ELGIN – On Tuesday, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill expanding the state’s vote-by-mail program. State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) supported the measure to help safeguard the health and safety of voters.

“Even though we are in unprecedented times and a lot of us are taking things one day at a time, there are many aspects of our lives that will not wait for the coronavirus pandemic to end, and voting is one of them,” Castro said. “Election Day is coming, and people are going to want to vote, so we need to make sure that they can do so without risking their health or the health of their loved ones.”

The expansion of vote-by-mail came as part of a larger election package legislators passed during a special session earlier this spring to addressing COVID-19 concerns. The new law will require local election authorities to automatically send vote-by-mail applications to everyone who voted in the 2018 general, 2019 consolidated or 2020 primary elections, or who registered to vote after the 2020 primary.

The package also establishes Election Day as a state holiday in 2020, to allow schools to be used as polling locations and to help recruit more high school students as election judges, since many of those who frequently serve as election judges are senior citizens, and thus at higher risk in light of the COVID-19 pandemic..

“Voting is one of the most essential rights we have as citizens, and we should always be working to make it easier to vote, not harder,” Castro said.

The law is effectively immediately and applies only to the 2020 general election.

CHICAGO – State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) joined Gov. Pritzker and members of the Black, Latino and Asian Caucuses to announce new grants that will help businesses that have faced extreme hardship due to COVID-19-related closures.

“Many business owners fear that they have suffered past the point of recovery because they have done the right thing and closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” Van Pelt said. “But I am hopeful that these grants will help alleviate that damage and ensure these local businesses can look forward to a day when this crisis is behind us.”

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is directing the Business Interruption Grants (BIG) program, which allocates $636 million toward new grant initiatives. The first round of BIG grants is valued at $60 million and aims to offset the costs that businesses acquired during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as recent civil unrest. Grants are broken down by type of business as follows:

• Businesses in Disproportionately Impacted Areas (DIAs) with Recent Significant Property Damage
  • 1,000 grants of $20,000.
• Bars and Restaurants
  • 1,000 grants of $20,000.
  • 50% of grants will go to businesses in DIAs.
• Barbershops and Salons
  • 1,000 grants of $10,000.
  • 50% of grants will go to businesses in DIAs.
• Fitness Centers
  • 500 grants of $20,000.
  • 30% of grants will go to businesses in DIAs.

Applications for these programs will open Monday, June 22 on the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) website and will remain open for 7-14 days. One week after the application period closes, grant administration partners will begin reaching out to recipients.

DECATUR – To support Decatur’s frontline health workers leading the fight against COVID-19, State Senator Andy Manar (D-Bunker Hill) partnered with John Deere, the United Auto Workers, and the Illinois Manufacturers Association today to deliver 350 face shields to Crossing Healthcare.

“Crossing Healthcare is extremely grateful to Senator Manar and the team at John Deere for their generous donation of 350 face shields to our clinic. These face shields will allow our medical providers to continue to provide COVID testing and ongoing care to the community,” said Crossing Healthcare CEO Tanya Andricks. “Supporting community health centers in this way means supporting our mission and values. At a time when health disparities are being exposed, Crossing Healthcare will continue to work diligently to fill those gaps for everyone. We are glad to be joined in these efforts by Senator Manar and John Deere.”

Crossing Healthcare is a Federally Qualified Health Center that provides primary outpatient medical care to Macon and surrounding Counties. It is one of two COVID-19 testing sites serving the Decatur Community, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health website.

“Crossing Healthcare is integral to Decatur’s COVID-19 response. We wanted to find a way to support the efforts of Tanya Andricks and the Crossing staff as they continue provide high quality primary care and health services, while also serving as a leading testing hub in this community,” Manar said. “Thank you to John Deere, the United Auto Workers, and the Illinois Manufacturers Association for their partnership.”

Personal protective equipment prices are volatile due to the current shortage, and some providers have struggled to acquire adequate supplies.

Face shields are a type of personal protective equipment used by medical personnel that protect the wearer's entire face from hazards such as flying objects, chemical splashes, or potentially infectious materials.

CHICAGO – Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood) and State Senator Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago) joined Gov. Pritzker and small business owners to announce new grants that will help businesses that have been particularly harmed by closures to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Black and Latino communities are the hardest hit by COVID-19, another symptom of the disease that is racism in our country,” Leader Lightford said. “Working families who have yet to receive a proper pay day have struggled to maintain during this time. Our small business built in our local communities by the people who care about them the most were forced to shut down and were damaged by individuals who exploited our pain for personal gain. They need a government that will work for them without hesitation.”

The Business Interruption Grants (BIG) program is a $636 million initiative administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). The first round of BIG grants, valued at $60 million, will offset the costs that businesses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic and recent civil unrest. Grants are broken down by type of business as follows:

• Businesses in Disproportionately Impacted Areas (DIAs) with Recent Significant Property Damage
  • 1,000 grants of $20,000.
• Bars and Restaurants
  • 1,000 grants of $20,000.
  • 50% of grants will go to businesses in DIAs.
• Barbershops and Salons
  • 1,000 grants of $10,000.
  • 50% of grants will go to businesses in DIAs.
• Fitness Centers
  • 500 grants of $20,000.
  • 30% of grants will go to businesses in DIAs.

