For a short week, it was jam-packed again. Meetings with advocates planning for the next session have started picking up. If you’ve had an idea that you think “oughta be a law,” we’d love to hear about it. Some of my favorite bills came about from suggestions from constituents.

The work of the Reproductive Rights and Dobbs Decision working group continues as we hear from stakeholders and experts about the many potential consequences of the decision overturning Roe v Wade and the actions of states in the aftermath. If you’re interested in more detailed updates on our efforts in our working group, visit Repcassidy.com/reproductive-health.

This week brought many questions from constituents puzzled by mailings appearing to be a new newspaper, full of sensational rhetoric leading to calls and emails attempting to determine the source of the mailer and whether there was any truth to the claims it made. Among the most alarming was a headline that screamed that the Pretrial Fairness Act scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2023, would mark the “end of days.”

It’s important to note that the mailer was in fact a piece of political mail designed to dupe readers into thinking they were reading a legitimate news source and is just an extension of the false narrative being used to incite fear among communities.

In fact, The Pretrial Fairness Act seeks to end our failed experiment of using a person’s ability to pay a cash bond to be released while awaiting trial by utilizing risk assessment and measures that are truly designed to make communities safer to determine whether someone represents a danger or a flight risk that warrants holding them in custody while they await trial. First, it bears repeating that we are talking about people who have not yet been convicted of the crime they were arrested for. Second, our current system results in people accused of nonviolent low-level crimes being held for lack of $50 to make their $500 bond while someone accused of murder with access to cash can post $25,000 to make their $250,000 bond. This system was so broken that the Pretrial Fairness Act earned the support  of the major advocates for survivors of gender-based violence.

I am proud of the work that was done to craft thoughtful criminal justice reform legislation that centers on the goals of achieving justice and true public safety over perpetuating a system that has not made us safer and has intensified the stratification of race and class in our country. Reasonable minds can disagree over policy directions, but we should always be grounded in facts and data. We’ve known for far too long that mass incarceration has resulted in the destruction of communities and lives. Ending cash bond is a critical step in ensuring that our criminal justice system is balanced and fair by acknowledging that using the capacity to pay as a measure of who is a risk is fundamentally flawed and steeped in long-debunked assumptions based on race and class. I feel strongly that as elected officials in our community, we have an obligation to respond to misinformation with reliable information our constituents can use to make truly informed decisions. I appreciated my colleagues Sen. Rob Martwick and Sen. Robert Peters who shared thoughtful rebuttals to these cowardly attacks. 

The Public Safety Working Group has been meeting with stakeholders from all perspectives for several months seeking to ensure that any legitimate implementation issues being faced by law enforcement and the courts are addressed without undermining the critically important policy shift of using a risk-based measurement to determine the need for a defendant to be detained while awaiting trial rather than the arbitrary and discriminatory measure of ability to pay. The working group is operating in good faith in seeking to ensure smooth and effective implementation of the policies in the SafeT Act. Those seeking to repeal the law are clinging to debunked assumptions that seek to “other” those who lack the capacity to pay. Not unlike laws bestowing voting rights only to landowners, these relics of a shameful past must be relegated to history.

In the past two weeks, Chicago has worked to welcome groups of migrants into the City. This comes after Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent buses of families and young people to sanctuary cities around the U.S., the locations of their arrival being unknown to them the entirety of their trip. Chicago welcomed the first bus last Wednesday. It was made a priority to treat those arriving with dignity and respect, and the City government working to collaborate with local, state, federal, and community partners to ensure access to shelter, food, and other resources. The City anticipates the Governor of Texas will continue to bus migrants to Chicago and they remain committed to providing support and resources to newly arrived neighbors during this transition period.

The City is also grateful for the generosity and drive to help those that arrived within the last couple weeks. Chicago has proved to be a place where folks can come together to help one another. For more information on how you can apply to be a volunteer or in what ways you can make donations, you can visit the City's website. They currently want solely new items for donations as well as smaller clothing sizes for adults and children. The City will be updating the list as they get more information. We will also keep you posted on any future donation locations/efforts as we become aware of them.

The annual 49th Ward shredding event will take place on Saturday, September 24th from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm in the parking lot on the Southwest corner of Clark and Morse (6934 N Clark St)!

Please keep the following things in mind:

• Only bring sensitive paper documents to shred.
• Limit is 2 Bankers Boxes per person.
• The shredding service is only for private residents (no businesses or organizations).
• Please remove all paper clips and binder clips from your documents. Staples are fine!
• You must stay until your documents are reviewed and approved for shredding.

