hội Đồng Cố Vấn Cao Niên trên toàn tiểu bang để đánh
giá khả năng tiếp cận của tiểu bang với người cao tuổi, tác động của COVID-19 đối với việc
sắp xếp cuộc sống của người cao tuổi và các vấn đề về chất lượng cuộc sống khác. Hội đồng
này sẽ tạo ra một không gian để quý vị cao niên từ khắp Illinois kết nối với nhau và với các
nhân viên cấp tiểu bang để chia sẻ ý tưởng và các khuyến nghị chính thức về cách mà tiểu
bang có thể cải thiện chất lượng cuộc sống cho họ.

Một Hội Đồng Mới về Người Cao Niên Thuộc Cộng Đồng LGBTQ sẽ trao quyền cho
người dân
Tôi là người Đồng bảo trợ chính cho Dự luật Thượng viện 3490, thành lập Ủy Ban Người Cao
Niên LGBTQ Illinois để đánh giá nhu cầu về gia đình và cộng đồng của những người cao niên
này và những người chăm sóc họ liên quan đến sức khỏe, nhà ở, sức khỏe tâm thần, an ninh
kinh tế, hỗ trợ cuộc sống, và nhu cầu chăm sóc lâu dài. Ủy ban này sẽ đưa ra các khuyến nghị
để cải thiện các dịch vụ và hỗ trợ cho người lớn tuổi LGBTQ và những người chăm sóc họ.

Mở Rộng Chăm Sóc Sức Khỏe Sẽ Mở Rộng Khả Năng Tiếp Cận Với Các Dịch Vụ Y Tế Dự
Phòng
Tôi là người Đồng bảo trợ chính cho Dự luật Thượng viện 2969, yêu cầu các công ty cung cấp
y tế cung cấp các thiệt bị theo dõi đường huyết liên tục cho bất kỳ cá nhân nào được chẩn đoán
mắc bệnh tiểu đường loại 1 hoặc loại 2 và yêu cầu insulin để kiểm soát tình trạng bệnh tiểu
đường của họ. Không ai mắc bệnh tiểu đường mà nên bị từ chối tiếp cận điều trị.
Tôi cũng đang đấu tranh để mở rộng điều kiện về thu nhập cho bảo hiểm Medicaid cho những
người có thu nhập thấp nhưng hiện không có bất kỳ bảo hiểm y tế thường xuyên hay đáng tin
cậy nào.

 

Ang Senior Advisory Counsil na Inisponsoran ni Sen. Simmons ang magbibigay ng boses sa mga nakakatanda ukol sa mga mabibigat na isyu sa buhay.

Malimit na nakikipag-ugnayan ang aming opisina sa mga nakakatandang mamamayan para pag-usapan ang iba't ibang isyung nakakaapekto sa kanilang buhay. Bilang tugon ay ipinanukala ko ang Panukalang Batas Bilang 702 na naglalayong bumuo ng pambansang konseho na tagapagtaguyod ng kapakanan ng mga matatanda na susuri sa pagbibigay-tulong ng estado sa mga nakakatangdang mamamayan, epekto ng Covid-19 sa kanilang pamumuhay, at iba pang mabibigat na isyu ng kanilang buhay. Ang konsehong ito ang magbibigay ng pagkakataon sa matatandang mamamayan sa buong Illinois para makipag-ugnayan sa iba't ibang kagawaran ng estado upang makapagbahagi ng ideya at rekomendasyon kung paano mapapabuti ang pamumuhay ng mga matatanda.

Bagong Konseho sa mga nagkakaedad na LGBTQ ang magbibigay kapangyarihan sa mga mamamayan

Ako ang pangunahing katuwang na isponsor ng panukalang batas 3490 na naglalayong bumuo ng komisyon sa mga matatandang miyembro ng LGBTQ ng Illinois na susuri sa pangunahing pangangailangan ng mga matatandang LGBTQ at ng kanilang tagapangalaga ukol sa kalusugang pangkaisipan, ekonomikong seguridad at pangmatagalang tugon sa kanilang pangangailangan. Magbibigay ang komisyong ito ng mga rekomendasyon para mapabuti ang serbisyo at suporta sa mga LGBTQ at sa kanilang mga tagapangalaga.

