Launching the 102nd General Assembly, Rule Changes, New Committees

In just a few minutes, I will be tuning in for Governor Pritzker’s virtual combined State of the State/Budget Address. You can tune in to watch it here. I’ll share details of his proposals in our next newsletter. We have until the end of May to pass the budget and while I am not serving on an appropriations committee this term, I will remain a member of the House Budget Working Group, aka the Budgeteers, and am eager to get to work on what promises to be an incredibly challenging budget.

Rules Changes Last week, the House met to approve the operating rules for our chamber for the 102nd General Assembly. The new rules represent some pretty significant changes, but the process Speaker Welch has created will allow for ongoing discussion of ways we can improve our rules of operation. Most significantly, these rules are the result of a member driven process in which all members of the Democratic caucus were invited to participate and offer suggestions.

Majority Leader Greg Harris, 13th District introducing new house rules

For several years, I’ve pushed for inclusion of term limits for leaders in our rules or statutes and am pleased that the House rules include a 10 year limit on the roles of Speaker of the House or Minority Leader. This aligns with the rule the Senate has had for a couple of years. There continues to be a question of whether the constitution would allow the limits to be codified in statute, so this could continue to be discussed over the course of the session. An additional rule change will codify the practice that all bills introduced in odd year sessions will be assigned to a substantive committee at the sponsor’s request. While there are other changes that have been discussed over the years that would bring more “small d” democracy to our operations, this is a good step forward while the House Rules Working Group continues to meet to contemplate further rules changes. In addition, the rulemaking process is the time for organizing ourselves into the committees that will manage legislation for the next two years. I am excited to announce that I have been appointed Chair of the newly formed Restorative Justice Committee. While I have been proud to serve as Chair of Public Safety Appropriations for the last 3 terms, I am ready for this new challenge of leading a discussion on ways to not just reform our criminal justice system but to fundamentally reimagine what our justice system should look like and continue to move us in the direction of truly safer communities for all. I will continue to serve as the Vice-chair of the Judiciary-Criminal Law committee, as well as serving as a member of the Human Services, Prescription Drug Affordability & Accessibility, and Housing committees. I am particularly pleased to be a part of the newly created Housing Committee with Chairman Will Guzzardi and Vice-chair Delia Ramirez as an opportunity to continue our work to address what frankly was a crisis before the pandemic. The pending disaster on the housing front as we move out of the pandemic and the economic havoc it has wrought on communities that were already struggling is a huge priority for my fellow progressive caucus members and I’m ready to dig in with my fellow members and advocates.

Welcoming Newly Appointed Senator Mike Simmons

Last week, local Democratic Party officials appointed Mike Simmons, an Uptown native, to fill the 7th District seat left vacant by the resignation of State Senator Heather Steans. I’ve long considered Mike a friend and am excited to help him hit the ground running. More significantly, we made history with this appointment in that Mike is the first openly gay member of the Illinois Senate, only the 3rd openly gay Black Senator in the country and his appointment to the Senate seat that includes both our district and Majority Leader Greg Harris’ district means that for the first time in our state’s history, an area’s entire General Assembly delegation is openly gay. I encourage you to sign up for Sen. Simmon’s district newsletter here. I look forward to working with him and am confident he will be a great advocate in amplifying the voices of our district. Below is a note from Mike. "I’m writing to tell you a little about myself and my own lifelong connections to the 7th District. I was born and raised in Lincoln Square in historic scattered-site public housing. My family was one of the first black families to move into that neighborhood in 1981, helping integrate the neighborhood. My mom was a small business owner, running Salon Pastiche in Rogers Park for 25 years. My father immigrated from Ethiopia during the Red Terror and resettled in Edgewater in 1978. I live in Uptown with my partner Michael and Black Lab mix Sasha. I have deep ties to each neighborhood in the 7th District, and look forward to meeting many of you in our many retail districts, block club meetings, town halls, schools, and other community events. I want to invite you to reach out to my office to express your views on legislative matters before the Illinois General Assembly. I also promise you that I will be an accessible, progressive public official who will always approach questions of policy with our most vulnerable district residents in mind. As deputy director of youth programs at the Obama Foundation, and as a director of policy in previous roles in federal, county, and city government around food insecurity, housing, and LGBTQIA+ issues, I’ve seen firsthand the barriers that we face in achieving that kind of government. As COVID-19 and a brutal Chicago winter loom over us all, I am aware of the historic scope of the work we need to be doing right now. I am committed to starting immediately. To that end, my district office will be located at 5533 N. Broadway where I look forward to working with Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, state Representative Kelly Cassidy, Commissioner Bridget Gainer, and Alderman Harry Osterman to meet your needs.  To do so, I’ll need your input as well. As we continue observing safety protocols during the pandemic, my office’s physical location will operate in a limited capacity, but you can always contact me by using this form or by calling my office at 773-769-1717. Please feel free to contact me and tell me how I can represent you in Springfield."

