CHICAGO – To celebrate and lift up children and families of the 7th District, State Senator Mike Simmons and his staff hosted a Back to School Bash in Rogers Park.

“I am so proud of every single child and young person in my district, and how we come together through the help of families, caretakers, and the village of folks in our neighborhoods to guide our young people,” said Simmons (D – Chicago). “Our event this past weekend not only ensures they have their backpacks and school supplies for their first day, but also makes sure they are emotionally prepared as well.”

Simmons and his staff hosted a Back to School Bash Friday, Aug. 18 at Sullivan High School in Rogers Park to assist families in the 7th District by distributing backpacks filled with school supplies. Local 7th District restaurants, Hon Kee BBQ, AROMA Pizza, and Ethiopian Diamond, generously donated and catered food for all to enjoy. Additionally, the event featured a live DJ and a constituent service table for people to get connected to community resources and state agencies.

“Our Back to School Bash made a meaningful impact on our community by providing our young people with the basics before their first day of school,” said Simmons. “I want to extend a huge thank you to all the young people, their families, and community members who came out on Friday to celebrate with us. Because of all the sponsors, local vendors, volunteers and families who showed up for our Back to School Bash, we were able to celebrate as a community, support the academic futures of our students, and give them a memorable start to the school year.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mike Simmons spearheaded a new law to address critical issues facing pharmacists and pharmacy benefits by prohibiting Pharmacy Benefit Managers from retaliating against pharmacists for exercising their right to freedom of speech.

“This is a consumer protection initiative that will also protect our local pharmacists,” said Simmons (D – Chicago). “In recent years, Pharmacy Benefit Managers have abused their market power to implement policies. These practices negatively affect consumer health plans, pharmacies and patients. The policies and practices are driving many pharmacies out of business, jeopardizing patient access to essential care, and creating pharmacy deserts. That stops now.”

Pharmacy Benefit Managers are intermediary firms that facilitate prescription drug benefits claims for health insurers. House Bill 3631 bans Pharmacy Benefit Managers from retaliating against pharmacists who disclose information to a court, administrative hearing, a legislative commission or more, as long as the pharmacist reasonably believes the information they have disclosed is evidence of a violation.

“This law protects pharmacists and their right to discuss with representatives how operational practices impact their ability to provide needed patient care and medication,” said Simmons. “Threats imposed by Pharmacy Benefit Managers limit access to care, and as we continue to emerge from the pandemic, protecting our pharmacists is imperative to our pharmacists ability to serve our communities.”

House Bill 3631 was signed into law and went into immediate effect.

CHICAGO – State Senator Mike Simmons and his staff will host a Back to School Bash in Rogers Park to ensure children have a successful school year this fall.
The event will feature a live DJ, school supplies, backpack giveaways, free food and community resources. Students of all grade levels and families are encouraged to attend.

WHO: State Senator Mike Simmons and staff

WHAT: Back to School Bash

WHEN: Friday, Aug. 18 from 6 - 7 p.m.

WHERE: Sullivan High School in Rogers Park, 6631 N. Bosworth Ave. Chicago, IL 60626

CHICAGO – Pedestrian and cyclist safety will improve thanks to a new law led by State Senator Mike Simmons which will require infrastructure improvements to roads whenever routine maintenance is conducted.

“It can be stressful to bike along a path or road with cars, especially when going on a bike ride with kids,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “This initiative will help ensure bike and pedestrian safety improvements are efficiently completed in tandem with routine work such as pothole or street lighting repairs.”

These new sets of laws will require the Illinois Department of Transportation to develop a policy that focuses on installing pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure on State roadways in Illinois. Potential infrastructure improvements that can be made include higher-visibility signage, crosswalk upgrades, curb bump outs, lower speed limits, barrier-protected bike lanes, and improved bus shelters. These improvements can be made if they are located within 500 feet of the routine maintenance work. This law applies to any state roads, whether it is located within or outside a municipality.

“Everyone has a right to be safe, whether they choose to walk, bike, or drive,” Simmons said. “This common-sense and efficient new law will prevent future accidents and tragedies, and make our roads safer for all methods of transportation.”

Senate Bill 2014 was signed into law on August 4, 2023 and went into immediate effect.