Pagpapalawig ng tulong-medikal ang magpapalawak sa serbisyong medikal

Ako ang pangunahing katuwang ng isponsor ng panukalang batas 2969 na naglalayong bigyan ng pangmatagalang pagmonitor sa glucose para sa mga pasyenteng may type 1 at 2 diabetes na binibigyan ng insulin para sa kanilang karamdaman. Gayondin, walang sinomang may sakit na diabetes ang hindi mabigyan ng angkop na gamutan. 

Isinusulong ko rin ang pagpapalawig ng mga mabibigyan ng Medicard para sa mga mahihirap na walang tulong medikal na natatanggap.

State Senator Mike Simmons

تحدیثات رئیسیة لكبار السن
سیقوم المجلس الاستشاري لكبار السن برعایة السناتور سیمونز بإعلاء أصوات كبار السن في قضایا جودة الحیاة
یلتقي مكتبنا بانتظام مع كبار السن لتشكیل عملنا التشریعي. یتحدث كبار السن في تلك المناقشات عن قضایا منھجیة تؤثر على حیاتھم.
واستجابة لذلك، قدمت مشروع القانون 702 إلى مجلس الشیوخ، الذي سیعمل على إنشاء مجلس استشاري لكبار السن المقیمین على مستوى
ّ (19-COVID (على ترتیبات المعیشة لكبار السن، وغیرھا ِم توعیة الولایة لكبار السن، وتأثیر مرض جائحة كورونا

الولایة، والذي سیقی
من قضایا جودة الحیاة. سیخلق ھذا المجلس مساحة لكبار السن من جمیع أنحاء إلینوي للتواصل مع بعضھم البعض ومع موظفي الإدارة
على مستوى الولایة لمشاركة الأفكار والتوصیات الرسمیة حول كیفیة قیام الولایة بتحسین نوعیة الحیاة لكبار السن المقیمین.

مجلس جدید للمسنین من مجتمع المیم (LGBTQ (سیعمل على تمكین السكان
أنا الجھة الراعیة الرئیسیة لمشروع قانون 3490 المقدم إلى مجلس الشیوخ، والذي أنشأ لجنة إلینوي لمجتمع المیم (LGBTQ (من
المسنین لتقییم الاحتیاجات المنزلیة والمجتمعیة لكبار السن من مجتمع المیم (LGBTQ (ومقدمي الرعایة لھم فیما یتعلق باحتیاجاتھم
الصحیة والإسكان والصحة العقلیة والأمن الاقتصادي والمعیشة المدعومة والرعایة طویلة الأجل. ستقدم اللجنة توصیات لتحسین الخدمات
والدعم لكبار السن من مجتمع المیم (LGBTQ (ومقدمي الرعایة لھم.

عملیات التوسع في الرعایة الصحیة ستعمل على توسیع الوصول إلى خدمات الصحة الوقائیة
أنا جھة راعیة رئیسیة لمشروع قانون 2969 المقدم إلى مجلس الشیوخ، والذي سیتطلب خطط رعایة صحیة لتوفیر تغطیة لأجھزة مراقبة
الجلوكوز المستمرة لأي شخص مصاب بداء السكري من النوع 1 أو النوع 2 ویحتاج إلى الأنسولین لإدارة مرض السكري. یجب ألا
ُحرم أي شخص یعاني من مرض السكري من الحصول على العلاج.
ی

ًا أي تغطیة
ً أنا أكافح أیضا لتوسیع أھلیة الدخل للحصول على تغطیة Medicaid للأشخاص ذوي الدخل المنخفض الذین لا یوجد لدیھم حالی
صحیة موثوقة ومتسقة.

