CHAMPAIGN – To support the many Illinoisans working and learning from home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign) is pleased to announce the Housing Authority of Champaign County has been selected to receive a state grant funding broadband advancements across the community.

“This pandemic has served as a reminder to residents just how crucial broadband access is,” Bennett said. “Many rural areas lack high-speed internet service, but this grant will enhance broadband accessibility and ensure those communities can stay connected.”

The Housing Authority of Champaign is one of 12 organizations to receive a grant from the Illinois Dept. of Commerce and Economic Opportunity through the Illinois Connected Communities program, created to help build broadband capacity in underserved areas.

In addition to an award of up to $15,000, the 12-month program provides free expert consultation to enable each Illinois Connected Community to complete a plan for expanding broadband that identifies actions to improve internet access in the areas of community and economic development, education, civic engagement, healthcare, agriculture, and more.

The program directs $150,000 in state-funded small grants for community and local government partners to help improve access to high-speed broadband in their communities. The state grants will be matched by $150,000 in philanthropic funds.

These grants will help lay the groundwork for individual communities to play a part in Connect Illinois, a $420 million program to bring basic internet access to all communities by 2024. Connect Illinois contemplates a second round of grants later this year.

PARK FOREST – A new state grant will expand access to high-speed internet for students and families in Park Forest-Chicago Heights School District 163, State Senator Patrick Joyce (D-Park Forest) announced Monday.

“People living in rural areas deserve reliable internet access,” Joyce said. “Especially during this pandemic, when working and learning from home has become the norm, it’s important that we expand broadband internet service so no community is left behind.”

The Park Forest-Chicago Heights School District 163 is one of 12 organizations to receive a grant from the Illinois Dept. of Commerce and Economic Opportunity through the Illinois Connected Communities program, created to help build broadband capacity in underserved areas.

In addition to an award of up to $15,000, the 12-month program provides free expert consultation to enable each Illinois Connected Community to complete a plan for expanding broadband that identifies actions to improve internet access in the areas of community and economic development, education, civic engagement, healthcare, agriculture, and more.

The program directs $150,000 in state-funded small grants for community and local government partners to help improve access to high-speed broadband in their communities. The state grants will be matched by $150,000 in philanthropic funds.

These grants will help lay the groundwork for individual communities to play a part in Connect Illinois, a $420 million program to bring basic internet access to all communities by 2024. Connect Illinois contemplates a second round of grants later this year.

Calls for more action to end maternal mortality crisis among women of color

CHICAGO – State Senator Jacqueline Collins again called for action to end the culture of prejudice, discrimination and dismissal in the medical community that has contributed to the death of women like New York mother Sha-Asia Washington, a Black woman who died in childbirth last week at age 26.

“The events of this year prove that we are in a fight for the life of every mother like Sha-Asia Washington on every front,” Collins said. “We are fighting for Black women like Patricia Frieson of Chicago, who was the first in Illinois to die of COVID-19. We are saying ‘Black Lives Matter’ in the streets, but we need it to mean something in the hospital and the doctor’s office.”

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.

ELGIN – In the height of the coronavirus pandemic and global protests against systemic racism, State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) said a recent news story about the death of Sha-Asia Washington, a 26-year old Black mother who died during an emergency C-section, shows the importance of not being distracted from other crises that vulnerable communities are still facing.

“My heart goes out to Sha-Asia Washington, her now motherless daughter Khloe, their families, and to anyone else who has ever suffered the unimaginable tragedy of losing a mother due to complications from pregnancy,” Castro said. “Their tragedy is the latest in a long history of them. We must act now to fight the systemic inequalities that cause the terrible infant and maternal mortality among women of color in America.”

According to the Center for Disease Control, Black mothers die from pregnancy related causes at a rate two to three times higher than white mothers. In cities like New York, where Sha-Asia Washington died, Black mothers die at a rate 12 times higher.

“This is a reminder that in the 21st Century, with all of our modern medicine, Black and brown mothers are dying during childbirth at a higher rate than white women, just as they are more likely to die in virtually every other situation, from interactions with police to COVID-19 infection,” Castro said. “We need to protect women of color. We need to do better.”

