General Updates from Senator Mike Simmons

Dear Neighbor,

          I hope you had a great week so far! I have been back down in Springfield where I am focused on getting bills passed out of committee. It is an energetic time of year! I am particularly proud to share that on Tuesday I passed Senate Bill 3361 out of committee, an extension of the Jett Hawkins Act which I passed into law in January 2022. As a refresher, the Jett Hawkins Act bans school boards, local school councils, charter schools and nonprivate schools from creating hairstyle-based dress code requirements and discriminating against hairstyles historically associated with race or ethnicity. This bill is named for Jett Hawkins, who at just 4 years old, was discriminated against for wearing his hair in a style that is traditionally non-white.

          Senate Bill 3361 bill was brought forth and developed in partnership with a constituent, Rabbi Shlomo Soroka, and would require private, nonreligious schools to affirm they will not prohibit religious hairstyles or hair-related religious practices, including facial hair worn pursuant to a student’s or employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs, in order to register with the Illinois State Board of Education. It protects against restricting hairstyles due to religious expression, including hairstyles and facial hair in public schools specific to Jewish faith and tradition, specifically the Orthodox tradition, as a condition of registration or recognition with ISBE or the State. The bill is also broad enough to cover hair styles and hair-related practices of other religious groups. Students and faculty should be able to express themselves as they see fit in all spaces, and I am proud to champion this legislation!

          I also held a press conference on Wednesday with Leader Hunter and Senator Collins to champion the need to protect SNAP recipients from fraud - specifically card skimming. If you have a credit or debit card, chances are that card has a chip on it. However, folks on SNAP experience stolen funds too often because their cards are not “chip” enabled. The contract to update SNAP cards is coming up in June, and it is time to save our recipients from tens of millions of dollars in fraud and most importantly, make sure they have access to food!

          I have also filed legislation, Senate Bill 3480, the Payday Advance Consumer Protection Act to protect consumers who access wages through Payday Advance Services (often renamed as Earned Wage Access). This bill would not eliminate Payday Advance Services, but would require state level regulation through IDFPR.

          As always, thank you to the many advocates and constituents who come to Springfield to share with me priorities and ideas. It is a joy to meet with you in the people’s house. A shout out this week to The Institute on Public Policy for People with Disabilities!

Caption: Senator Simmons in the Capitol with an advocate from The Institute on Public Policy for People with Disabilities

          In addition to everything happening in Springfield, we have been busy responding to constituent letters, helping folks with Medicaid, connecting folks with social services and housing, attending Black History Month events and 49th Ward “Happy Birthday Chicago” Town Hall.

          While I will be back in Springfield next week, I am really looking forward to warmer weather and can’t wait to be back in the district for spring. There are so many amazing events in the community this week, from Sarah’s Circle Winter Walk, the Edgewater Indoor Market, a CityKey Card event and more - be sure to scroll all the way down and check them out.

          As always, my team and I are ready to help with your needs - if you or a neighbor need access to food, healthcare, housing - just reach out at 773-769-1717 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

With Gratitude,

Mike Simmons
State Senator | 7th District

General Updates from Senator Mike Simmons

Dear Neighbor,

          Happy February, neighbors! This past week I have been in Springfield - Governor Pritzker gave his annual State of the State and Budget Address, $1.1 billion in medical debt relief was announced, and I met with many stakeholders and advocacy groups about spring bills.

I held a press conference on Thursday in Springfield to share the good news regarding medical debt relief! With Tuesday’s latest round of relief, the total number of households that have seen their medical debt erased was brought to over 500,000 households with over $1.1 billion of medical debt that has been erased. I am beyond proud to have led the legislation in the Senate in 2024 and to have worked with Governor Pritzker to make this initiative a reality, and I will continue to push for further erasure of medical debt for Illinois households facing medical debt that amounts to 5% of their household income. You can learn more about the initiative via my press conference from yesterday linked here.

          In case you missed it, I held an ICE, SNAP, and Policy Town Hall last week at Clarendon Park in Uptown. You can watch a full recording of the town hall linked here, and review a handout from the event linked here that contains pages of pertinent information about SNAP and my 50+ filed bills for this spring session, in particular. Thank you to everyone who came out and asked some great questions regarding potential prosecution of ICE agents and more.

          Below you will also find recaps from attending the Equality Illinois Gala, a visit with Loyola University Chicago students who are a part of Loyola Stands Against Gun Violence, and one of my favorite activities of the year - passing out Valentine’s to seniors across the 7th District.

          I will be back down in Springfield again next week, and look forward to continuing to get our bills into committees. But before I go back to Springfield, I am looking forward to celebrating Lunar New Year in Uptown and hope to see you at the parade and festivities tomorrow!

With Gratitude,

Mike Simmons
State Senator | 7th District

General Updates from Senator Mike Simmons

Dear Neighbor,

          I hope this letter finds you healthy and warm. Before I jump into recapping 2025, I want to take a moment to once again condemn the illegal, violent actions of ICE in our communities, in Minnesota, and across the country, and express deep anger, sadness, and grief for the loss of yet more innocent lives. Eight people have lost their lives to ICE. Eight people should be with us, with their families, with their communities. Many of you have called, emailed, or sent letters to my office calling on me to condemn ICE. I can assure you that you have my support, that I fervently call for ICE to be abolished, and am actively filing more legislation to further combat ICE’s actions, presence, and impact in Illinois. For detailed information on what I am doing, as well as resources for you and your community, I have compiled this resource document. Please take care of yourselves and one another.