الجار العزیز،
بصفتي عضو مجلس الشیوخ عن الولایة، أسعى جاھ ًدا لرفع احتیاجات سكان منطقتنا المتنوعة والكفاح من أجل الحصول على موارد
ًا الوصول إلیھا. أشعر بسعادة كبیرة عند الاھتمام بشكل خاص بالأشخاص الذین أمثلھم، وخاصة كبار السن

سریعة الاستجابة ویمكننا جمیع
لدینا، الذین بنوا المجتمعات الجمیلة التي نعیش فیھا الیوم. أردت أن أشارككم بعض التحدیثات حول عملي.
أنا ھنا من أجلكم. یرجى زیارة مكتبي الكائن في 5533 Broadway. N أو الاتصال بالرقم 1717-769-773 عندما تحتاج أنت أو
أحد أفراد أسرتك إلى المساعدة. لا تتردد في مراسلتي أیضا. ً إمكانیة الوصول مھمة جدا بالنسبة لي، لذلك لا تتردد في الاتصال بنا في أي
وقت. ّ أستمتع أنا وفریق الموظفین لدي ً بالعمل مع السكان والتأكد من أنھم یشعرون بان ھناك من یسمعھم ویفھمھم ویبدي اھتماما بمعالجة
قضایاھم.
یرجى الحفاظ على صحتك الجسدیة والعقلیة في الأشھر القادمة وارحم نفسك.

مع فائق التمنیات،
عضو مجلس شیوخ الولایة
مایك سیمونز

 

ለአዛውንቶች ቁልፍ ማሻሻዎች
የአዛውንቶች አማካሪ ምክር ቤት በሴኔተር ሲሞንስ ስፖንሰር የተደረገ በህይወት ጉዳዮች ጥራት ላይ
ከፍተኛ ድምፆችን ያሻሽላሉ
የሕግ አውጭ ሥራችንን ለመቅረጽ ጽ / ቤታችን ከአዛውንቶች ጋር በመደበኛነት ይገናኛል። በእነዚያ ውይይቶች፣
አዛውንቶች በሕይወታቸው ላይ ተጽዕኖ ስለሚያሳድሩ ስልታዊ ጉዳዮች ተነጋግረዋል። በምላሹም ፣ ለአዛውንቶች
የስቴት ተደራሽነት የሚገመግመው ፣ COVID-19 ከፍተኛ የኑሮ ዝግጅቶች ላይ የሚያሳድረውን ተፅእኖ
የሚገመግመው ሰፊ ከፍተኛ ነዋሪ የምክር ቤት ምክር ቤት የሚፈጥር ሴኔት ቢል 702 ን ፣ እና ሌሎች የህይወት
ጥራት ጉዳዮችን አስተዋውቄያለሁ። ይክ ምክር ቤት በኢሌኖይስ ሙሉ ላሉት አዛውንቶች ጋር እርስ በእርስ ለመገናኛ
እና ሀሳብ ማካፈያ ቦታ እንዲኖራቸው የሚያስችል ቦታ ይፈጥራል እና ስቴቱ የአዛውንትን የኑሮ ይዘት ማሻሻል
ይችላል።

በኤል.ጂ.ቢ.ቲ.ኪው. ላይ አዲስ ምክር ቤት ነዋሪዎችን ያበረታታል
እኔ የምክር ቤትቢል 3490 ዋና አማካሪ ነኝ ፣ይህም የኢልለኖይስ ኮሚሽንን ፈጥሮለLGBTQ አዛውንት እና
ተጠሪዎቻቸው የቤት እና ቁሳቁስ፣ የአዕምሮ ጤና፣ ኢኮኖሚያዊ ደህንነት፣የተደገፈ ህይወት መሰረታዊ ፍላጎታቸውን
ይገመግማል። ኮሚሽኑ ለ LGBTQ አዛውንቶች እና ተንከባካቢዎቻቸው አገልግሎቶችን እና ድጋፎችን ለማሻሻል
ምክሮችን ይሰጣል።

