CHICAGO – State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. received the Good Government Award from the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation Thursday for his advocacy to fund legal aid programs – helping more than 2.3 million Illinois residents seek justice.

“Our government’s primary responsibility is to protect the rights of all people and I am proud to advocate for greater state funding for civil legal aid and the IEJF to live up to this basic responsibility,” said Sims (D-Chicago). “Through its grant making, IEJF champions the legal needs of our most underserved communities to ensure everyone is protected by our civil justice system.”

Sims received the award Thursday at the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation’s 25th Anniversary Celebration – which highlighted more than two decades of powering Illinois’ legal aid system.

The group has awarded more than $82 million in state-funded grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 2.3 million Illinois families, seniors, children in custody cases, veterans, and people victimized by the criminalization of cannabis. As the Senate’s lead budget negotiator, Sims has been instrumental in securing funding for the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation over recent years.

“When the IEJF started, it was just a one-person organization overseeing a half-million-dollar state appropriation for civil legal aid,” said Keith Emmons, the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation’s board president. “Twenty five years later, we have now grown into a major funder of civil legal aid programs in Illinois, a trusted partner of the state of Illinois, and a national leader in bringing innovative legal aid resources to underserved communities.”

Sims will continue to fight for investments into legal aid programs to help residents in all corners of the state receive the legal aid they need.