Our office, in partnership with City Clerk Anna Valencia, is hosting a CityKey Event on Friday, September 23rd from 10:00am to 1:00pm. Residents can come and apply for a CityKey Card at our office. This event is first come, first serve and we will serve as many as we can in the 10:00 to 1:00 time frame.

The CityKey is a free, optional government-issued ID card available to all Chicagoans regardless of age, gender, immigration status, or housing status. It serves as a government- issued ID, a Chicago Public Library Card, a Chicago Transit Authority Ventra Card, and a Chicago Rx prescription drug discount card. CityKey holders are also eligible for the many discounts and benefits offered by participating CityKey business partners across the city.

You can reference the following document guides to reference which documentation you must bring the day of the event:

• Document Guide for Adults
• Document Guide for Children
• Document Guide for Teens and Young Adults
• Document Guide for Veteran Designation

For more information about the CityKey Card program, visit

chicityclerk.com/about-citykey. 

Edgewater's newest pizza parlor is now open! The location of WOW Pizzeria may look familiar to you. It's in the former Tedino's Pizzeria & Restaurant space located at 5335 N. Sheridan. Today, my office along with Ald. Osterman and the Edgewater Chamber joined Marco Morocho celebrate the opening of his new restaurant with a ribbon cutting. Marco recommends trying the pizza (of course) and his pastas, salads and wings!

2nd Annual Care For Real Community Celebration

Join of our incredible local organizations, Care for Real, for their Second Annual Community Celebration during Hunger Action Month Sunday, September 18 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at the Broadway Armory parking lot, (5917 N. Broadway).

The free event will feature delicious snacks, entertainment from DJ Dan Luna and School of Rock Evanston, remarks from Care for Real leaders, and an exciting raffle featuring prizes from local businesses and an overnight stay at the Peninsula Chicago in a Deluxe Guestroom with breakfast for 2! 

Contact Care for Real for more information at jen@careforreal.org.

Sunday Neighbors Tables Art Markets

Every Sunday, The Glenwood Bar (6962 N. Glenwood) will be hosting their Neighbors Tables Art Markets! Local makers and creators will be there to share their talents. The Neighbors Tables Market take place every Sunday between 11:00 am and 2:30 pm. 

For more information or to share your artistic skills with the community, contact Sarah via email at sarah@noddpottery.com.

Trilogy Fundraiser

For more than 50 years, another one of our amazing local organizations Trilogy has provided support to those who struggle with mental illness in order to move towards recovery. To celebrate, they are hosting their big fundraiser of the year September 29. Trilogy’s Changing Lives presented by Armitage Pharmacy, is a celebration of over 50 years of mental wellness. Tickets and sponsorships are available here.

Trilogy is also seeking donations for their event's auction. Some example donations are memorable meals, tickets to an event, getaways, etc. For donation information, you can reach out to development@trilogyinc.org.

Local businesses Independent Spirits, Inc. and Picnic Wine & Provisions are also supporting the event by taking bottle donations to donate to their wine pull (a fundraiser where attendees buy a ticket to select a mystery bottle of wine). Stop in today and donate a bottle or two for Trilogy – or you can purchase wine to donate at the stores’ websites – just select "in-store pickup" and add a note in the comment section of your cart to let the shop know that your purchase is for Trilogy – the store will handle the rest!

Independent Spirits, Inc is located at 5947 N. Broadway. Independent Spirits, Inc., is offering a 10% discount for all wine bottles purchased for Trilogy. If ordering online, use code TRILOGY at checkout for 10% off your order!

Picnic Wine & Provisions is located at 7301 N. Sheridan Road. Picnic Wine & Provisions is offering $2 off a glass of wine or beer in-store when you purchase a bottle of wine for Trilogy.

The FDA and CDC have both approved omicron-targeting coronavirus booster shots. This will work to better protect Americans from the expected rise of COVID-19 cases this fall and winter. The boosters have been reformulated to take aim at the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants dominant in the United States. This updated vaccine will be available to Chicagoans aged 12 years and older.

The boosters have already started to roll our in pharmacies and City-run clinics. Chicago is receiving about 150,000 initial doses of the updated boosters this week, the State expecting about 580,000 initial doses in addition.

The City is planning to offer new boosters at vaccination clinics at city colleges over the weekend, as well as through its vaccination-at-home program. About 170 pharmacy sites in the city are expected to receive doses this week, including a number of CVS Health, Jewel-Osco, Walgreens, Mariano’s, Walmart and Costco sites. 

For help finding a vaccine provider, visit Vaccines.gov.

Friday, September 9th Update:

• Total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 IL residents: 22.3
• Daily new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 IL residents: 116
• Percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by IL COVID-19 patients: 19%
• Statewide Totals: 3,716,318 confirmed cases and 34,811 deaths

For more details regarding the status of COVID in Illinois click here.