የጤና እንክብካቤ ወጪዎች የመከላከያ የጤና አገልግሎቶችን ተደራሽነት ያስፋፋሉ
እኔ የምክር ቤት ቢል 2969 ዋና ተባባሪ ነኝ, ይህ ዓይነት1 ወይም ዓይነት 2 የስኳር በሽታ ላለባቸው ማንኛውም
ሰው ቀጣይነት ያለው የግሉኮስ መቆጣጠሪያዎችን ሽፋን ለመስጠት የጤና ዕቅዶችን ይጠይቃል እንዲሁም ለስኳር
በሽታ አያያዝ የኢንሱሊን ይጠይቃል። በስኳር በሽታ የሚሠቃይ ማንም ሰው ወደ ህክምና እንዳይደርስ መከልከል
የለበትም።
እኔ እንዲሁም ዝቅተኛ ገቢ ላላቸው ግን በአሁኑ ጊዜ አስተማማኝእና ወጥ የሆነ የጤና ሽፋን ለሌላቸው ሰዎች የገቢ
ብቁነት ለማስፋፋት እየታገልኩ ነው ።

ውድ ጎረቤት፤
እንደ የክልል ሴናተር እንደመሆኔ መጠን የተለያዩ አውራጃዎቻችንን ነዋሪዎችን ፍላጎት ከፍ ለማድረግ እና
ለሁላችንም ምላሽ ሰጭ እና ተደራሽ ሀብቶችን ለመዋጋት ጥረት አደርጋለሁ። እኔ የምወክላቸውን ሰዎች በተለይም
ዛሬ የምንኖርባቸውን ውብ ማህበረሰቦች የገነቡትን አዛውንቶቻችንን ልዩ እንክብካቤ በማድረጌ በጣም ደስ
ብሎኛል። በስራዬ ላይ አንዳንድ ዝመናዎችን ለእርስዎ ለማካፈል ፈልጌ ነበር።

እኔ ለእናንተ እዚህ ነኝ። እባክዎን በ 5533 N. Broadway የሚገኘውን ቢሮዬን ይጎብኙ እርስዎ ወይም የሚወዱት
ሰው እርዳታ በሚፈልጉበት ጊዜ በ 773-769-1717 ይደውሉ። ደብዳቤም ለመጻፍ ነፃነት ይሰማዎ። ተደራሽነት ለእኔ
በጣም አስፈላጊ ነው ፣ ስለሆነም በማንኛውም ጊዜ እኛን ለማነጋገር ነፃነት ይሰማዎ። እኔና ሰራተኞቼ ከነዋሪዎች ጋር
በመስራት እና እንደነሱ እንደተሰማን ፣ እንደተረዳነው እና እንደ ጉዳዮቻቸው እንደተፈታ ማረጋገጥ ያስደስተናል።
እባክዎን በሚቀጥሉት ወሮች አካላዊ እና አእምሯዊ ጤንነትዎን ይጠብቁ እና ለራስዎ ደግ ይሁኑ።

ከመልካም ምኞት ጋር፤
የስቴቱ ሴናተር
ማይክ ሲሞንስ

Sen. Simmons Passes 10 Bills, Tax Relief for Working Households

Dear Neighbor,

We’ve wrapped up the spring legislative session! We passed a historic budget that includes a provision to expand the earned income tax credit, which I personally fought hard for. Alongside the budget, I was able to secure the passage of 10 pieces of legislation covering a range of issue areas including youth mental health. I also helped drive the passage of several bills as a chief cosponsor including groundbreaking gun safety legislation and a Medicaid expansion. The Senate finished its final session going late into the night and adjourning at 3 am! 

