General Updates from Senator Mike Simmons
Dear Neighbor,
The Spring session is in full swing and it has been an action-packed few weeks! After three years of hard work, I am thrilled to share that a new child tax credit for Illinois was included in the Governor’s State of the State budget address last week! This was one of the very first bills I filed when I took office, and is a prime example of community-led legislation. A child tax credit can provide economic relief to millions of households, and the time is perfect for Illinois to become the 15th state in the nation to do so for struggling moms, dads, caretakers, and of course the children!
Also below is a recap from my visit to the White House earlier this month where I had a terrific dialogue with US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg about safe, reliable, and sustainable transportation systems and several transit-forward bills I’ve been able to get enacted into law! I am a geek for transit and am excited to bring visibility to our recent transit wins and to build allies for the hard work that comes ahead.
Then you’ll see a recap from the February convening of our district office-led Single Moms People’s Legislative Council. The convening gave a boost to our collective work to get a robust child tax credit over the finish line as budget discussions unfold in the weeks ahead. It also is a poignant example of how 7th District constituents directly shape legislation.
Keep reading for a range of updates from recent weeks, including my response to Governor Pritkzer’s 2024 Budget Address last week. This newsletter also includes upcoming events, community resources, and recaps of the latest events I attended out in the district from completing our Valentine's Day Card drive to celebrating the Lunar New Year.
As the Spring legislative session ramps up, I am receiving hundreds of messages from constituents about bills to support or oppose. Thank you to everyone who has written in, called, or left a voicemail as I greatly value and take community input seriously. If there are bills you’d like me to support or oppose, please feel free to write to my office via the contact form linked here, or by emailing me at
Lastly, be sure to stop by Jordan Elementary School tomorrow 2/29 from 3-5pm for their Black-Owned Business Fair at 7414 N. Wolcott in Rogers Park!
Enjoy the updates below!
Sincerely,
Mike Simmons
State Senator | 7th District
Legislative Updates
My Response to Governor Pritzker’s Budget Proposal
Caption: Senator Simmons greets Governor Pritzker before he delivers his annual State of the State and Budget Address.
Last week, Governor Pritzker delivered his State of the State and Budget Address. After three years of advocating for a child tax credit, one of the very first pieces of legislation I introduced, I was encouraged that the Governor included a new child tax credit in his budget proposal. I applaud Governor Pritzker for doing so, and I believe we should now go bolder and more ambitious to ensure the child tax credit is robust and puts a sizable dent in child poverty across Illinois. As I wrote in the Chicago Sun-Times last week, it’s important to enact a child tax credit for households in every part of Illinois who are scrimping to get by and deserve financial security. This is a day long coming, and now we have to fight to ensure it will have a broad impact.
I’m also pleased to see clear commitments from the Governor that support healthy communities, including additional investments in early childhood, higher education, funding for K-12 schools, health care and eliminating food insecurity. I also appreciate that the Governor has proposed $10M in funds that will help erase medical debt for more than a quarter million people, and $20M in funds to tackle Black maternal mortality in health care.
I look forward to being a leading voice in budget negotiations on the child tax credit, violence reduction, affordable and accessible health care, robust and reliable transit, and other critical priorities to address the needs of children, working families, and low-income households across our state.
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