State Senator Mike Simmons will speak Wednesday on one of his first pieces of legislation, Senate Bill 2132, which would institute a child credit for Illinois state income taxes. Simmons said the $600-per-child credit for those making up to the median salary in Illinois is intended to supplement the robust COVID-recovery efforts approved through the federal American Rescue Plan.

“Everyone has grappled with grief and hardship over the past year due to COVID, and I think we need to acknowledge that for parents it has meant even more anxieties, sacrifices and unforeseen expenses,” Simmons said. “We talk a lot about economic recovery in the wake of the pandemic. That recovery needs to include an investment in our families.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Michael E. Hastings (D-Frankfort) will join Circuit Court Clerk Iris Y. Martinez for a press conference Wednesday to discuss shared legislative efforts to restore public trust and increase transparency in Cook County government.

Legislation currently awaiting consideration in the Senate, Senate Bill 583, would include the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County under the Local Records Act, providing greater transparency to the public regarding how the clerk’s office uses its public funds. The Circuit Court Clerk’s Office is a non-judicial office of the judiciary, and not a local government or public body currently subject to FOIA.

“As elected officials, part of our duty should be providing access to public records indicating our actions are in the best interest of the public,” Hastings said. “Clerk Martinez knows this better than most, having led on this issue when she was in the Senate. It is my privilege to follow that lead and partner with her to give Cook County taxpayers the ability to know exactly how their hard-earned money is being used to make their lives better.”

GENEVA – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced Monday that $7 million in local infrastructure funding will be distributed to local governments as part of the Rebuild Illinois Program, and State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago) is pleased to announce that the Village of Geneva, partnering with the City of St. Charles, will receive a portion of the funds. 

“Upgrading our roads will help accommodate local truck traffic in Geneva and ensure a safer driving experience for residents and visitors,” Villa said. “This critical infrastructure project will give our community the resources it needs to attract business, manage growth and improve local quality of life.”

This grant is made possible through IDOT’s Truck Access Route Program, which allows counties, municipalities and townships to apply for assistance in upgrading roads to accommodate 80,000-pound trucks and become designated truck routes. IDOT will provide the Village of Geneva with $320,600, which will be used for connecting Illinois Route 38 truck routes. 

“Illinois is the country’s transportation hub, with freight activity a cornerstone of the state’s economy,” said Acting Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “At IDOT, we want our local partners to have the necessary tools to manage traffic safely and spur even more job creation and economic growth.”

A complete list of projects can be viewed here.

BRACEVILLE – To improve public infrastructure in the Village of Braceville, State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Essex) secured a $454,165 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to help the village make much-needed improvements to stormwater drainage systems.

The Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced the Village of Braceville has been selected to receive CDBG funding for the east side of town storm water improvements. The grant is designed to assist low- to moderate-income communities with improvements that remove conditions detrimental to public health and safety.

“This grant helps the village continue to move forward with public infrastructure improvements,” Joyce said. “I applaud village officials on being proactive in applying for state funding opportunities, and I look forward to seeing this project develop.”

Throughout the grant application process, Joyce advocated on behalf of the village at the state level to help Braceville secure funding. Joyce believes this boost in funding will bring a welcome change to the community.

All grants this year are for water and sewer projects. To learn more about the CDBG program visit DCEO’s website.

CHAMPAIGN – The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced Monday that $7 million in local infrastructure funding will be distributed to local governments as part of the Rebuild Illinois program, and State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) is pleased to announce that Champaign County will receive a portion of those funds.

“Creating a designated truck route in Champaign County will not only help manage traffic, but will provide a safer driving experience,” Bennett said. “This funding will also boost jobs during these tough economic times and ensure our community has the necessary resources to attract business, regulate growth and improve local quality of life.”  

This grant is made possible through IDOT’s Truck Access Route Program, which allows counties, municipalities and townships to apply for assistance in upgrading roads to accommodate 80,000-pound trucks and become designated truck routes. IDOT will provide Champaign County with $900,000, which will be used for connecting U.S. 45 truck routes.

“Illinois is the country’s transportation hub, with freight activity a cornerstone of the state’s economy,” said Acting Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “At IDOT, we want our local partners to have the necessary tools to manage traffic safely and spur even more job creation and economic growth.”

The City of Danville also received $80,000 through the Rebuild Illinois program to fund the Fairchild Street project.

A complete list of projects can be viewed here.