 

Here are some highlights from the budget:

$1.83 Billion in Tax Relief for Working Families

• Permanently expands the earned-income tax credit for those currently eligible– putting an additional $105 million per year back into the pockets of low-income households
• Expands eligibility for the earned-income tax credit to adults 18-24 years old, ITIN filers, and seniors 65 and older
• Provides direct checks to working families: $50 per individual and $100 per child, up to three children per family
• Helps teachers buy supplies for their classroom through a tax credit up to $500
• Back to school tax relief on school clothes and materials for families and teachers – saving consumers $50 million
• Suspends the tax on groceries for one year – saving consumers $400 million
• Freezes the motor fuel tax for six months – saving consumers $70 million
• Doubles the property tax rebate – up to $300 per household

We also secured a wage increase for 60,000 of our homecare workers who often care for seniors and help ensure seniors can remain living in their communities. My bill, SB4030, originally called for a $1.56 increase and was partially included in the final budget providing these workers a 70 cent an hour pay increase. We will continue to fight for pay equity for our frontline workers who do the hardest jobs and are absolutely indispensable and deserve a dignified wage. 

Supporting Arts, Theater and Music Venues, Restaurants, Breweries, and Small Businesses – All Key Wins for Our District

The budget also includes $50 million for new grants for arts organizations, music and theater venues, and an additional $50 million for restaurants, bars, and breweries. License fees for bars and restaurants are also being suspended. 

And it supports small businesses by providing $16 million for community navigators for technical assistance, and funding increases for the creation of low-interest loans for small businesses looking to grow or expand and that need access to capital. 

And the budget allocates $20 million for grants to attract and retain businesses in Illinois – encouraging people to start businesses here in Illinois and, in turn, create jobs – and another $350,000 for job training and employee development. It also includes $50 million for the Employer Training Investment Program -- $5 million of which will be used for the Office of Minority Economic Empowerment’s small business support efforts.

 

Paying Down Debt and Fulfilling Pension Promises

The budget meets the state’s full pension commitment while adding $200 million to pay down debt, bringing the total pension payment over what is required to $500 million dollars and saving taxpayers more than $1.8 billion. To save for an unforeseen crisis and protect the budget from future expenses, the Rainy Day Fund is appropriated $1 billion.

 

Investing in Education

The FY 23 budget invests in our children’s future by appropriating nearly $600 million in early childhood education and keeps our commitment to fully funding K-12 schools by dedicating an additional $350 million to fund the evidence-based funding formula.

College applicants would also see an additional $122 million for the needs-based MAP grant program – a total of $601 million in assistance would be available. This investment will make financial aid available to at least 24,000 more students and increase the maximum grant award to $8,508 – which is nearly half a year’s worth of tuition at a state university.

Prioritizing Mental Health

The budget puts $5 million in funding for Crisis Response services for individuals who are experiencing a mental health crisis and call into the 9-8-8 hotline. Additionally, it calls for an increase of $50 million for addiction treatment services.

 

Legislative Updates

I am proud to share that I have ten bills heading to the governor’s desk for signing. The bills are: 