DCEO will publish a full list of eligible costs and losses that can be covered by the BIG program. Applications for these programs will open Monday, June 22 on the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) website and will remain open for 7-14 days. One week after the application period closes, grant administration partners will begin reaching out to recipients. Priority will be given to businesses in DIAs.

CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker today signed legislation ensuring that all Illinoisans will be able to safely cast their ballots in the November election.

“Given the COVID-19 pandemic, my colleagues and I worked to find ways to keep people from congregating in enclosed spaces, standing in long lines for hours, or otherwise risking their health in order to exercise their right to vote,” said State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago), a chief co-sponsor of the measure. “By designating Election Day as a state holiday and creating an expansive vote-by-mail program, it will allow a greater number of people the opportunity to vote without having to worry about missing work or school.”

Under the new law, those who voted within the last two years or registered to vote after the 2020 primary election will be receiving an application for a vote-by-mail ballot. Additionally, it designates Election Day 2020 as a state holiday, allows for drive-by voting, extends early voting, and allows more people to serve as election judges.

People who aren’t automatically sent an application will still be able to apply for a vote-by-mail ballot through the State Board of Elections’ website.

“Allowing people to vote by mail or go in person to vote early are two great options to allow people to maintain a safe physical distance from each other,” Villivalam said. “Participation in the election process shouldn’t be a life or death decision.”

The law, Senate Bill 1863, takes effect immediately.

GRAYSLAKE – State Senator Melinda Bush (D-GRAYSLAKE) lent her support to a new law, signed on Tuesday, that will make voting by mail much easier for Lake County residents in the interest of a safer November election.

“Elections are the cornerstone of our democracy,” Bush said. “During this pandemic, we want to make sure people can exercise their civic duty safely by minimizing risk of exposure to COVID-19.”

Under this new law, any person who has voted in the past two years will receive an application for a vote by mail ballot in their mailbox. Voters who cast a ballot in the 2018 General Election, 2019 Consolidated Election or 2020 Primary Election, as well as those who have already registered to vote after the 2020 Primary Election, are due to receive the application.

Election authorities are expected to mail out applications no later than Aug. 1, so people can expect their applications in early August. They can also expect to receive periodic reminders from the Secretary of State’s Office to submit their application.

However, people who aren’t automatically sent an application will still have the chance to apply for a ballot through the State Board of Elections’ website. Vote by mail applications must be received by the Election Authority by October, 29, 2020. The form can be filled out and mailed to your election commission, or will include instructions for making the request electronically.

Voters can still go to the polls in person on Election Day.

Senate Bill 1863 also establishes Election Day as a state holiday in 2020, to allow schools to be used as polling locations and to help recruit more high school students as election judges, since many of those who frequently serve as election judges are senior citizens, and thus at higher risk in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This Election Day will be an excellent opportunity for students to participate in the democratic process,” Bush said. “Their contributions will help ensure polling places can stay open during this unusual election cycle.”

This legislation was signed into law on Tuesday and is effective immediately.

ELGIN – With the launch of the next phase of the Illinois Department of Transportation’s “Life or Death Illinois” campaign, State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) is taking time to remember people who lost their lives in traffic accidents and urges others to do the same.

“It’s important to consider that traffic fatalities are not just statistics on a page. They are real people,” Castro said. “Each one is a unique individual with a rich, vibrant life story who left behind family and friends who miss them dearly every day. We need to remember these individuals, not just in how their life impacted those around them, but how their death did as well.”

IDOT started Life or Death Illinois in 2018 with the goal of reducing traffic injuries and fatalities, with a specific focus on motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, seatbelt use, safe driving in work zones, and not driving while impaired or distracted. In 2019, there were 26 fewer deaths on Illinois roads than the previous year.

“Traffic accidents do not discriminate. They can happen to anyone at any time, and in an instant, an entire family’s life is changed forever,” Castro said.

Visit lifeordeathillinois.com to follow the campaign or share stories of lives lost.

CHICAGO – With the state’s blood supply declining rapidly in light of blood drive cancellations during the COVID-19 pandemic, State Senator Jacqueline Collins (D-Chicago) called on healthy, eligible African-Americans in Illinois to step up and donate blood when they can.

“The Black community is in particular need of this help, especially in light of the prevalence of diseases like sickle cell anemia among African-Americans,” Collins said.

Sickle cell patients are at particularly high risk of serious complications from coronavirus infection. Patients with sickle cell disease depend on transfusions from donors with closely matched blood – beyond the A, B, O and AB types – to reduce the risk of complications.

According to the American Red Cross, each donation center is required to follow the highest standards of safety and infection control, and additional precautions – including social distancing and face coverings for donors and staff – have been implemented to ensure the health of all those in attendance.

Red Cross blood centers have seen donations by African-Americans drop by more than 50% since the novel coronavirus outbreak began in March.

“The most vulnerable members of our community need our help,” Collins said. “If you are healthy and able, please step up and help fill this need.”

Many blood centers throughout the state have extended their operating hours to meet the critical need for donations. To make an appointment to donate blood with the Red Cross, residents can visit www.RedCrossBlood.org or call 800-733-2767.