ROMEOVILLE – State Senator John Connor (D-Lockport) spoke at a press conference held by the Southwest Suburban Immigrant Project at the VNA Health Care Clinic on Monday morning alongside State Representative Dagmara Avelar, Congressman Bill Foster and Congresswoman Marie Newman to help bring attention to vaccination sites sponsored by the organization in Will County.

“The Southwest Suburban Immigrant Project has been working hard to expand vaccine accessibility here in Will County,” Connor said. “Their focus on our Black and Brown communities has been vital to ensuring vaccine equity in our district and I couldn’t be more grateful for their efforts to keep our community safe.”

The Southwest Suburban Immigrant Project was founded in 2010 and has grown into a well-known advocacy group for immigrant residents in Will and DuPage counties. The organization has been especially active during the COVID-19 pandemic by helping keep community members up to date on the latest information about the pandemic and fighting for vaccine access for communities of color.

“Members of the SSIP are doing the work that helps get us to the other side of this pandemic,” said Connor. “I am grateful we have their dedication as we all work to protect all members of our community.”

Those wishing to learn more about the SSIP and their vaccination sites can find them on Facebook or visit their site at www.ssipchicago.org.

SPRINGFIELD – Today the Governor signed a new law sponsored by State Senator Rob Martwick (D-Chicago) that removed a provision in Illinois law that allowed the City of Chicago to underfund the Chicago Firefighter’s Pension System for more than 40 years.

“By signing this legislation, Gov. Pritzker has once again demonstrated his commitment to fiscal responsibility and protecting future generations of middle-class Chicagoans from massive tax increases,” Martwick said.  “If we ever hope to right our financial ship, we must finally put an end to the irresponsible behavior that put us here in the first place.  This law simply ensures that the city confronts the true costs of its pension obligations and makes the difficult decisions it needs to make today.”

The law removes the birth date restrictions that could have prevented thousands of firefighters born after Jan. 1, 1966 from receiving a 3% non-compounded annual cost of living increase in retirement. Two firefighters could have started on the force the same day but received different benefits based on their dates of birth.

Under the measure, any Chicago firefighter who is eligible for benefits and reaches 55 years of age – no matter what year they were born – would receive the 3% increase. In practice, firefighters who were born after 1966 have received the cost-of-living adjustment, but this measure ensures every firefighter does by law.

While the city claims the law is a benefit enhancement, Martwick says that is not the case.  

“For 45 years, the city has given every firefighter a higher benefit than was written into the law. This change makes the law comply with those four decades of practice to ensure the city budgets the appropriate amount for that benefit.”

Martwick also pointed out that the benefit in question is substantially lower for Chicago Firefighters than it is for every firefighter in every town, village and city in the rest of the state, and remains lower even after the passage of this law.

“Chicago firefighters have one of the hardest jobs in the world, yet they have a lower pension benefit.  That remains fundamentally unfair,” Martwick said. “However, this law at least ensures that their retirement assets do not continue to be systematically underfunded by the City of Chicago.”

House Bill 2451 of the 101^st General Assembly has been signed by the governor and passed into law.

CHICAGO – State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) is announcing that school districts in the 8^th Senate District will receive over $23 million in additional funding to help address the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I want to thank our local teachers, parents and students for their work during the pandemic and our state and national leaders for making this happen,” Villivalam said. “This year posed challenges on our educators, and I am confident that these extra funds will help them succeed in the upcoming school year.”

The funding comes as part of the most recent federal COVID-19 relief packages. Schools, students and parents have overcome challenges that no one could have imagined before the pandemic began, including remote and hybrid learning, digital connection issues, new processes for receiving state and federal aid that normally flow through schools, and more.

Local school districts are set to receive the following amounts:

The majority of the funding comes from the American Rescue Plan, which gives local schools a great deal of flexibility in how they can use the money over the next 3 ½ years. At least 20% of the funding must be used to address learning loss, but beyond that, school districts can use the money to address many different issues and costs. For example, it can be used to better equip schools for safe learning, to prevent layoffs, to address students’ social and emotional needs, to fund summer programs, or to ensure all students have access to reliable Wi-Fi and technology.

The State Board of Education, in collaboration with other state agencies that address education, has produced a guide for local school districts to help them decide how to best use their resources. While the guide and other state-sponsored services are completely voluntary, the state aims to support local districts during this difficult time.

In total, Illinois received nearly $7 billion to support local school districts.