Vaccine Updates On February 11th, Governor J.B Pritzker announced via this press release that as of February 25, people with the below types of disabilities living in the community will be added to the State's Phase 1B eligibility for Covid-19 vaccination. Cancer Chronic Kidney Disease COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) Diabetes Heart Condition Immunocompromised State from a Solid Organ Transplant Obesity Pregnancy Pulmonary Disease Sickle Cell Disease To view the Illinois Department of Public Health's vaccine distribution data click here. To visit the Chicago's page on COVID-19 vaccines click here. To sign up for vaccine appointments for Suburban Cook County click here. The number of vaccine doses the City of Chicago is receiving from the Federal government continues to be small, relative to the great demand, and we are only able to administer vaccines for about 5% of the eligible 650,000+ Phase 1b individuals across the city. Please remain patient, and rest assured that everyone who is eligible will get a vaccine. You will not miss out on your opportunity, but expect that it will take a few weeks, maybe more than a month, for you to get an appointment. Click here to view a presentation providing an update on vaccinations in Chicago that CDPH Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady shared this week with the City Council Committee on Health and Human Relations, and click here for information on the Community Vulnerability Index for Chicago.

COVID-19 Count as of Tuesday, February 16th: Statewide Totals: 1,164,922 confirmed cases, 20,034 deaths and 17,270,877 tested vaccines administered 1,863,562 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

Heartland Alliance Donation Drive: Hygiene Products Needed

In our community the Vital Bridges Food Program provides year round weekly grocery centers with nutritious produce, group nutrition counseling and personal hygiene products at no cost. We’ve recently learning that the need for feminine hygiene products has been hard to meet and are asking our neighbors to help fill in the gap.

Prep/Pep in Pharmacies Survey

Our colleagues at AIDS Foundation Chicago are interested in what community members think about receiving PrEP prescriptions and related services directly from a pharmacy (such as Walgreens or CVS), without needing a separate doctor’s appointment.  PrEP is a medication prescribed to HIV-negative people to prevent HIV infection. The PrEP program isn't just a prescription- it also includes regular provider visits, HIV and STI testing, and other supportive services. Finding new ways to deliver PrEP and PrEP services will give communities more choices. We want to increase the choices folks have to get PrEP and we are interested in knowing how our communities feel about possibly getting their PrEP prescription and other PrEP services from a pharmacist in a pharmacy setting.    This survey is anonymous, and we do not ask for your name or contact information.  To thank you for your contribution to the research project, you can enter your name in a drawing to win a $100 e-gift card. Your email will be requested only if you choose to participate in the drawing and will not be linked to your survey responses. A total of two $100 e-gift cards will be awarded in the drawing.   Please click to take the survey.

Free Services for Utility Customers During the Pandemic

The nonprofit Citizens Utility Board (CUB) is offering free, virtual services to help people cut their utility bills during the pandemic. Included in the list below is a brief overview of services offered. Having trouble paying your utility bills? Low-income families in the state of Illinois can still apply for financial assistance to help pay for gas or electric bills through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) until June 30, 2021. Use CUB’s toll-free Consumer Hotline and online complaint system: If you have a complaint or question about your utility service, please do not hesitate to call CUB, 1-800-669-5556, to talk to an expert 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, or to file a complaint online. Email your utility bills for a free analysis: Send a copy of your most recent electric, natural gas and telecom bills to CUB at ubc@citizensutilityboard.org. We will analyze them for potential ways to save and give you clean energy tips. Attend one of CUB’s virtual events: Click Here for a rundown of our February events. Have CUB hold a virtual event: We will hold special virtual events for community groups. If your community group is interested in such a program, please email Joe Giamberdino, CUB’s outreach coordinator. Use our library of free consumer publications: During a crisis like this, outlandish theories gain traction on social media and scam artists try to take advantage of people. Read our tips, and get tips on our Clean Energy, Electric, Gas, Telecom/Internet and Water pages. To access a complete outline, click here to visit the Citizens Utility Board Help Center. 

Lawyers' Committee for Better Housing Hosts Weekly Thursday Webinars with Updates on Eviction Moratoria

Sincerely, Kelly Cassidy State Representative, 14th District  Office of State Representative Kelly Cassidy 5533 N Broadway Chicago IL 60640

773-784-2002(phone) 773-784-2060(fax) Visit our website!

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