SPRINGFIELD – Following restrictive book bannings in Florida and around the nation, State Senator Mike Simmons advanced legislation out of the Senate to prevent books from being banned in Illinois on Thursday.

“Six other states have already led efforts to ban books, and in the 2021-2022 school year more than 2500 books were banned across the country. We are seeing whole communities being erased from school curricula and libraries, and so by passing SB689 we are getting ahead of this hateful wave and putting Illinois on the right side of history,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). 

Senate Bill 689 (originally filed as SB1812) prohibits library systems, school districts, school boards, and trustees of a library or village library from limiting access to or prohibiting the purchase of books or materials related to autobiographies, biographies, memoirs, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, sexual and reproductive health, gender identity, religion, human rights activism, or any other subject.

“My goal with this legislation is to ensure that every person in our state, especially young people – that next generation of LGBTQ+ youth, that next generation of youth struggling to find their place in our society – has the right to free and robust access to all books, just as I did growing up," Simmons said.

“Books uniquely broaden perspectives, exercise minds, challenge biases, all while offering a unique opportunity to process and absorb information independently,” said Simmons. “As the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to serve in the Illinois Senate, the first Black person elected to the Senate to represent the far north side of Chicago, and as the bi-ethnic son of a Black-American mother and an Ethiopian-American refugee father, books validated many of my unique intersectional experiences and opened many doors.” 

The bill would not impose limitations on access to books or materials in a library for safety reasons or based on the age and development level of persons who will have access to those books or materials.

Senate Bill 689 passed the Senate on Thursday and now heads to the House for further consideration.

SPRINGFIELD – In response to attacks on transgender individuals around the nation and to increase gender inclusivity across the state of Illinois, State Senator Mike Simmons advanced two House Bills out of the Senate Human Rights Committee on Thursday.

“Everyone deserves to be addressed and represented with the pronouns they use and prefer, especially in communications coming from our state level agencies and in our state laws,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “As the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve in the Illinois Senate, I know first-hand how important inclusive language is.”

House Bill 1596 amends various public acts concerning children to contain more inclusive language, such as changing certain pronouns to general nouns or the nouns to which the pronouns refer, and replacing "biological" family or parent with "birth" family or parent.

House Bill 2297 adds state employees who identify as non-binary or gender non-conforming to the list of women, minorities and persons with physical disabilities in regards to agencies tracking this information to help guide efforts to achieve a more diversified state workforce.

“Using someone’s correct pronouns in everyday life is a basic human right, and updating our state systems is necessary to make sure everyone is represented,” Simmons said. “Everyone deserves to be seen, heard, and respected - this is a basic courtesy, but also a right.”

These measures passed out of the Senate Human Rights Committee on Thursday and now head to the Senate floor.

SPRINGFIELD – To prevent minors who are survivors of human trafficking, or other factors such as sexual abuse, from being tried as adults in certain criminal cases, State Senator Mike Simmons advanced a House bill out of the Senate Special Committee on Criminal Law and Public Safety on Wednesday.

“Survivors of child trafficking and abuse have endured unimaginable trauma and pain, and they should not be tried as adult criminals when they are simply trying to defend themselves and escape their abusers,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “Survivors deserve our support and compassion, and a system that protects - not punishes them.”

House Bill 3414 was inspired by Sara Kruzan, a survivor of child sex trafficking who was sentenced to life in prison when she was only 17 years old. She was eventually released and pardoned, however this legislation seeks to protect future survivors from a similar fate. 

House Bill 3414 reforms the criminal legal system clarifies whether or not a minor should be tried as an adult if the crime the minor commits is against someone who was convicted of human trafficking or of a sex crime targeting the minor within the last three years. If that is the case, the court may transfer them to juvenile court.

HB 3414 also expands the number of factors judges can consider in deciding whether to issue an order to prosecute a minor as an adult for a felony offense. These factors include if the minor was in the child welfare system, is a survivor of sexual violence or similar trauma, mental health, or outside pressure from the minor’s peers, family or community.

“We should be providing every support and resource to any child who has experienced abuse,” Simmons said. “It is our responsibility to protect them, and to do everything we can to end the vicious and cruel cycle of punishing our most vulnerable populations.” 

House Bill 3414 passed the Senate Special Committee on Criminal Law and Public Safety on Wednesday and moves to the Senate floor for further consideration. 

SPRINGFIELD – To ensure property owners who limit rental, ownership or occupancy to people ages 55 and up have ample heating and cooling, State Senator Mike Simmons advanced a House bill out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

“Senior residents are at a higher risk for heat stroke during summer months,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “This bill will hold landlords, condominium associations and other property owners accountable in ensuring our older resident neighbors, both in the 7th District and across the state, live in safe and humane housing conditions.”

House Bill 2562 changes the Common Interest Community Association Act, the Condominium Property Act and the Landlord and Tenant Act to provide heating and cooling standards for properties that limit their ownership, rental and occupancy to people 55 years old or older. Between June 1 and Sept. 30, cooling systems must operate when the heat exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Between Oct. 1 and May 31 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., heat must register at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit when the outside temperature falls below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., heat must register at least 62 degrees Fahrenheit. If the property does not have a building-wide cooling system for individual units, then at least one indoor common gathering space with a cooling system must be provided.

“No one should live in a residence that is too cold in the winter and sweltering in the summer, especially those at a higher health risk,” Simmons said. “Safe, accessible and operational housing is a basic human right.”

This bill is correlated with Simmons’ Senate Bill 2013, which requires any residential building that is state-funded to meet minimum standard of living conditions to continue receiving funding from the program and was inspired when three residents of a Rogers Park senior living complex tragically died of suspected heat exhaustion.

House Bill 2562 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.