SPRINGFIELD – According to the CDC, six in 10 young people and five in 10 adults consume a sugary drink each day. A measure by State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) to ensure kids’ meals have healthy beverage options as a default to combat the risk of health issues passed the Senate Tourism and Hospitality Committee Thursday.

“Improving the nutritional quality of restaurant children’s meals can help improve diet quality and cultivate lifelong healthy eating behaviors, which help children grow up healthier,” Hunter said. “If we can prevent children from having certain illnesses and behavioral issues, we should do everything in our power to do so.”

Senate Bill 1846 would require restaurants to provide healthier drink options to automatically come with children’s meals. Drinks could include water, sparkling water, unsweetened flavored water, unsweetened low-fat or non-fat milk, unsweetened non-dairy milk alternatives, or 100% fruit or vegetable juice.

Parents would still have the choice to ask for other types of beverages, like soda or lemonade, if they wish.

SB 1846 is an initiative of the Illinois Public Health Association to foster healthier eating with children.

A 2012 analysis reported that 33%of children eat foods or beverages from fast-food restaurants and 12 percent from full-service restaurants on a typical day. Americans spend almost half of their food budget on restaurant foods. Children eating out has been associated with higher consumption of calories, sugary drinks, saturated fat, and total sugars, and with lower diet quality compared to meals at home.

Frequently drinking sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with dozens of health issues, including weight gain/obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney diseases, non-alcoholic liver disease, tooth decay and cavities, and gout.

“Ensuring health for our children and future generations is something I am very passionate about, and I am proud to bring this groundbreaking legislation to our state,” Hunter said.

Senate Bill 1846 waits to be heard by the full Senate and can be tracked online here. A podcast on this bill can be heard here.

SPRINGFIELD – To help young adults improve their financial literacy, State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) moved legislation that would create the Equity through Financial Literacy Task Force from the Senate Human Rights Committee today.

“Knowing how to navigate complex financial systems is necessary for young adults to be successful,” Villanueva said. “We must be proactive in educating young people on how to stay safe from financial predators and how to overcome systemic barriers to capital.”

The task force would investigate how to best educate residents to maximize their income, avoid predatory practices and fines, and plan for their financial futures. Recommendations will focus on efforts to reduce economic disparities in historically disinvested groups.

In 2020, Americans reported an average of $1,634 in lost income due to a deficit in financial education. These costs are even more devastating to people of color, who have an average of $700,000 lower household wealth than white families.

The legislation, Senate Bill 1556, passed the Senate Human Rights Committee and awaits consideration before the full Senate.

Villanueva avanza para mejorar la educación financiera entre jóvenes adultos

SPRINGFIELD – Para ayudar a que los jóvenes adultos mejoren su educación financiera, la Senadora estatal Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) avanzó hoy una legislación que creará la Fuerza de Trabajo de la Equidad a través de la Educación Financiera en el Comité de Derechos Humanos del Senado.

“Saber cómo navegar el complejo Sistema financiero es necesario para el éxito de los jóvenes adultos,” dijo Villanueva. “Debemos ser proactivos en educar a los jóvenes sobre cómo no caer en manos de depredadores financieros y cómo superar las barreras sistémicas de acceso al capital.”

La fuerza de trabajo investigará la mejor manera de cómo educar a los residentes para maximizar su ingreso, evitar prácticas depredadoras y pagos por comisiones, y planear su futuro financiero. Las recomendaciones se enfocarán en los esfuerzos para reducir las disparidades económicas en grupos en los que históricamente no se ha invertido.

En 2020, los estadounidenses reportaron un promedio de $1,634 en ingresos perdidos debido a un déficit en su educación financiera. Estos costos son más devastadores entre gente de color, quienes promedian un nivel de riqueza acumulada por hogar inferior en $700,000 comparado con las familias blancas.

La legislación, SB 1556, fue aprobada por el Comité de Derechos Humanos y espera ser considerada por el pleno del Senado.

SPRINGFIELD – To better determine how the COVID-19 pandemic has harmed LGBTQIA+ communities in Illinois, State Senator Mike Simmons (D-Chicago) passed legislation out of an Illinois Senate committee Thursday that would require state agencies and hospitals to gather more specific data on age, sex, disability status, sexual orientation and gender identity when dealing with COVID-19 patients.

Simmons, the first openly gay member of the Illinois Senate, said visibility is the first step to ensuring justice in how services are delivered to these historically marginalized communities.

“For members of the LGBTQIA+ communities, who already disproportionately face challenges in getting medical care or sadly lack the support of family, COVID-19 has the potential to be even more devastating,” Simmons said. “We can’t protect these communities if we refuse to see them.”

SPRINGFIELD – To help working families facing housing insecurity, State Senator Ann Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) passed legislation Wednesday in the Senate Revenue Committee to encourage the development of quality, affordable housing units.

“We must be proactive in addressing the looming eviction crisis and building an equitable recovery,” Gillespie said. “Creating incentives in the housing market to produce affordable housing means better options and more stable lives for working and poor families across the state.”

The legislation would create a property tax abatement for affordable housing units. To receive it, property owners must commit to keeping rents for least 20 percent of their units at or below the maximum rent for 20 years. The bill would also require that the families renting those units be at or below maximum household income limits.

The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) would enforce the measure, and the measure would also require local governments to submit affordable housing plans to IHDA.

Senate Bill 2304 passed in the Senate Revenue Committee and awaits consideration before the full Senate.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) moved legislation from the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee that would lower broadband service charges for consumers.

“The pandemic has shown just how vital reliable access to internet is,” Villanueva said. “Working families must have affordable broadband options as jobs and education move online.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) is sponsoring a bill that creates an organ donation tax credit for private employers.

“Organ donors transform lives and reshape futures through selfless acts,” Morrison said. “I’m hopeful this measure will encourage more people to participate in the generous act they feel they have been called to do.”

The measure creates an optional organ donation tax credit for private employers. The credit is applicable if the employer allows its employees the option to take paid leave of absence for a minimum of 30 days for serving as an organ or bone marrow donor.

CHICAGO – A 2019 Dove study found that African American women face the highest instances of hair discrimination and are more likely to be sent home from the workplace because of their hair. State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) is working to ensure this will no longer be the case in Illinois.

“No one should have to miss out on a job opportunity or miss a school graduation because of the hair that grows naturally out of their head,” Hunter said. “It’s 2021. As a nation, we should be past this petty discrimination.”

Senate Bill 1847 – also known as the Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act – amends the Illinois Human Rights Act to provide that the term "race" includes traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks and twists.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Robert Martwick’s (D-Chicago) legislation that would create an elected Chicago Board of Education, starting with the 2022 primary election, passed the Senate Executive Committee Wednesday.

“This democratic step will allow the people of Chicago to vote on the school board members who make important decisions about their children’s future,” Martwick said. “Chicago parents deserve to take more control over the leaders in charge of their kids.”

Martwick’s legislation would create 20 school board member districts in order to ensure diversity and limit the influence of money on elections, while the board president would be elected at large. The board would initially be elected in the 2023 consolidated election for four year terms.