          2026 is well underway, but I want to take a moment to share highlights from 2025 - an unprecedented year in many ways. Never would I have imagined that as a country and community we would have spent the better part of 2025 mobilizing to protect our neighbors from unlawful kidnappings by ICE and the federal government, that some of our oldest institutions would cave to coercive executive orders, and that we would be establishing emergency mutual aid distribution due to SNAP cuts. All of this is incredibly difficult and challenging, but I remain committed and energized as ever by all of you who have stepped in to lend a helping hand and who have exercised your rights to fight for our freedoms.

In 2025, I am proud to share that I…

• Hosted 10 in-person Town Hall meetings
• Chief-sponsored and co-sponsored 72 bills passed into law
• Welcomed over 280 mutual aid walk-ins to my district office to pick up non-perishable food, diapers, and toiletries provided by 50 generous neighbors
• Received and responded to over 10,000 letters, emails, and phone calls
• Attended 182 community events

My team and I receive unprecedented levels of communication, with the top three topics of 2025 being…

1. Transit Funding and Reform
2. ICE and Immigration Concerns
3. In support of Mental Health Parity

          I am incredibly proud of the work I have been called to do as your State Senator. As I returned to Springfield for the beginning of the 2026 Spring Session, I have already filed over 50 bills that include (but are not limited to) further combatting ICE from lawlessly operating in our communities; creating state grant programs to support families, small business owners, and rapid response affected by ICE; expanding protection for our drinking water and waterways; removing AI from rental price fixing and healthcare decisions; and regulating data centers to drive down the cost of monthly energy bills.

          In the coming weeks I will be sending more updates that includes a list of bills I am carrying this spring, so stay tuned!

          Again, thank you for a 2025 filled with community, strength, and tenacity. I look forward to a strong 2026!

With Gratitude,

Mike Simmons
State Senator | 7th District

General Updates from Senator Mike Simmons

Dear Neighbor,

          First, I hope this letter finds you warm, healthy, and well. It has been a very cold, very snowy beginning to winter. As we enter the holiday season, I am grateful for the 7th District - for our welcoming spirit, compassion, generosity, and care that we take for one another.

          I have historic news to share - in the past week, two major pieces of legislation that I fought hard to pass were signed into law! This week on Tuesday, I attended the long-awaited bill signing of Senate Bill 2111, the transit funding and reform package that establishes $1.5 billion in sustainable revenue and robust reforms of our public transit system in Illinois!

Caption: Senator Simmons at the signing of SB2111 in Union Station this week alongside Governor Pritzker, CTA workers, labor leaders, state, county, and city colleagues.

          On Tuesday, December 9, I had the great honor of attending the bill signing of House Bill 1312, aka SALT ICE, which I co-sponsored and fought for, at La Villita Church in Little Village. The room was filled with families and communities impacted by ICE, advocacy leaders and partners, rapid responders, and my colleagues in the state legislature. ICE continues to terrorize communities throughout all of Illinois, and I have witnessed the chaos and violence they have brought with my own eyes. HB1312 allows Illinois citizens and residents to bring civil actions (lawsuits) against any person who deprives them of their constitutional rights while conducting civil immigration enforcement, including ICE or Border Patrol personnel, requires a 1000-foot zone around courthouses where no immigration enforcement can occur, and requires public higher education to establish procedures when encountering ICE on campus. To read the new law in its entirety, please visit ILGA.gov.

Caption: Senator Simmons attends the signing of House Bill 1312 on December 9 in Little Village.

          Additionally, Medical Aid in Dying, SB1950, was signed into law by Governor Pritzker on December 12. This law will allow qualified, terminally ill patients the option to obtain mediation to peacefully end their lives on their own terms and will go into effect September 12, 2026.

          I am also excited to see my signature “Pink Mailer” hit mailboxes! This mailer highlights my legislative and budget updates from the last year. If you have not received yours yet or would like more, just contact my office and will be sure to get it to you!

          As we prepare to close the district office for a well-deserved holiday break, please take note of important resources below and share them widely. Community warming centers, food pantries, and shelter information is below.

          Also, even though SNAP benefits have been reinstated, new eligibility requirements will go into effect beginning February 1, 2026. This means that folks who are adults ages 18-54 with no "dependent" children under 18 and no disabilities will be required to meet new work requirements to continue receiving SNAP benefits. Let me be clear - no one should have to prove they need food. Nutritious food is a basic human need, and if you are concerned about these changes and how they affect you or your family, please reach out to my office.

          My district office will be closed for the holidays December 22 - January 2 and will reopen Monday, January 5. If you need to reach us, please call us at 773-769-1717 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and we will respond as soon as we can. Please take care of one another this holiday season. I look forward to seeing you out and about as we celebrate, and look forward to welcoming a prosperous and peaceful 2026.

With Gratitude,

Mike Simmons
State Senator | 7th District