CHICAGO – State Senator Bill Cunningham is announcing the Illinois Department of Transportation has slated four miles of Kedzie Avenue for major upgrades this year. The more-than-$5 million project includes repaving, safety upgrades, and increased access for people with disabilities.

“Kedzie Avenue is a major artery connecting the city and the suburbs,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “It connects homes and businesses, and we need to keep it in good repair.”

The upgrades will cover two separate stretches of Kedzie – one running from 87^th Street to 103^rd Street and the other from 115^th Street to 131^st Street. In addition to repaving, the repairs include better lane markings and divisions, and making street crossings safer and easier for people in wheelchairs or who otherwise have limited mobility.

“I’m happy that whenever the state makes road upgrades, it makes sidewalks and crossings more accessible,” Cunningham said. “Everyone should be able to safely travel through their own neighborhood.”

The Kedzie upgrades are part of IDOT’s multi-year plan to maintain and expand Illinois’ transportation infrastructure. Other area projects scheduled for the upcoming year include land acquisition at the corner of Southwest Highway and Harlem Avenue for future improvements and repainting the Harlem Avenue bridge over the Cal-Sag Channel.

CHICAGO – Legislation sponsored by State Senator Bill Cunningham that will help bring a casino to the city of Chicago and pump hundreds of millions of dollars into the city’s police and fire pension funds was signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker Tuesday.

“A Chicago casino has been years in the making, and I’m glad we were able to get this legislation over the finish line and make it a reality,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “This project will provide a major economic boost to the entire region and provide critical revenue to Chicago’s police and fire pension funds to help ensure our first responders get the retirement benefits they’ve earned.”

Senate Bill 516 makes various changes to the state’s gaming laws and will enable Chicago to open its long-sought casino. When fully operational, the casino is expected to funnel more than $200 million dollars a year to Chicago’s police and fire pension funds.

Shortly after taking his seat in the Illinois Senate in 2013, Cunningham introduced legislation that would have required the city of Chicago to dedicate future revenue to the city’s financially strapped police and fire pension funds.

As chief sponsor of Senate Bill 516, Cunningham was able to ensure the intent of his 2013 legislation remained in the law. The measure passed both the Senate and House with comfortable, bipartisan majorities. As a result, the taxes collected by the city on all slot machines and table games in the new casino will go exclusively to Chicago’s police and fire pensions.

“Although a Chicago casino seemed a long way away in 2013, it was critical to put a marker down then to help ensure it provided funding for Chicago’s police and fire pension systems,” Cunningham said. “This is going to provide a major investment in those pension funds, and, as an added bonus, it’s going to reduce the pressure placed on Chicago property taxes, which were the only source of revenue for police and fire pensions.”

Senate Bill 516 will take effect immediately.

CHICAGO – State Senator Bill Cunningham is pleased that the budget signed into law today by Gov. JB Pritzker funds critical services during the COVID-19 pandemic for Fiscal Year 2021.

“These are uncertain times, but the budget that was signed into law today will provide stability for the people of Illinois,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “It’s critical that we ensure the services Illinois families need remain available while our state recovers from this pandemic.”

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinois has seen record levels of unemployment, causing challenges for the state’s unemployment insurance system. In response, the budget provides nearly $60 million to the Illinois Department of Employment Security to help them respond to the increasing demand.

“The job losses we have seen over the last few months are unprecedented, and our unemployment system has struggled to keep up with skyrocketing claim numbers,” Cunningham said. “This funding is essential to protecting Illinois families during this crisis and providing workers with resources to get them back to work as soon as possible.”

The budget also provides significant investment in public health to help Illinois recover from COVID-19, including an additional $600 million for the Illinois Department of Public Health and an additional $400 million for local health departments throughout the state. The plan also includes a funding increase for Medicaid to ensure everyone can access the health care they need during this crisis.

“This budget recognizes the importance of supporting our state and local health departments as we guide Illinois through this emergency,” Cunningham said. “This additional funding will be critical to helping public health officials keep families safe.”

SPRINGFIELD – A measure cosponsored by State Senator Bill Cunningham that would expand protections and eligibility for benefits for first responders and other essential employees during the COVID-19 pandemic passed the Illinois Senate.

“These men and women are putting themselves at great risk to provide us with the critical services we need during this pandemic,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “We need to ensure that they have adequate protections should they get sick as a result of their work.”

Though worker’s compensation does not normally cover illness, these are not normal times. Senate Bill 2455 allows employees to qualify for workers’ compensation benefits if the they contract COVID-19. 

However, the legislation also creates a mechanism for employers to rebut their claims.

Employers may rebut this presumption by:

• Demonstrating that for at least 14 days prior to the date the employee claims injury, the workplace was following up-to-date public health guidelines appropriate to their type of business,
• Demonstrating that the employee in question was working from home for a period of at least 14 days prior to the injury claim,
• Or demonstrating that the employee was exposed to the virus by an alternative source outside the workplace.

The legislation also includes a similar rebuttable presumption for benefits provided to the families of Chicago police officers, firefighters and paramedics who die from COVID-19. Under the measure, it is presumed that they contracted the virus in the line of duty, affording their survivors with associated death benefits.

“Due to the nature of their work, our first responders are among those with the greatest risk of contracting COVID-19,” Cunningham said. “In the unfortunate case that a first responder passes from the virus as a result of their work, it’s essential that we make sure their family can access the benefits they are entitled to.”

The measure also makes changes to Illinois’ unemployment insurance system to help maximize the relief Illinois residents can receive from federal relief packages, including:

• Extending benefits until funding is no longer available from the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act.
• Waiving the one-week waiting period for claims related to COVID-19 until available funding under the CARES Act expires or the governor’s final disaster proclamation expires, whichever comes last.
• Not charging employers for unemployment benefits paid to a person whose unemployment is the result of COVID-19.
• Expanding unemployment insurance eligibility for non-instructional education employees, such as teacher’s aides and cafeteria workers.

“These provisions are critical to our residents’ ability to qualify for much needed funding from relief packages from the federal government,” Cunningham said. “I’m glad that the Senate was able to come together in a bipartisan fashion to get this done for our state.”

House Bill 2455 passed the Senate 50-4. 

CHICAGO – State Senator Bill Cunningham encouraged area restaurants, hotels and other small businesses to take advantage of new emergency assistance programs Monday.

“It’s been difficult to watch so many of our local businesses close due to the coronavirus outbreak,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “We need to do everything possible to help local businesses stay afloat during this pandemic.”

 Small business owners in Chicago will be able to take advantage of the Chicago Small Business Resiliency Fund, a $100 million program that will support low-interest loans of up to $50,000 for small businesses in Chicago.

CHICAGO – The school districts of Evergreen Park and Worth will be eligible to receive property tax relief thanks to a state grant program, State Senator Bill Cunningham announced Friday.

“One of the top issues in our state right now is the need to find new solutions to our sky high property tax rates,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “This program is a critical step toward bringing those rates down in some of the highest taxed school districts in Illinois.”

Evergreen Park Community High School District 231 will receive $668,831 in grant funding while Worth School District 127 will receive $866,277.