CHICAGO – State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) is calling for the Chicago Police Department to apologize for the murders of Fred Hampton and Mark Clark in 1969.

“The murders of Fred Hampton and Mark Clark were violent and brutal acts by the Chicago Police Department. Though it happened more than 50 years ago, Black Americans are still waiting for justice and accountability,” Van Pelt said. “How are Black and Brown Americans ever expected to trust the police when they got away with murder, and continue to do so?”

CHICAGO – With the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, an increasing number of families depend on federally funded nutrition programs, leading State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) to educate child care centers about the upcoming Child and Adult Care Food Program and the resources it will help provide.

“This pandemic has proven to be a time of struggle for many. I am happy this program will continue, so our children never have to go hungry,” Van Pelt said.

In addition to child care centers, Head Start programs, emergency shelters and day care home providers will be eligible for the funding, which will offer healthy meals to children.

People in households who participate in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are also eligible to receive free meal benefits. Families that don’t receive TANF or SNAP benefits eligibility will be determined by the USDA Household Income Eligibility Guidelines.

A member of the household should contact their child care center or day care home provider to learn about benefits of the CACFP if their household’s income falls within or below the listed guidelines. They may be required to complete an application and provide income, TANF or SNAP information.

Children enrolled in Head Start or Early Head Start programs at approved Head Start facilities, and foster care children who are legal responsibilities of the state or court also receive free meal assistance. To find out if they participate in CACFP, parents or guardians should contact their child care center or day care home provider.

How to apply:

• Child care institutions can learn more and apply for the program here: https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Nutrition-and-Wellness-Child-Care-Institutions.aspx

• Family day care homes can learn more here: https://www.isbe.net/Pages/Family-Day-Care-Homes.aspx

• Those interested in the adult care portion of the program can visit: https://www2.illinois.gov/aging/programs/Pages/Child-and-Adult-Care-Food-Program-(CACFP).aspx

CHICAGO – July 3, yet another Black woman fell victim to the inequities of the American health system. Sha-Asia Washington was only 26 when she died during an emergency C-section after delivering her baby girl at Bedford-Stuyvesant hospital in New York. Exhausted by repeated tragic headlines regarding maternal mortality, State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) is pleading for a deeper change in the health care system.

“Sha-Asia died as she was trying to create a new life,” Van Pelt said. “The doctors failed her. The health care system failed her. How many more Black mothers have to die before we begin to take maternal mortality seriously?”

An independent autopsy confirmed that Sha-Asia died from a heart attack caused by the epidural she was given, despite her objections to it. Her unjust death inflamed a protest in Bed-Stuy.

“Sha-Asia had a whole life ahead of her – her baby’s life, a proposal she’ll never get to hear, a marriage she’ll never experience,” Van Pelt said. “The doctors in this country have to do better. Listen to Black women. Believe us when we tell you we’re in pain, or when we say enough is enough.”

Black women are two to three times more likely to die than white women who suffer from maternal complications.

Illinois recently established a task force and created laws to address some of the issues relating to maternal mortality and how it disproportionately affects Black women. Van Pelt and her colleagues will continue to push for legislation that prevents more Black women from suffering the same fate as Sha-Asia.

CHICAGO – Over the past several weeks, Chicago has seen gun violence rates higher than they’ve been in 60 years. In response to the violence, State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) released the following statement:

“I am incredibly disheartened by all the bloodshed that has occurred in our city. Too many lives have been lost these past few weeks. Our children deserve to live in their communities without fear. Our children deserve to live in areas where their zip code won’t determine their livelihoods.

CHICAGO – July 1 marked the second phase of Illinois’ minimum wage increase, which State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) said will help workers as they navigate the complications of life during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Working class citizens have been waiting for their fair due for too long,” Van Pelt said. “People should not have to worry about earning a reasonable income, especially during a global pandemic.”

Starting this month, the state’s minimum wage increases to $10 per hour. This is the second in a series of increases required by a law passed in 2019 (the first was back in January at $9.25 an hour). The wage will continue to increase by $1 every Jan. 1 until 2025, when it reaches $15 per hour.

