BURBANK — With support from State Senator Mike Porfirio, the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs launched the 2023 Operation Rising Spirit campaign to encourage service organizations, schools, communities and individuals to write letters of appreciation to former service members currently residing in veterans’ homes across the state.

“Writing letters for our veterans is a simple, yet meaningful way to honor their dedicated service and bring joy and comfort during the holiday season,” said Porfirio (D-Lyons Township). “These letters serve as a gesture of support, combating feelings of isolation that so many of our veterans experience during the holidays.”

Operation Rising Spirit initially launched in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to support residents who were unable to visit friends and family. The campaign was successful in encouraging veterans and facilitated their connection with the community. During the 2022 holiday season, IDVA distributed over 5,000 letters to veterans in the state’s care.

BURBANK— Last week a Chicago Public Schools teacher in Garfield Ridge was murdered. Days later, the alleged killer attacked and shot an Illinois State Police officer in Springfield, leaving the officer critically wounded.

In response, State Senator Mike Porfirio released the following statement regarding the urgency to take action and pass legislation to prevent situations like these from occurring in the future:

“I am devastated by the tragic shooting that occurred in our district, resulting in the loss of a valued public servant and member of our community. The murder of Adrianna Lopez in such a cruel and violent manner is unacceptable. We owe it to Ms. Lopez’s memory to take concrete steps to prevent similar tragedies from occurring.

SPRINGFIELD –Military service members who are survivors of sexual misconduct will now be more protected thanks to a new law sponsored by State Senator Mike Porfirio, a Navy Veteran, and State Representative Stephanie Kifowit, a Marine Corps Veteran.

“Survivors of sexual assault must receive all the protections they deserve,” said Porfirio (D-Lyons Township). “Service members sacrifice their lives for the protection of our country, the least we can do is ensure that they are protected as well.”

The law ensures that Illinois National Guard and reserve military service members who are survivors of non-consensual sexual conduct and have received a military protective order are also protected under the state’s civil no contact and stalking no contact orders.

“Military sexual assault is a real problem that can have long-term safety risks and consequences for victims,” Representative Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego) said. “I have been focused on aligning our laws to ensure that survivors receive the protections they deserve, not just from a military judge, but from the state they live in as well.”

In 2022, close to 36,000 service members reported experiencing unwanted sexual contact. Broken down further, the numbers equate to 8.4% of women at nearly 16,000 service members and 1.5% of men at nearly 15,000 service members. Porfirio’s measure will align Illinois laws to ensure that survivors receive protection from both the military and the state.

“Service members who have tragically dealt with unwanted and unwarranted advances deserve the peace of mind that the state will protect them,” said Porfirio. “Everyone deserves to be protected, including those who protect us abroad.”

House Bill 3103 was signed on Monday and goes into effect immediately.

SPRINGFIELD – Military service members and the Department of Revenue will see improvements when it comes to requesting and processing sales tax exemptions, thanks to a new law sponsored by State Senator Mike Porfirio.

“There are many sacrifices that our service men and women have made and they deserve any appreciation we can give them,” said Porfirio (D-Lyons Township). “This legislation removes the burden on our service members and provides them with a simpler way to receive this sales tax exemption.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mike Porfirio sponsored a measure that will expand the Residential Sound Insulation Program Advisory Committee by two members. It was signed into law Friday, June 30.

“By adding more members to the committee, additional insight will be provided when making suggestions to municipalities,” said Porfirio (D-Lyons Township). “The goal is to ensure that affected areas have adequate representation.”

Currently, municipalities can establish Residential Sound Insulation Programs to mitigate the impacts of aircraft noise and pollution on neighboring homes by replacing residential windows and monitoring the off-gassing of those replacements. At least 10% of window replacements must go to homes that are considered in extreme hardship.

The committee is currently comprised of nine members who monitored the various municipal programs and had the authority to determine which homes contain windows or doors that cause offensive odors and are thus eligible for replacement. Porfirio’s measure will add two additional members to the board.

“The city of Chicago has sound insulated more than 21,000 homes near O’Hare and Midway airports,” said Porfirio. “With more feedback from additional members, a quieter environment and better quality of life can be achieved.”

The governor signed House Bill 3722 on Friday, June 30, which takes effect immediately.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mike Porfirio helped spearhead a measure through the Senate making significant strides to expand the AIM HIGH Grant Pilot Program.

“Making the AIM HIGH program permanent will have profound impacts for our universities and residents,” said Porfirio (D-Lyons Township). “This program gives our residents more in-state opportunities to pursue higher education.”

The Aspirational Institutional Match Helping Illinois Grow Higher Education (AIM HIGH) has provided merit-based, means-tested student financial aid to first-time, full-time undergraduate students and transfer students who are Illinois residents attending any of the 12 Illinois public four-year universities since 2019.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mike Porfirio helped spearhead a measure through the Senate making significant strides to expand the AIM HIGH Grant Pilot Program.

“Making the AIM HIGH program permanent will have profound impacts for our universities and residents,” said Porfirio (D-Lyons Township). “This program gives our residents more in-state opportunities to pursue higher education.”

The Aspirational Institutional Match Helping Illinois Grow Higher Education (AIM HIGH) has provided merit-based, means-tested student financial aid to first-time, full-time undergraduate students and transfer students who are Illinois residents attending any of the 12 Illinois public four-year universities since 2019.

House Bill 301 makes the AIM HIGH Grant Pilot Program permanent, increases transparency in the program to allow more students to take advantage of it, increases access for part-time students and makes changes to the matching requirements for the public universities.

SPRINGFIELD – In an effort to provide greater protections for military service members who are survivors of sexual misconduct, State Senator Mike Porfirio, a Navy veteran, and State Representative Stephanie Kifowit, a Marine Corps veteran, partnered to advance House Bill 3103 through the Senate.

“Survivors of sexual assault must receive all the protections they deserve,” said Porfirio (D-Lyons Township). “Service members sacrifice their lives to defend our country; the least we can do is ensure that they are protected as well.”

The proposal ensures that Illinois National Guard and reserve military service members who are survivors of non-consensual sexual conduct and have received a military protective order are also protected under the state’s civil no-contact and stalking no-contact orders.