Please click here to see the status of COVID in our zip codes.

Being vaccinated and boosted is critical to limit the major impacts of future pandemic waves we are to face as new variants come along. Please be up to date with your vaccines and continue to test when needed.

To find a vaccine clinic within the City of Chicago click here.

For questions or info regarding COVID-19 testing click here.

If you have questions related to COVID-19 you can contact the

Illinois Department of Public Health:

Hotline: 800-889-3931

Email: dph.sick@illinois.gov

City of Chicago's Department of Public Health:

Hotline: 312-746-4835

Email: coronavirus@chicago.gov

Electric Vehicle Rebate

Illinois' Electric Vehicle Rebate Program began this past July. Illinois residents that purchase a new or used all-electric vehicle from an Illinois licensed dealer will be eligible for a rebate in the amounts set forth below. Vehicles must have been purchased after July 1, 2022. A second rebate cycle will open November 1, 2022 and close January 1, 2023. 

• A $4,000 rebate for the purchase of an all-electric vehicle.
• A $1,500 rebate for the purchase of an all-electric motorcycle

Buyers must apply for the rebate during an open rebate cycle and within 90-days of vehicle purchase. Application forms will be available on this webpage during open rebate cycles.

Eligibility requirements for an EV rebate in Illinois are listed on the Illinois Environmental Agency's website by clicking below. 

Please visit helpillinoisfamilies.com to fill out and submit an online Request for Services form. After your Request for Services form has been submitted, await an email or phone call from your local agency to review and confirm your eligibility and to determine the amount of your LIHEAP benefit. If you need assistance with completing and submitting your Request for Services form, contact the call center at 1-833-711-0374 for live support. 

You can also contact the Chinese Mutual Aid Association at 773-784-2900 for further assistance or visit them at 1016 W. Argyle Street, Chicago, IL 60640.

To obtain the status of an application you can use the web link https://liheap2020.ilenergyassistance.com/customerinquiry/

or call the Help Illinois Families Call Center at 1-833-711-0374.

The City of Chicago's Utility Bill Relief Program (UBR) assists residents in paying their water bills. For more information, see the graphic above and visit chicago,gov/UBR.

Tryouts for the Jesse White Tumbling Team are coming up for students aged 6 - 16! Participants will need to have some basic tumbling skills.

Date: Saturday, September 17th

Time: 10:00am - 1:00pm

Location: Jesse White Community Center (412 W. Chicago Ave.)

For additional details, please visit www.jessewhitetumblingteam.com.

For more information and how to register, visit CMSS' website here.

The Chicago Board of Elections is seeking election judges and election coordinators for the general election this November 8th. Election judges can earn up to $230 and election coordinators can earn up to $450 working Election Day. Requirements of election judges include:

• Must be U.S. citizens.
• If they are 18 or older, they must be registered voters in Cook County.
• Must be able to speak, read, and write in English. The Board of Elections encourages bilingual judges — especially those who speak Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Polish, Korean or Tagalog — to apply right away.
• High school and college students can also apply.

The responsibilities of election judges include:

• Arriving to the polling place 5 a.m. for setup.
• Opening the polls at 6 a.m.
• Issuing the correct ballots to each voter and helping voters with registration and other questions through 7 p.m.
• Completing reports after polls close.

More information and how to apply, visit the Chicago Board of Elections website here. 

Requirements of election coordinators include:

• Must be U.S. citizens.
• If they are 18 or older, they must be registered voters in Cook County.
• Must have be able to speak and understand English.
• Must have expertise in the operation, maintenance and proper use of a wide range of computer technologies.
• Must have a cellphone available for making and receiving calls and text messages on Election Day.
• Must complete all required training courses and successfully pass the examination after each class.
• High school and college students can also apply.

Responsibilities of election coordinators include: 

• Ensuring the polling place is accessible to voters with disabilities by following an accessibility guideline/check-off list.
• Serving all day on Election Day from 5 a.m. until all work is completed after the polls close and until election judges have secured their materials and are about to leave to deliver those materials to the receiving station.
• Having extensive knowledge of the Election Day registration procedures and directing the voter-registration activities on the e-poll book in the precinct.
• Assisting election judges with Election Day processes and procedures.
• Troubleshooting equipment problems and making minor repairs, such as changing the paper tape rolls.
• Assisting election judges with completing polling place closing paperwork

More information and how to apply, visit the Chicago Board of Elections website website. 

Sincerely,

Kelly Cassidy

State Representative, 14th District



Office of State Representative Kelly Cassidy

5533 N Broadway

Chicago IL 60640