Communities like Cook County and Chicago have already set higher minimum wages. The city of Chicago’s minimum wage also increased on July 1 to $13.50 per hour for small employers (those with four to 20 employees) and $14 per hour for large employers (those with 21 or more employees).

Carol Washington, a workforce coordinator in the 5^th District, says this increase is long overdue.

“The minimum wage we’ve been forced to work under has not provided a livable wage for many,” Washington said. “It’s very difficult when your wage remains the same while the cost of living is going up and up.”

Washington also addressed the pushback from business leaders who have advocated for the bill to be rescinded due to the pandemic and its associated financial adversities:

“Businesses get bailed out all the time. People don’t,” Washington said. “While I do empathize with them, the rest of us often get left behind. When things were good, when there was prosperity – we were not thought of. Now is the time for them to put their feet to the fire and continue moving in the right direction.”

CHICAGO – State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) joined Gov. Pritzker and members of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucuses to announce new grants that will help businesses that have faced extreme hardship due to COVID-19-related closures.

“Many business owners fear that they have suffered past the point of recovery because they have done the right thing and closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” Van Pelt said. “But I am hopeful that these grants will help alleviate that damage and ensure these local businesses can look forward to a day when this crisis is behind us.”

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is directing the Business Interruption Grants (BIG) program, which allocates $636 million toward new grant initiatives. The first round of BIG grants is valued at $60 million and aims to offset the costs that businesses acquired during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as recent civil unrest. Grants are broken down by type of business as follows:

• Businesses in Disproportionately Impacted Areas (DIAs) with Recent Significant Property Damage
  • 1,000 grants of $20,000.
• Bars and Restaurants
  • 1,000 grants of $20,000.
  • 50% of grants will go to businesses in DIAs.
• Barbershops and Salons
  • 1,000 grants of $10,000.
  • 50% of grants will go to businesses in DIAs.
• Fitness Centers
  • 500 grants of $20,000.
  • 30% of grants will go to businesses in DIAs.

Applications for these programs will open Monday, June 22 on the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) website and will remain open for 7-14 days. One week after the application period closes, grant administration partners will begin reaching out to recipients.

CHICAGO – Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) urged voters to practice social distancing measures while casting their ballot this fall under an expansion of Illinois' vote by mail program signed into law today by Governor JB Pritzker.

“In the midst of the pandemic, we wanted to make sure everyone had the option the vote safely,” Van Pelt said. “Voting is crucial to maintaining a functional democracy, and we can’t allow this pandemic to disrupt our self-governance.”

Senate Bill 1863 ensures that every Illinoisan who has voted within the last two years will be sent a vote by mail application for the 2020 election. Under this legislation, voters may register online to automatically request a vote by mail ballot, rather than having to apply.

Furthermore, early voting and Election Day hours will be extended. Election authorities will be required to expedite ballots, so that voters are guaranteed enough time to vote.

In addition, Election Day 2020 will become a state holiday, helping ensure that every voter has the opportunity to cast their vote.

“This election will be the most important of our lifetime,” Van Pelt said. “With these new measures, I am hopeful that Illinois will see a turnout like never before.”

Voters are now able to apply for an absentee ballot, and can register here.

CHICAGO – Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) issued the following statement today as the Governor signed the budget for the upcoming fiscal year:

“Many are suffering grave misfortunes due to COVID-19, and it’s crucial that the state budget provides all the support possible to the organizations that need it now more than ever.

“I am glad that the governor stands with the General Assembly, and signed a budget that safeguards funding for the schools, universities, non-profits and the social service programs that are essential to our communities.

“The people and the organizations that are most vulnerable will get the support they need, with an additional $600 million for affected businesses, and an additional $600 million for the Department of Public Health, all while protecting education from any budget cuts.

“The Community Care Program will get another $28 million, which is just one way this budget aims to protect the elderly, one of the populations worst affected by the coronavirus.

“This budget acknowledges that we are in a crisis while balancing the needs of the people with state resources and available opportunities from the federal government. I look forward to organizations getting the relief they need.”