Feigenholtz: Cameras are for safety, not for profit

CHICAGO — State Senator Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) released the following statement in response to Mayor Brandon Johnson’s plan to add up to 50 speed cameras across Chicago:

“The city’s budget should never be balanced on the backs of Chicagoans, particularly when it comes to speed cameras. Cameras are for safety — not for profit. If the administration is interested in speed cameras, it should review the crash data on its website for DuSable Lake Shore Drive, where there have been over 15,000 vehicle crashes since 2015. The data is clear and it should be guiding our decisions.

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Castro highlights proposal creating pathway to homeownership for first-time buyers

SPRINGFIELD — Joined by realtors and advocates at a press conference Thursday, State Senator Cristina Castro outlined legislation she’s sponsoring to incentivize saving for a first home.

“I keep hearing from young people who are starting their professional careers, and a lot of them don’t feel like homeownership is attainable,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “This bill will help them prepare for that, and it will help make owning a home attainable.”

Years of low housing inventory have created an inflationary effect on the housing market in Illinois, driving home prices up by nearly 40% in the last five years. Ballooning prices mean that new homebuyers have to put down more of their savings for down payments, further driving up the burden of buying a home. To address this imbalance, Castro is leading a proposal to help consumers save responsibly and create a pathway to homeownership.

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Announcement erasing medical debt for 170,000 residents thanks to Simmons’ Law

CHICAGO – State Senator Mike Simmons celebrated Governor JB Pritzker’s announcement that the latest round of relief in the Illinois Medical Debt Relief Program has erased more than $220 million in medical debt for approximately 170,000 additional individuals statewide.

"As one of the first states in the country to tackle medical debt, Illinois has taken a monumental step toward improving health equity by assisting with burdensome debt weighing on residents across our state," said Simmons (D-Chicago). "When someone has medical debt, they are less likely to seek out medical care that could improve or save their life – a decision no one should have to make. I am proud to have championed this legislation forward into action and I am thrilled Illinois is providing relief to residents while improving the health of our communities in the long run."

The average amount of debt erased per person during this round is nearly $1,300, bringing the program’s total erased debt to more than $345 million dollars for nearly 270,000 Illinois residents.

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Edly-Allen addresses unnecessary educational mandates under new measure

SPRINGFIELD — To address unnecessary and burdensome Illinois School Code mandates, State Senator Mary Edly-Allen worked with multiple statewide education stakeholders to create Senate Bill 1740, which passed the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday.

“As an educator, I know personally how overly burdensome and duplicative educational mandates can harm schools that are already struggling due time constraints and limited funding,” said Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville). “This bill aims to increase administrative efficiency and create more flexibility for local school districts.”

Senate Bill 1740 initiates the reduction of unnecessary school code mandates agreed upon by statewide educational stakeholders. The bill would create the School Code Mandate Reduction Council, comprised of eight members of the General Assembly and one member from each of the 12 statewide educational organizations, to identify and recommend the removal of mandates that align with the state's goal of providing high-quality education tailored to each student.

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