• HB 4369 : Mandates lead inspections during lead abatement activities, adding enforcement teeth so we can reverse a decades old public health issue 
• SB 4028 : Requires all Illinois K-12 schools to instruct on how and where K-12 youth can access mental health resources; sets up a diverse statewide Student Metal Health Council inclusive of queer youth voices and youth voices from across the diaspora. The council will recommend systemic changes to the mental health system for state legislators to act on.  
• HB 4430: Groundbreaking legislation that will give those at risk of or recently exposed to HIV the option to access PreP and PEP medications at a local pharmacy. This is a big step in ending the HIV epidemic, ensuring those lacking health insurance or who don’t feel safe in medical settings to access life-saving medications. 
• SB 702: Creates a statewide Senior Residents’ Council which will review the impact of COVID-19 on senior housing, living arrangements, and overall livability. The council will recommend formal policy and program changes ranging from improving outreach to seniors to addressing food insecurity. 
• SB 3865: Removes the word “alien” from all Illinois state statutes, programs, etc., in reference to noncitizens and undocumented immigrants. We are a sanctuary state and a district of immigrants. The word alien has got to go. 
• SB3136: Helps those who are houseless or housing insecure access health care by automatically re-enrolling them in Medicaid annually if they have no income, and ensuring at least 12 months of continuous coverage for those whose income fluctuates (especially helpful for our neighbors in between gigs or who have multiple sources of very small income). They deserve consistent and reliable health care! This bill was included in the Medicaid omnibus HB4343. 
• HB 4589: Creates a Division of Men’s Health within the Illinois Department of Public Health, which will focus on preventing chronic diseases that reduce life expectancy for men. This agency will work alongside the existing Division of Women’s Health and Family Services. 
• HB 5016: Provides remote learning for incarcerated young adults in custody. This will help give these folks the chance to complete a degree and better position themselves to re-enter their communities and secure work. 
• HB 5201: Establishes an Agricultural Equity Commission which will identify ways to bring equity to the agricultural sector across Illinois and may look at issues such as land ownership for black farmers, economic opportunities for growers, and even health, food safety, and pay equity for black and brown agricultural workers. The commission will include socially disadvantaged farmers, business, and policy experts to begin to rectify historical injustices in this space. 
• HB 5525: Creates the Commission on Children of Incarcerated Parents within the Department of Human Services to begin implementing recommendations from a two year working group co-led by Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton that identified scores of policies and program improvements to better serve children whose parents are incarcerated, including ensuring they can maintain a healthy relationship with their parents. 

I also am proud to have helped secure passage of HB4383, groundbreaking legislation that outlaws untraceable “ghost guns” in Illinois. These are guns that are often assembled from parts purchased online and when the guns are recovered, they lack serial numbers. There were 455 ghost guns recovered in Chicago in 2021 alone. We absolutely need to get them out of our communities and this was a key step in driving down gun violence.

 

Sen. Simmons’ Community Event

Join us Saturday, April 30th for our Northside Resource Day Event at Swift Elementary. The Secretary of State's Office is joining us from 10:00am - 2:00pm and will be offering a variety of services for State IDs and Driver's Licenses (no Real ID services will be offered).

You can find more information about fees and required documentation you will need to provide at here.

 

7th District Candid Photo!

7th District Candid! Bowmanville garden is a charm every time and sits next to Rosehill Cemetery, itself a wonder.

 

Sen. Simmons’ Community Resources 

 

Illinois has received approval from the U.S. Department of the Treasury on its Illinois Homeowner Assistance Fund (ILHAF) program to provide assistance to Illinois homeowners who have struggled to pay their mortgage due to COVID-19. The state is now accepting applications from homeowners for grants of up to $30,000 to eliminate or reduce past-due mortgage and property tax payments. Apply here 

Cook County is seeking to award $65 million in grants for programs designed to prevent and reduce gun violence in Chicago and Cook County. These gun violence prevention grants hope to fund a variety of violence prevention strategies including mental health and employment services, street outreach and case management as well as other programs which support residents at-risk of being involved in community violence. These grants are part of nearly $1 billion of federal funding the county received from the American Rescue Plan Act. Applications for proposals under $1.5 million are due by May 9. For more information visit here.

The Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program seeks to increase diversity in the building trades by expanding pre-apprenticeship skills training in underserved communities. Those interested in enrolling in training should fill out the interest form here.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact me or my staff if you have questions or would like to voice your opinion about legislative or budget issues. I would like to reiterate that our office is here to help. We are a non-judgment, welcoming place where 7th district residents are encouraged to contact us to request constituent services.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office at 773-769-1717 if we can help you with anything.

Sincerely,

Mike Simmons

State Senator | 7th District