General Updates from Senator Mike Simmons

Dear Neighbor,

The new legislative session is off to a quick start with new committee assignments, new bills, and lots of anticipation. Last week I was proud to introduce 29 pieces of legislation covering key areas such as ensuring access to health care, making our streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians, increasing affordable housing options and protections, building on human rights for our communities and bringing transparency into government contracting. I will keep you posted on key bills as they are reviewed in committees. As a reminder, you can look up any bills I’ve sponsored or cosponsored on the General Assembly’s website here.

Caption: Senator Mike Simmons listens to the State of the State Budget Address.

Earlier this week I also sat in the House chamber with Rep. Hoan Huynh and Rep. Kelly Cassidy to listen to Governor Pritzker’s State of State Address. The governor presented his recommended budget for Fiscal Year 2024. It was exciting and encouraging to hear about commitments to supporting early childhood education, bolstering human services including significant new investments towards building new permanent supportive housing and scattered-site housing for the unhoused, increasing rate payments for Medicaid, increasing funds for MAP grants so that lower-income students can afford college, and other investments in our communities’ long-term growth. There is more work to be done. I am eagerly looking forward to further examining the budget proposal, asking pointed questions during budget hearings in the weeks and months ahead and crafting a final budget that continues to prioritize and invest in people while keeping our state on the right track.

Sincerely,
Mike Simmons

State Senator | 7th District

General Updates from Senator Mike Simmons

Dear Neighbor,

I hope you had a safe and relatively quiet holiday season. The 2023 year is off to a very busy start. I am personally proud of the historic, nine-day Lame Duck Legislative Session we wrapped up last week that included passage of major legislation including one of the strongest assault weapons bans in the country, sweeping protections for reproductive rights and gender-affirming care, paid leave for workers, name change and birth certificate legislation, and new year-over-year funding for affordable housing.

Caption: Being inaugurated holding a photo of my mom and me together at my college graduation! Even though she could not physically be here, her memory and legacy shape who I am, how I show up, and my deep dedication to our diverse communities of the 7th District.

I also took the oath of office and was sworn in to a second term representing our diverse communities in the Illinois Senate! I was inaugurated holding a photo of my mother Ramona, who until her untimely passing in 2020, was a longtime salon owner in Rogers Park running Salon Pastiche on Loyola Avenue for 25 years. Our first day of the Lame Duck Session was Jan. 4, which is her death anniversary, and I intentionally decided to recommit to fighting for a world she’d want to raise her children in and didn’t live long enough to see. I’ll be fighting for our district this term and doing so in her memory. Read on for specific legislative and community updates, and for a photo recap from my swearing-in!

Sincerely,

Mike Simmons

State Senator | 7th District

General Updates from Senator Mike Simmons

Dear Neighbor,

Greetings 7th District residents! I wanted to provide you with a recap of key updates from the last couple weeks.

Last week I had the incredible opportunity to sit on a panel with our nation’s top doctor, US Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Dr. Vivek Murthy to discuss efforts to protect youth mental health. Also participating were Dr. Allison Arwady, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, and Dr. Colleen Cicchetti, Executive Director of the Center for Childhood Resilience at Lurie’s Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Dr. Murthy and I discussed my efforts to elevate youth voices in policy discussions about mental health. Specifically, he asked about my People’s Legislative Council initiative that has given youth from our district a space to shape legislation I’ve authored and passed. The legislation ensures all Illinois schools provide instruction on how and where to access mental health resources and creates a Student Mental Health Council which includes queer youth voices, voices of youth of color, and diverse mental health professionals. It was truly a joy to welcome Dr. Murthy to Chicago, and I am happy we had a chance to talk about a top legislative and personal priority of mine which is protecting and dramatically increasing access to mental health and health care more broadly for our communities. The two are inextricably bound and I will continue to fight for more access for our neighbors.

Image: Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, Senator Mike Simmons, Dr. Allison Arwady and Dr. Colleen Cicchetti gathered before presenting their panel on Youth Mental Health at the City Club of Chicago.

Image: Senator Mike Simmons discusses his People’s Legislative Council initiative focused on youth mental health with Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, Dr. Allison Arwady and Dr. Colleen Cicchetti.

General Updates from Senator Mike Simmons

Greetings 7th District residents! I wanted to touch base with you to provide a recap of the last couple weeks or so. First, I’d like to cover a couple new initiatives we’ve rolled out or resumed that should be good for our district. On Saturday, Nov. 12th my team and I rolled out our new constituent services program where we will go out into the district and doorknock to introduce ourselves to constituents, educate them on what our office can do for them, and find ways to help constituents with state resources.

So many people don’t have a clear sense of what the state legislature can do, or need help and have no idea where to start, so I am happy we are proactively taking state government to the people. Our inaugural doorknock was done in the Budlong Woods section of our district, which is located in Lincoln Square near where I grew up.

We also continued the 7th District people’s legislative council initiative, a participatory space where we organically convene constituents across the district who reflect particular lived experiences that are amplified and shape legislation I introduce. The child tax credit legislation I introduced last year came out of the legislative councils with single mothers, and on Wednesday, November 9th we convened residents of our district who are survivors of gun violence. We had participants from Uptown, Ravenswood, Roger Park, and Edgewater in the room.

I am so thankful for each participant for sharing their experiences with gun violence, and working with me to help advocate for legislation such as a statewide ban on assault weapons, and other sensible gun laws. We will resume with future legislative councils for people living with disabilities in early 2023. If you’d like to participate, please call my office at 773-769-1717.

The veto session is upon us, and we are expecting to take up a handful of trailer bills to existing legislation. See below under legislative updates for some highlights from the first week of the veto session.

Lastly, we will be holding a Virtual Town Hall on Tuesday, December 6th at 6:30 p.m. I thoroughly enjoy opening up government and policymaking to our constituents, and invite you to join us as I provide general legislative and community updates, and take questions from residents.

As always, my office is available at 773-769-1717 if we can be of assistance. Read on for legislative updates, community recaps, and for a list of helpful resources.

 

Sincerely,

Mike Simmons

State Senator | 7th District