Simmons Recognizes and Celebrates Transgender Awareness Week

This week is #TransgenderAwarenessWeek, an occasion to raise the visibility of transgender people and address issues members of the community face. As the first openly gay state senator in Illinois, this topic is deeply personal to me and I stand in solidarity with our trans siblings in fighting for justice, peace, and empowerment.

Simmons holds People's Legislative Council on gun violence with survivors of gun violence

CHICAGO – In an effort to proactively connect with 7^th District individuals affected by gun violence and shape future legislation, State Senator Mike Simmons held a People’s Legislative Council on gun violence on Wednesday. 

“The purpose of People’s Legislative Councils is to connect with and listen to constituents who have a direct stake in policy decisions, and bring their voice into the legislative process,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “We convened 7^th District residents who are survivors of gun violence or have lost loved ones to gun violence, and we will lift up their experiences as we advocate for sensible gun laws

Simmons has and will continue to be aggressive on pursuing gun control legislation, and strongly supports a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines at the state and federal level. He is a cosponsor of Senate Bill 2510, which would ban assault weapons in Illinois, and was chief cosponsor of House Bill 4383, a bill signed into law in April that requires all guns to be serialized. Simmons is also passionate about the need for federal legislation to crack down on illegal gun trafficking into Illinois.

Past People’s Legislative Councils have been held with several different constituent groups including: single mothers, long-term residents, senior citizens, and high school students. Upcoming People’s Legislative Councils will address rights and resources for people living with disabilities, incarcerated individuals, people who are inadequately served by the health care system, and individuals experiencing homelessness. These legislative councils have directly led to the creation of bills, including one recently signed into law which requires K-12 schools to instruct on how and where to find access to mental health. This legislation, Senate Bill 4028, also creates the Student Mental Health Council, a diverse council of young adults tasked with identifying barriers to youth feeling supported and empowered by the existing mental health system.  

“Action is needed at all levels of government to contain the gun violence epidemic and I am a strong supporter of passing sensible gun laws,” Simmons said.  “I plan to build on my track record of fighting for and advancing sensible gun legislation while centering the advocacy of my constituents here in the 7^th district.” 

If residents have questions about the event or would like information about the next People’s Legislative Council meeting, Simmons urges them to contact his office at 773-769-1717.

Bike and Pedestrian Safety, Youth Mental Health Bill, & More

Dear Neighbor,

Greetings 7th District residents! I wanted to give you some quick updates. The last couple weeks have been a busy mix of community and legislative meetings.

First, I’m happy that my youth mental health bill Senate Bill 4028, which was signed into law, is well on the road to implementation. I met with staff from the State Board of Education and the Student Mental Health Partnership housed at Lurie’s Children’s Hospital to ensure the goals around the new advisory council mandated by my legislation are being met. The student mental health council will be made up of youth from across Illinois who have direct lived experiences with mental health. The council will include queer youth, youth of color, and leaders from diverse backgrounds working in mental health. As a recap, this bill idea came directly from young high-school aged people in our district who are participating in my people’s legislative councils, where constituents help shape public policy and legislation that I introduce and pass. I am so proud of the progress we are making together.

I also met with staff from the Illinois Department of Transportation to push for safety improvements to roadways within our district that are under state jurisdiction, including Peterson Avenue. I am pushing the department to review crash and traffic fatality data along these roads with the goal of focusing on the most dangerous points and intersections that the department then can improve for cyclists, pedestrians, and those who are disabled. We will be meeting again before the end of the month to review IDOT’s findings. I also requested and set up a meeting with Active Transportation Alliance, an advocacy coalition working to make biking, walking, and public transit safer and more equitable. We brainstormed potential ideas for the upcoming legislative session, and will meet again before we reconvene the spring session to discuss potential bill ideas to make our state much safer and accessible for those on bike, foot, and public transit.

I also participated in a panel with other state legislators where we discussed how grassroots ideas become policy ideas that become bills that pass the legislature. I enjoyed sharing concrete examples where grassroots organizations have coalesced around ideas in the areas of health care and housing insecurity to get laws passed. The panel was organized by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus Foundation.

My staff and I also went over to Swedish Covenant Hospital to visit the Welcoming Center, which is run by Lutheran Social Services of Illinois and seeks to increase access to mental health and substance abuse treatment for community members, which is a major need for the region and a high priority for me. The Welcoming Center staff walked us through some of the challenges of running their programs ranging from funding issues to the need for modernized data and record keeping. I will be proactively reaching out to many of our mental health providers and staff in our district in the months ahead so that I can effectively fight for resources and legislation to bring better mental health services and substance abuse treatment to our constituents who need it and their families.

On another topic, I have met with a handful of constituents advocating for the human rights of those who are incarcerated and their families. I met with Restore Justice staff including several returning citizens who are on staff and actively advocating for smart legislation. I also met with advocates from Chicago Votes, and separately with Rev. Jason Lydon, who serves at Second Unitarian Church. In these meetings we talked about the need for medical care for those who are incarcerated; we also discussed SB828, legislation I have sponsored that would restore the right to vote to roughly 30,000 people currently incarcerated in Illinois; and we discussed a bill I passed, HB5525, that recommends the state make a number of systemic improvements to policy and programs serving incarcerated parents. This is a priority area and I will continue to focus on building support for legislation that respects the human rights of those who are incarcerated.

Lastly, I joined the Not That Late Show at Newport Theater to discuss my first 18 months in office. I always enjoy supporting the arts, theater, music, and comedy and was honored to bring updates from my office to a community that is well-represented across our district. And finally I appeared in a documentary that debuted this month that chronicles the lives, activism, and relationship of two LGBTQ+ community leaders and husbands, Art Johnston and Pepe Pena, owners of Sidetrack Video Bar in Lakeview and longtime organizers with Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community. I was honored to be featured in the documentary where I talked about the long history of queer activism in Chicago, and what I see as my role in that history as Illinois first openly gay state Senator. It’s always a joy to step back and reflect, and I was honored and humbled to participate in this terrific documentary that debuted last month in the Chicago International Film Festival.

As always, my office is available at 773-769-1717 if we can be of any assistance.

Sincerely,

Mike Simmons

State Senator | 7th District

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National Coming Out Day Podcast Recording - Sound of the State

As the first openly gay person to serve in the Illinois Senate, I was very proud to share my own story and thoughts on #NationalComingOutDay. LGBTQ+ communities are being targeted all around the country. It’s very important that the LGBTQ+ community and those who are on a coming out journey spend time to reflect on their experiences and for all of us to support those who are coming out. I hope you enjoy this short podcast recording! Click here to listen!