Simmons Receives Public Service Award, Visits Public Housing Museum, Upcoming Senior Fraud Prevention Event, and more

Hello Neighbors!

We are in the midst of the fall veto legislative session. I am working to secure final passage of my Senate Bill 689 that prohibits schools from banning books in classrooms and school curricula. It also outlaws book banning in privately funded libraries or those not receiving state grants. As a recap, my bill cleared the Senate in the spring and awaits approval in the House. The Yorkville Board of Education banned “Just Mercy''' in August, and we are seeing more people running for school boards in the suburbs on an explicit agenda to ban books by and about LGBTQ+ and Black communities. My bill includes specific protections for these categories and other top targeted categories across states including race and ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity, religion and faith background, reproductive health, sexual health, memoirs and autobiographies. This issue affects many people in our community, and these protections are central to our democracy.

Caption: Members of the Illinois Senate, including Senator Mike Simmons on the left, wear pink last Wednesday in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Last week, the Senate passed a bill that requires school districts and other state-run facilities to contract with vendors to provide kosher and halal food options. I strongly supported the original bill in the spring and am glad to see Senate Bill 457 move forward with the support of stakeholders and the governor.

Concerning energy policy, I voted “no” last spring on House Bill 3445, which passed the Senate and would grant downstate electric utilities – notably Ameren Illinois – the “right of first refusal” for transmission line construction, allowing them a near monopoly on projects. I was glad the governor vetoed it. It was confirmed last week that the House will not move to override the veto this fall session.

Read on for key updates, including an upcoming event for seniors this Friday, my recent visit to the National Public Housing Museum, two awards I was honored to receive for public service, and a recap of recent noteworthy events.

Sincerely,

Senator Mike Simmons
7th Senate District

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Upcoming District Event

Advocacy and Fraud Protection for Seniors Workshop

CALLING ALL SENIORS! Join me and the Attorney General’s Office this Friday, Nov. 3 from 10 - 11 a.m. at the All Saints Episcopal Church located at 4550 N. Hermitage Ave. (near Wilson and Ashland) as we partner up to host an “Advocacy and Fraud Protection for Seniors Workshop.”

I care deeply about the safety and well-being of our seniors and want to make sure we are providing seniors in our community with the necessary tools and resources for fraud prevention and protection. If you have questions or need more information call our district office or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Simmons celebrates opening of new Ravenswood Metra Station

Caption: State Senator Mike Simmons attends ribbon cutting ceremony at Ravenswood Metra Station. 

CHICAGO – After a long awaited major reconstruction, State Senator Mike Simmons attends the opening dedication of the new inbound side of Ravenswood Station on the Union Pacific North Line on Tuesday, bringing the reconstruction project to completion.

"I am thrilled to see the new Ravenswood Metra Station officially open today right here in the Lincoln Square/Ravenswood community where I grew up and have many fond memories,” said Simmons (D-Chicago), who serves on the Senate Transportation Committee. “The new facilities — including warming shelters, longer platforms and ramps — are the kind of investments we need in our transportation facilities to increase ridership and restore the health of our regional transit.”

The new platform was the final part of the Ravenswood Metra Station project, a project part of an even larger $167 million plan to replace aging bridges along the UP North Line on the North Side of Chicago. The station was rebuilt in stages in order to keep two tracks open for service during construction. Funded with a combination of federal, state and local capital sources, the station is now fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, has new shelters on both platforms, longer platforms and is designed to improve loading times, which will result in more timely and efficient train service.

“I am happy to see the investments we have been calling for to increase ridership in our transit systems come to fulfillment. From the ADA compliance to the additional platform space, this is a major win for transit equity, ” said Simmons. “Thank you Metra, Alderman Matt Martin and all the stakeholders who worked so hard to get us to this point."

 

Watch State Senator Mike Simmons' full remarks in the video below.

 

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Senator Simmons on His Ties to Underground Railroad, Youth Mental Health, and Upcoming Traveling Office Hours

General Updates from Senator Mike Simmons

Dear Neighbor,

I wanted to fire off a special edition newsletter with some new and interesting content. First, I had the chance to do an in-depth interview about my 7th District youth-inspired legislation that will soon create the first statewide youth mental health policy council. See the link to the full interview below.

I also participated in a sprawling and in-depth Chicago Tribune series profiling Illinois’s prominent role in the Underground Railroad. I think it is compelling that so many brave and courageous souls fled slavery and found their way to freedom right through many of our rivers, forests, and backcountry roads throughout Illinois. A branch of my own family on my mom’s side was living in Michigan as early as 1846, and very likely participated in the Underground Railroad. See below for the link to the story.

Lastly, you’ll see a graphic below for our next traveling office hours event at Senn High School on Oct. 3rd. This time we will be curating the townhall for 7th District youth! Enjoy the newsletter and have a safe and fun weekend!

