SPRINGFIELD– Thanks to State Senator Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago), Illinois will ease the financial and emotional burden of families paying for respectable funeral and burial services with the Funeral and Burial Assistance Act –an initiative she sponsored in honor of Mychal Moultry, Jr. and other children murdered by gun violence.

“We have a responsibility to the families in Illinois who go through the tremendous pain of burying their child after fatal gun incidents,” Collins said. “While we legislators continue to provide resources and opportunities that prevent and reduce the violence in our communities, we must support the victims of these crimes by streamlining the assistance process for those in need.”

The Funeral and Burial Assistance Act was signed into law by the governor Tuesday. Collins, who partnered with the Strength to Love Foundation to make this assistance a reality for qualifying families, has been an unwavering advocate for anti-violence efforts. As a beacon for public safety initiatives, Senator Collins played a critical role in the passage of legislation aimed at providing for families’ basic needs and investing in community-based initiatives that mitigate factors perpetuating criminal activity.

SPRINGFIELD– State Senator Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago) issued the following statement after the measure she supported banning public high schools from withholding transcripts and diplomas due to unpaid balances on a student’s account became law Friday:

“The value of our students should not be determined by the money they owe to their institutions, which is exactly what the practice of withholding students’ records due to an unpaid balance would suggest. Students are deserving of the documentation that shows they have completed their established requisites, and not having access to these records can interrupt a student’s learning path by blocking opportunities to higher education and job entry.”

“These kinds of insidious practices often occur without any state or federal mandate and primarily affect low-income and underserved students who struggle to pay these debts because of financial instability, making this an issue of equity. Continuing to allow a person’s pursuit of a stable future to be derailed by these expenses, which can be as low as $25, would be a great disservice to students, institutions and local economies alike.”

With this new law that took effect immediately, Illinois joins the ranks of few states, including California, Washington and Louisiana, taking a firm stance against barriers inhibiting students’ journeys toward success and personal security.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago) issued the following statement Tuesday in response to the majority opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court provisionally ruling to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade (1973) decision:

“I want to make this very clear: this proclamation is a vicious, deliberate attack on women –on poor women, on women of color, and on young women. The future we feared is here, and now is the time for clarity, intention and action. The highest court in the land is saying to women, ’You have no power.’ The highest court in the land is saying to women, ’You have no value.’ The highest court in the land is wrong, and we here in Illinois will stand for equity. We here in Illinois will always protect the reproductive freedoms of Illinoisans.”

“Today, that is not enough. In 2019, more than 7,000 non-residents came to our state to obtain legal, safe abortions –more than two times the number of women who sought refuge in 2014. We need more than just in-state protections. We must speak to the women of our nation sitting at home right now, paralyzed by pure terror. Here and now, let us reassure them that the state of Illinois will remain a beacon of hope. Illinois will not fail them.”

SPRINGFIELD – In response to the confirmation of the state’s budget for fiscal year 2023, State Senator Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago) issued the following statement:

“This year’s budget effectively demonstrates a commitment to reducing the violence in our neighborhoods and making meaningful reform to our systems for the purpose of correcting general disparities and discrimination. With significant allocations to the Reimagine Public Safety Act and funding for law enforcement training, license plate readers and body cameras, we will grow closer to a more equitable and stability-inducing state.”

CHICAGO – On the heels of State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-Chicago) passing  a plan to ban the production and distribution of ghost guns, President Joe Biden is set to unveil national policy to address the issue. 

“Although I’m proud to see this threatening issue be taken to the national stage, Illinois must act quickly to enact my legislation to ban the production and distribution of ghost guns.” Collins said. “We cannot allow fatal gun violence to continue to run rampant in our communities. HB 4383 tackles these issues at their source.”

With the alarming rise of gun violence in a number of Illinois communities, the existence of untraceable firearms has become a pressing public safety concern. Ghost guns are firearms that lack serial identification, and they are growing in popularity because of their ease of accessibility. Not only can they be ordered online, but they can also be purchased absent a background check or a FOID card, which is required to carry either a firearm or ammunition in Illinois.

SPRINGFIELD –Illinois Senate Democrats will outline a plan to crack down on the growing threat of unserialized firearms with legislation banning the production and distribution of “ghost guns”–a measure filed by State Senator Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago).

“My commitment to banning ghost guns and reducing violence in our state has not been, nor will it be, hindered by any obstacle, legislative or otherwise,” Collins said. “So long as we allow fatal gun violence to run rampant in our communities, we leaders do a disservice to the people we represent, and it is my goal to assure the state is tackling these issues at their source.”

With the alarming rise of gun violence in a number of Illinois communities, the existence of untraceable firearms has become a pressing public safety concern. Ghost guns are firearms that lack serial identification, and they are growing in popularity because of their ease of accessibility. Not only can they be ordered online, but they can also be purchased absent a background check or a FOID card, which is required to carry either a firearm or ammunition in Illinois.

SPRINGFIELD– State Senator Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago) reflects on the compliance of the Illinois Department of Insurance to investigate auto insurance charges during the pandemic.

“As a proud advocate for the prevention of predatory business practices, I am pleased the Illinois Department of Insurance responded to the demands of myself, my colleagues and advocacy organizations,” Collins said. “The investigation is the first step in facilitating accountability within our financial institutions.”

CHICAGO – Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago has named State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-Chicago) as its recipient of the 2022 Gale Cincotta Community Visionary Award for her many years of work improving urban neighborhoods.

NHS selected Collins for the award due to her recent success in reining in predatory lenders in lower-income communities, as well as her efforts to combat racial biases in mortgage lending.

“The unfortunate truth is that housing insecurity is most common in lower-income majority Black and Brown neighborhoods that were disadvantaged by decades of disinvestment and racist housing policies,” Collins said. “I’m proud that I’ve been able to help pass laws and put pressure on city and state leaders to turn these neighborhoods back into true communities that people are proud to call home.”