Newsletters

Details: Category: Newsletters; Tuesday, January 24, 2023 11:57 AM

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.

Senator Mike Simmons inauguration moment holding a photo of his mother at college graduation — Being inaugurated holding a photo of my mom and me together at my college graduation.

I also took the oath of office and was sworn in to a second term representing our diverse communities in the Illinois Senate...

Sincerely,

Mike Simmons
State Senator | 7th District

Legislative Updates

Assault Weapon Ban Signed into Law

Senator Simmons speaking during assault weapons ban signing event — Advocating for the Protect Illinois Communities Act.

We have taken a monumental step forward in passing HB 5471...

Reproductive & Gender-Affirming Care Protections

Bill signing event for reproductive and gender-affirming care protections — At the bill signing for HB4664 with sponsors and advocates.

Illinois continues to strengthen protections for reproductive health and gender-affirming care...

Name Change & Birth Certificate Updates

House Bill 2542 and House Bill 9 improve access to legal identity changes for transgender and nonbinary residents...

Paid Leave for Workers Act

Senator Simmons speaking about paid leave legislation — Paid Leave for Workers Act provides 40 hours of paid leave.

This legislation ensures employees receive paid time off for personal needs...

Community Updates

Cook County property tax due date has been extended to April 3.

Community Resources

Representative Kelly Cassidy’s office is moving to 1507 W. Morse Avenue.

Upcoming Events

Argyle Lunar New Year Parade – Jan 28
Andersonville Fika Fest – Feb 3–5
Edgewater Winter Markets – Through Feb 23
Howard Street Makers Studio – Through February

For questions, contact:
📞 773-769-1717
📧 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Details: Category: Newsletters; Tuesday, January 24, 2023 11:48 AM

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.