In the spring of 2019, Castro sponsored legislation in the Senate addressing the issue of maternal mortality. The bill contained insurance coverage expansions, post-partum follow up procedures, and added emphasis to high-risk mothers and babies. Though it passed the Senate, it stalled in the House. Castro intends to refile the language of the original bill as an amendment to Senate Bill 3024.

“My original bill addressing these issues passed through the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support, so it’s clear that the desire to fix these problem is there,” Castro said. “It is imperative that when the legislature returns to Springfield, we work to provide the long-overdue answers to this crisis once and for all by passing Senate Bill 3024.”

The amendment has not yet been filed.

BUNKER HILL - State Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) is encouraging small Central Illinois nonprofits that specialize in food and housing assistance to apply for grants under the state’s Charitable Trust Stabilization Fund, a biannual program administered by the Illinois State Treasurer’s office intended to support nonprofits across the state with annual budgets of $1 million or less.

The Treasurer’s office recently announced that it will double the number of recipients for the fall 2020 grant cycle in response to challenges related to COVID-19.

“The Charitable Trust grant opportunity comes at a critical time for the nonprofit sector in my district, which is largely made up of small, community-based groups that consistently make a profound impact on already modest budgets,” Manar said. “However, the pandemic has caused unforeseen financial shortfalls, while simultaneously deepening the need for food and housing support.”

The Charitable Trust Stabilization Fund will offer a total of $375,000 to be split between 30 nonprofits. The maximum award amount is $12,500 for each organization.

Applications will be accepted from July 1 through Sept. 30 in two categories: Food Programs and Housing Programs.

“Any eligible Central Illinois nonprofit that needs assistance with the application process should reach out to my office directly,” Manar said. “My staff and I stand ready to help as best we can.”

Applicants will need to complete the online application in full, including all requested documents and forms, at ilcharitabletrust.com. Applicants without access to a computer or the internet should contact the Treasurer’s office at (217) 836-4590.

CHICAGO – With workers facing high rates of unemployment, Assistant Majority Leader Iris Y. Martinez (D-Chicago) encouraged local organizations who work in the area of youth unemployment to take advantage of the extended Aug. 3 application deadline for the Illinois Youth Investment Program.

“Many of our newest workers are surviving paycheck to paycheck as the pandemic continues,” Martinez said. “For organizations that support underserved young people, these grants are an opportunity to help more those who need it the most.”

The Illinois Youth Investment Program, administered by the Department of Human Services, supports at-risk youth who are seeking long-term career employment. Providers interested in serving young people in their area can apply for grants online at DHS’ website.

Grants are awarded to providers who can assist at-risk youth with short-term, long-term and industry-specific career development opportunities. In addition to employment support, IYIP also provides participants with support services for their physical, emotional, social and mental health needs. Questions about IYIP and other DHS grants can be answered online or by calling 800-843-6154.

ROCKFORD – Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) wants to make sure Rockford area residents are aware that the secretary of state has extended the date to renew driver’s licenses, identification cards, and license plate stickers, in an effort to reduce heavy customer volume at driver services facilities and ensure current documents remain valid.

“Secretary of State Jesse White has decided to extend expiration dates for licenses, IDs, and vehicle registrations until Nov. 1,” Stadelman said. “This will give residents additional time throughout the summer and fall to renew their important documents.”

Many transactions, including renewing license plate stickers, can be done online, preventing people from waiting in line.

“During this current heat wave, I would suggest residents consider delaying their visit to a facility. But if you must visit a facility, please come prepared to wait outside due to social distancing, which limits the number of people inside a facility at one time,” Secretary of State Jesse White said.

Through July 31, driver services facilities are serving only new drivers, customers with expired driver’s licenses and ID cards, and vehicle transactions. Customers who must visit a facility to renew their driver’s license or ID card are encouraged to fill out the preregistration application here before their visit, which will speed up their transaction while at the facility.