Welcome to Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus

Martwick measure would ensure retirement enrollment for Chicago police and firefighters

SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Robert Martwick passed a measure that would automatically enroll new Chicago police officers, firefighters and municipal employees into deferred compensation retirement savings.

“The best time you can start saving for retirement is yesterday, but the second best time is today,” said Martwick (D-Chicago). “By ensuring new employees are automatically enrolled in a deferred compensation plan, we can take the guesswork out of figuring out when, or even how, to start saving for that future.”

Under the legislation, any person who is hired as a Chicago city employee – whether fire, police or municipal – after Jan. 1, 2027 would be automatically enrolled into an eligible deferred compensation plan that the municipality has established for its employees.  These plans would be in addition to the employee’s pension in an effort to supplement the retirement funds of individuals with Tier 2 pensions.

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Joyce hunting rifle bill passes Senate

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Patrick Joyce passed a bill through the Senate that would increase the max capacity of centerfire hunting rifles.

“Looking at youth hunting, this specific type of rifle is easier to handle and therefore safer to use,” said Joyce (D-Essex). “This would put us on par with other states and give a nice boost to the hunting industry statewide.”

Senate Bill 2756 would increase the max capacity of centerfire rifles from one to three rounds. This would put Illinois on par with all other states, as Illinois is the only state that institutes a single-shot limit on centerfire rifle capacity. Joyce led previous legislation that formally legalized the use of single shot centerfire rifles for deer hunting season. Since its introduction, centerfire rifle use among youth hunters has jumped to just over 50 percent.

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Safeguarding patients from coverage loss, Ellman targets overdue premium policies

SPRINGFIELD – With nearly one in 10 Americans lacking health insurance coverage according to the U.S. Census Bureau, State Senator Laura Ellman advanced new legislation to ensure Illinois residents are not locked out of coverage due to past-due premium payments.

“Unexpected financial hardship can happen to anyone, especially when many are living paycheck to paycheck,” said Ellman (D-Naperville). “We should not be creating additional barriers that prevent people from accessing essential health care.”

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Rehabilitation credit opportunities for individuals in pretrial detention expanded under Ellman legislation

SPRINGFIELD – Studies find that work release programs can play a crucial role in reducing recidivism and promoting successful reentry for formerly incarcerated individuals. However, there is a lack of rehabilitation credit opportunities for individuals in pretrial detention, leading State Senator Laura Ellman to advance Senate Bill 3333.

“While Illinois is a leading state in creating opportunities for incarcerated individuals, we still have many avenues we can improve,” said Ellman (D-Naperville). “Bettering oneself through education is the greatest gift we can give to society and my hope is to see more opportunities being created to reduce recidivism and improve public safety in the long run.”

Senate Bill 3333 would allow individuals held in county jails prior to trial to receive sentence credit for completing certain programming such as work assignments, parenting programs, volunteer activities, and supervised community work. Currently, similar programming can earn credit for individuals incarcerated in Department of Corrections’ facilities, but not for those in pretrial detention due to gaps in statutory language.

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