State Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, and state Rep. Blaine Wilhour, R-Beecher City, discuss the recently passed Reproductive Health Act, and the issue of abortion rights.
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June 7, 2019 at 09:03PM
State Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville, discusses why she voted "yes" on legalization of recreational marijuana in Illinois. She said she had concerns about the expungement process and law enforcement issues.
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June 7, 2019 at 09:03PM
700,000 people.
That is roughly how many Illinois residents could have their criminal records expunged or sealed once recreational marijuana use is signed into law by the governor, according to Democratic State Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth of Peoria.
Gordon-Booth, who represents the 92nd District, has been pushing for legalization for three years.
“The amount of people that I saw having their lives literally turned upside-down because of minor offenses, often minor cannabis offenses. Many folks are locked out of jobs, locked out of housing and financial aid due to their records,” Gordon-Booth told WMBD’s Greg and Dan.
Gordon-Booth said these people are adults, with kids in our public schools, that have been stuck in poverty due to their convictions.
Gordon-Booth says legalized marijuana would provide new opportunities for residents who have been convicted of minor offenses.
“The disparity between African-Americans and non African-Americans that participate in this phase, the numbers are about the same. But, convictions rates are 4-to-5 times (for African-Americans),” Gordon-Booth said.
Gordon-Booth says making recreational marijuana legal in Illinois will not increase use. She says typically the numbers go down, except for one group.
“The only age group that sees a real uptick are those folks between 55 and 70,” Gordon-Booth said.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said he will sign the legislation into law.
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Region: Bloomington,Feeds,Ag,City: Bloomington,Region: Central
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June 4, 2019 at 01:13PM
This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
ELGIN – After the horrific workplace shooting in nearby Aurora, State Rep. Anna Moeller and local officials are coming together for a public conversation to address these serious problems.
Moeller, D-Elgin, will join a panel of distinguished law enforcement and elected officials for the discussion titled "Responding to Aurora: A Conversation with Illinois Leaders," from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, at First Presbyterian Church (240 Standish Street in Elgin). The event will feature a moderated panel discussion followed by Q&A and is free to the public.
A disgruntled worker opened fire at the Henry Platt Company office in Aurora on Feb. 15, killing himself and five others and injuring six others.
Area legislators and law enforcement will use this discussion to update the public on what they are doing to address the problems that led to the shooting. Other panelists are:
· State Rep. Kathleen Willis, D-Addison
· Illinois State Police Assistant Director David Byrd
· Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain
· Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon
· Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman
· Elgin Police Chief Ana Lalley
"The Aurora shooting is one of many tragedies that we must work harder to end," Moeller said. "I look forward to updating the public on our efforts in Springfield to reduce gun violence and to discuss what more we can do with Rep. Willis and other area leaders."
Questions? Contact Rep. Moeller’s district office at 847-841-7130 or staterepmoeller@gmail.com.
The views expressed in this post are the author’s own. Want to post on Patch?
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May 23, 2019 at 09:15AM
“The creation of the Elder Abuse Task force will ensure that we have a focused group seeking to strengthen the rights of our seniors,” Stuart said. “To continue to protect our seniors, we need to examine our current practices and look to other resources to guarantee that seniors have the best protections when it comes to elder abuse.”
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May 17, 2019 at 06:46AM
This month State Sen Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant and State Rep. Natalie Manley D-Joliet learned about Troy 30-C’s solar energy program from Troy Superintendent Todd Koehl, Troy School Board President Mark Griglione and Troy science teacher Barbara Will-Henn with science club students Trenton Marski and Tori Tverdek, along with representatives from Ameresco, Inc., Continental Electric and the Illinois Solar Energy Association.
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via | The Herald-News
May 11, 2019 at 08:11AM
ROUND LAKE BEACH –�State Rep. Sam Yingling, D-Grayslake, hosted a pair of successful events to help constituents recycle and to rid the area of unwanted prescription drugs.
The Drug Take-Back event, hosted with Avon Township and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, took in the most medication of the seven sites that were held around Lake County.
“Having old, unused medication lying around can become a safety hazard, and disposing of it improperly can have negative effects on the environment,” Yingling said in a news release. “I am glad to see that so many people disposed of their unneeded medication safely.”�
The event at the Avon Township Building took in more than 150 pounds of medication. No other location took in more than 100 pounds.
For information on Drug Take-Back Day and where to find year-round medication collection sites, visit�www.takebackday.dea.gov, or contact Yingling’s full-time constituent service office at 847-231-6262 or repsamyingling@gmail.com.
Yingling also hosted a successful electronics recycling event at his full-time constituent service office, 1919 Route 83 in Round Lake Beach.
The office collected electronic devices from residents on Earth Day. The collected items are being taken to the Grayslake Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO) facility for recycling. Lake County has four year-round locations where local residents can recycle clothing and household chemicals. Recycling at the facilities is free for Lake County residents.
For information on how to dispose of household items in an environmentally friendly way, visit www.swalco.org or contact Yingling’s full-time constituent service office.
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Region: Lake County,Region: Suburbs,Local
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May 10, 2019 at 05:02PM
SPRINGFIELD — To bring attention to the recent epidemic of suicide among veterans, state Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, is sponsoring a resolution that supports veterans who may be facing mental illness. It also requests the state create a memorial for veterans who have been lost due to suicide.
“As the son of a United States Marine, I know that the physical and mental scars suffered abroad by our bravest citizens are often brought back home and can last forever,” Yednock said.
“That’s why we need to make it clear to our veterans that we support them in many ways, not just with words, but with action. As a state, we should both honor our fallen heroes and do everything we can to support future and current veterans who may face mental illness by providing the services and support that they deserve.”
Many veterans returning from active duty experience physical and psychological ailments. In 2016, the suicide rate for veterans was 1.5 times greater than non-veterans and accounted for 14 percent of all adult suicide deaths in the U.S, even though only 8 percent of the population has served in the military. In 2016, 162 veterans died by suicide in Illinois.
House Resolution 168 states support for veterans currently struggling with mental illness and suicidal thoughts and pays tribute to veterans who have lost their lives to suicide. HR 168 encourages the state of Illinois to create a memorial for veterans who have died of suicide to be included at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, where other war memorials commemorate Illinois’ veterans.
“It’s important to establish a memorial to honor our veterans who have been lost to suicide, because they are still very much casualties of war,” Yednock said.
“By having a physical memorial erected here in Illinois, we not only pay tribute to them, but future generations can learn about one of the many real world consequences of military intervention abroad. As state representative, I am committed to supporting our veterans and ensuring that they have available access to the quality services and care that they need.”
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via | Tonica News
May 3, 2019 at 06:55AM
This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
SPRINGFIELD — We send our state representatives and senators to the Capitol to work on difficult issues. Rep. Deb Conroy is proving that progress can be made to help people.
Her legislation to help prevent tragic stories like that of Mikayla King, burned accidently from bath water where a hot water heater did not have a safety valve, has moved through the Illinois House. Read more here about Mikayla’s story.
And her tireless work with advocates like Wendy Nawara to defeat a rare autoimmune disorder known as PANDAS is also getting attention in Springfield. Read more about Wendy’s story on improving Charlie’s Law here.
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April 19, 2019 at 09:32AM
Working for Illinois Caucus 