SPRINGFIELD — Assistant Majority Leader Iris Y. Martinez (D-Chicago) released the following statement today as thousands continue to protest Puerto Rico’s governor after leaked text messages uncovered crude, sexist and homophobic remarks made by him and others:

“I’m truly disappointed in the disparaging remarks made by Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello and his allies towards females, members of the LGBTQ community and our beloved island, among other things.

“Let’s be clear, sexist and homophobic slurs don’t have a place in our public discourse and only belittle the positions we’re elected to serve. Our Puerto Rican brothers and sisters are angry, disappointed and feel disrespected by their government, and these feelings shouldn’t be ignored.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) passed a measure into law last week to help families in extreme poverty meet their basic needs.

House Bill 3129 eliminates the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) full family sanction. The TANF program provides monthly grants to help families meet their basic needs, including rent, utilities, clothing, personal hygiene products, diapers, transportation and more. Eligible families sometimes may receive a sanction, which suspends a TANF grant, when an adult does not meet certain participation requirements.

The measure, sponsored by Hunter and Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago), would designate 75 percent of a family’s TANF benefit as the children portion that cannot be cut for any reason. When sanctioning, the remaining 25 percent is considered the parent’s portion and is subject to sanction. 30 percent of the parent’s portion can be reduced if a parent is not complying with TANF participation requirements.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Christopher Belt’s measure will create a statewide program to promote public awareness and early detection of Parkinson's disease was signed into law.

“We want people to take care of their health,” Belt (D-Cahokia) said. “That’s why we are trying to inform everyone what Parkinson’s disease is and encourage people to manage their health more carefully.”

House Bill 3247 would also allow the Illinois Department of Public Health to accept for the program any special grants of money, services or property from the federal government or any of its agencies or any foundation, organization or medical school.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Rachelle Crowe is working to make insulin more affordable for Metro East residents.

Crowe (D-Glen Carbon) is a chief cosponsor of Senate Bill 667, which caps the out-of-pocket costs for patients to $100 for a 30-day supply of prescription insulin.

“People who require insulin do not have a choice in their medication,” Crowe said. “Drug manufacturers should not be able to raise the cost to line their own pockets at a patient’s expense.”

For people with severe diabetes, insulin could mean the difference between life and death, but regular price hikes make insulin difficult to afford for the uninsured and those whose coverage requires significant cost sharing.

SPRINGFIELD – Individuals who own an interest in conservation or preservation land will be able to recover costs associated with damage done when someone illegally cuts down trees on the owner’s property thanks to legislation signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker today.

State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) was the legislation’s sponsor.

“Preserving our state’s natural beauty for future generations is more important than some people think,” Stadelman said. “I’m glad I was able to partner with the Illinois Environmental Council to pass this legislation, which strengthens existing protections.”

The legislation passed both chambers unanimously and takes effect immediately.

CHICAGO – A bill sponsored by State Senator Omar Aquino (D-Chicago) that would allow specified people to use their SNAP benefits at participating restaurants was signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker today.

House Bill 3343 would allow elderly, homeless and people living with a disability to redeem their SNAP benefits at private establishments that contract with the Department of Human Services and on hot food served in grocery stores.

“When we get older, preparing meals at home becomes increasingly difficult,” said Aquino. “I saw firsthand how hard it was when I was a case manager for the Community Care Program. Seeing that made me want to make changes to our food assistance programs so they can effectively serve the people who rely on them.”

House Bill 3343 takes effect immediately.

VILLA PARK—Illinois may soon have new regulations and rules in place to prevent water-borne illnesses like Legionnaires’ disease.

A General Assembly rulemaking committee has given the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) the authority to more than double the minimum amount of chlorine required in public water supplies. This move is proposed to prevent the outbreak of heinous water-borne diseases such as Legionnaires’.

State Senator Tom Cullerton (D-Villa Park), a fierce advocate for the Illinois Veterans Home at Quincy throughout the facility’s Legionnaires’ crisis, called the policy a major step toward preventing similar tragedies from occurring in Illinois homes.

“The Legionnaires’ crisis at the Quincy veterans’ home has emphasized the need for the state to be proactive in policies to ensure Illinois’ water supply is safe,” Cullerton said. “This step will empower the IEPA to protect homes and facilities throughout Illinois from these preventable illnesses. It is our duty to learn from the deaths of these brave heroes to ensure this never happens again anywhere in our great state.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Jacqueline Collins and State Rep. Mary Flowers issued the following statements today as Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law part of the legislative package aimed at reducing rising infant and maternal mortality rates:

“We brought this plan forward to fight against an environment where women’s concerns over their bodies and their children’s well-being are diminished or ignored, often in ways that can be deadly for women of color in particular,” Collins said. “When we see studies that show a college-educated black woman in a high-paying career is more likely to die as a consequence of childbirth than a white woman without a high school diploma, we have to act.”

“I want to thank the governor for signing House Bill 1 and Senator Collins for shepherding the bill through the Senate,” Flowers said. “For some reason, African American women in Illinois are dying at a rate six times greater than white women for doing something that should come naturally: giving birth. My committee on Health Care Access and Availability convened hearings in September and October of 2018 where testimony from care providers showed that they see disparities due to racism, chauvinism and misogyny, and that health care professionals often do not listen to or respect African American women when they talk about their health problems. Why are there more African American women dying from giving birth? House Bill 1’s purpose is to have a task force to investigate this racial disparity in death from childbirth.”