Sincerely,

Mike Simmons

 

 

 

State Senator | 7th District

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Senator Simmons Discusses Youth Mental Health in Illinois with Outside the Loop Radio

Caption: Senator Simmons is interviewed by Outside the Loop Radio to discuss youth mental health.

I recently took an interview with Mike Stephen of Outside the Loop to discuss youth mental health in Illinois and my legislation, which requires schools to instruct on how and where youth can access mental health resources. The new law also establishes a soon to debut, first of its kind statewide Student Mental Health Council which will include 14-25 years olds who are queer, black and brown, and others who have been underrepresented in discussions at the State Capitol around how to improve access to mental health.

To listen to the full interview, click here (my segment begins at 16:05.)

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Underground Railroad Task Force and Keeping the Legacy of Freedom Seekers Relevant and Present
by Darcel Rockett of the Chicago Tribune

Caption: Clockwise from top left: The Antioch Baptist Church in Venice, Chicago's Finest Marina in Chicago, the Second Reading Book Shop in Alton and The Gillett House in Jacksonville are all Underground Railroad sites in Illinois. Photographs were made using an iPhone tintype filter. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

‘State Sen. Mike Simmons, a North Side Democrat, said that having recognition of the Underground Railroad, specifically Illinois’ prominence in the Underground Railroad is long overdue. As someone who has branches of his family tree in Michigan as early as 1846, Simmons said his ancestors probably used the Underground Railroad network.

“It’s a fascinating point of reflection that Black Americans found a way out of slavery before emancipation through the backcountry and waterways and swamps and thick forests and hostile terrains of several American states largely of their own agency,” Simmons said.’

 

Recognition of the Underground Railroad and Illinois’ prominence in that history is long overdue. It was a deep and profound joy to personally contribute to Darcel Rockett’s incredible Chicago Tribune article which brings attention to the untold stories of Black communities and freedom seekers and allies in Illinois who shaped and established the local networks of the Underground Railroad in the 1800s.

On my maternal side, I personally can trace back my own family’s lineage to 1846 when a branch of my Black-American ancestors were already living in Michigan. They were undoubtedly a part of the Underground Railroad that ran through Illinois and Michigan and several surrounding states. It is incredible to fully honor and recognize this important history in Illinois. In a significant step in honoring our history, I am proud to have co-led passage of SB1623 into law, which will create a task force to develop a statewide plan to connect existing local projects and new projects to create a cohesive statewide history of the Underground Railroad in Illinois, and create new educational opportunities. We all must keep our collective history alive, especially in the current climate where a movement has grown to erase black history and other communities’ American stories.

7th District Ties to Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad in Illinois has direct ties to the 7th District, with Graceland Cemetery at 4001 N. Clark St. in Lakeview being the final resting place for at least 29 Underground Railroad activists. Accompanying her article on freedom seekers, Darcel Rockett compiled a list of Illinois Underground Railroad historic sites, specifically highlighting Graceland Cemetery, which you can read here.

In 2021, the National Parks Service added Graceland Cemetery to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. To read about their legacies, please visit gracelandcemetery.org/underground-railroad-activists.

Calling All Youth:
Traveling Office Hours at Senn High School

Calling all youth! Join me and my office on Tuesday, October 3 from 4-5PM at Senn High School and make your voices heard at our Traveling Office Hours event. Whether you’re in elementary, junior high, or high school, we want to hear from you about your concerns, questions, and ideas. Your voice is so important and deserves to help shape the future of government in Illinois. See you there!

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Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter! If you ever want to reach out to our office, please call us at 773-769-1717 and we will respond promptly. We can also be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Simmons celebrates historic reform in Illinois to end cash bail

CHICAGO – State Senator Mike Simmons commends Illinois’ action to implement the Pretrial Fairness Act, making Illinois the first state to eliminate cash bail.

“Advocating for the rights of those who are incarcerated and their families is a priority of mine. As the first state in the country to completely end the use of money bail, we have taken a historic step toward a more fair and just system,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “Far too many people have been blatantly discriminated against due to the inability to cover their bond amount for release. Being poor is not a crime and should never be the sole reason a person remains incarcerated as they await their trial.”

The official end of cash bail — also known as the Pretrial Fairness Act, which is contained within the SAFE-T Act — comes two months after the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that pretrial reform is constitutional in Illinois. The cash bail system has now been replaced with a new system that detains all dangerous defendants, regardless of their wealth.

“Simply put: the SAFE-T Act makes communities safer by allowing courts to hold violent offenders who would ordinarily be able to use cash to pay for release,” said Simmons. “I fully support the overall policy goals of the SAFE-T Act, as well as effective implementation. This is historic legislation that corrects injustices that for too long have plagued our criminal justice systems.”

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