Criminal Justice Reform Bills Recently Signed into Law

Yesterday, Governor Pritzker signed a package of criminal justice reform bills into law that will lead Illinois to a more equitable criminal justice system. These bills will change the trajectory of countless individuals' and families' lives and are another step towards unraveling the effects of decades old policies based on retribution and punitive measures. SB2129 (Representative Cassidy/Senator Peters) Resentencing: provides at the recommendation of a State's Attorney of the county in which the defendant was sentenced, the State's Attorney may petition the sentencing court or the sentencing court's successor to resentence the offender if the original sentence no longer advances the interests of justice. As we go about the work of right sizing our criminal justice system and change the sentences for crimes, it is inevitable that someone would be serving a longer sentence for a crime than if they were sentenced today so this law will go a long way towards ensuring that our system functions fairly.

Julie Lynn (left), Representative Justin Slaughter, Representative Kelly Cassidy and Carter Harms (right)

SB64 (Senator Peters/Representative Ammons) Restorative Justice Privilege: Establishes a privilege for communications made during restorative justice proceedings. This bill makes things said or done in a restorative justice process privileged and inadmissible in later court proceedings. This bill not only allows but encourages the use of restorative justice practices and is another great step towards creating more restorative measures in our state. SB2122 (Senator Peters/Representative Slaughter) Prohibition against police deception: aims to prevent false confessions from minors and bans law enforcement from using deceptive tactics to extract information. Any oral, written, or sign language statement from a minor made as a result of custodial interrogation conducted at a police station or other place of detention shall be presumed inadmissible as evidence in criminal proceedings or juvenile court proceedings if during the interrogation practices of deception were knowingly engaged. HB3587 (Representative Slaughter/Senator Peters) Resentencing Task Force Act: provides that the task force shall study innovative ways to reduce the prison population in Illinois from initiations of resentencing motions filed by State's Attorneys, the Illinois Department of Corrections and the judicial branch. Provides that the task force shall provide recommendations for legislation to the General Assembly and the Governor's Office on or before July 1, 2022.

Illinois' Cannabis Industry Updates Thanks to the hard work of state legislators and the Pritzker Administration, there have been numerous recent developments and improvements in the state’s cannabis law. Yesterday, Governor Pritzker announced the dates of three upcoming lotteries to distribute a total of 185 licenses to individuals seeking to manage adult-use cannabis dispensaries to address concerns raised after the initial scoring process for dispensary licenses resulted in only 21 entities getting access to the lottery for 75 licenses. The lotteries will be a completely blind process conducted by the Illinois State Lottery, and will occur on July 29, August 5, and August 19, 2021. Governor Pritzker also signed HB 1443, a bill I co-sponsored during the 102nd General Assembly. HB 1443 addresses previous lottery-based issues, encourages social equity applicants in the booming cannabis industry, adds eight additional community members to the Restore, Reinvest, & Renew (R3) Board, and removes the requirement that patients be registered at a single medical cannabis dispensary.  Beyond the news of the new cannabis dispensary lotteries, the Illinois Department of Agriculture which manages the distribution of Craft Grow, Infuser, and Transporter licenses announced that over 200 people have officially qualified to receive Craft Grow, Infuser, and Transporter licenses. This is the first set of licenses to be awarded under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (CRTA). Demographic data shows that 67% of recipients of craft grow, infuser, and transporter licenses identify as non-white, and 100% of them are social equity applicants. In other cannabis-related news, the Pritzker Administration announced seven community colleges that will support students interested in pursuing a career in the cannabis industry under the new Cannabis Community College Vocational Pilot Program. Plus, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has implemented the Social Equity Loan program, which will provide financial support to social equity licensees who are starting and managing their cannabis business which is of particular importance now as we are finally issuing social equity licenses.

Sips N' Session Community Event

New CDC Guidelines for Schools

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released updated guidelines for COVID-19 prevention in K-12 schools. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has opted to fully adopt these guidelines. The new guidelines outline safe practices for fully vaccinated people in school settings. Activities may resume for fully vaccinated individuals without wearing a mask except where required by federal, state, and local rules and regulations. Key takeaways of the updated guidelines include: Masks should be worn indoors by those age 2 and older who are not fully vaccinated. The CDC recommends schools maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms, combined with indoor mask wearing by people who are not fully vaccinated, to reduce transmission risk. When distancing is not possible, schools should implement other prevention strategies to compensate. Screening testing, ventilation, handwashing and respiratory etiquette are also important layers in prevention strategies to keep schools safe. Staying home when sick and getting tested, contact tracing, quarantine and isolation, and cleaning and disinfection are also encouraged. Many schools serve children under the age of 12 who are not eligible for vaccination at this time. These guidelines emphasize the importance of implementing layered prevention strategies (masking, distancing, testing) to protect those who are not fully vaccinated. Schools should continue to monitor community transmission of COVID-19, vaccination information, screening testing, and local COVID-19 outbreaks to guide decision making about the level of layered prevention strategies being implemented. State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala issued a declaration mandating in-person learning with limited exceptions. These guidelines are subject to change with changing public health conditions and updates from CDC.

Child Tax Credit

Beginning Thursday, July 15 child tax credit payments have begun to go out to families. Included in the last federal COVID relief also known as the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), was a change in existing tax credit by expanding the eligibility pool and increasing the money families get. Under the expanded credit, the IRS, also for the first time, is offering the option to receive the payments monthly, rather than in a lump sum as a tax refund. Payments will be monthly either through direct deposit or mail, at $250 per child between the ages of 6 and 17 and $300 per child under 6. Working families are eligible to receive full credit if they make up to $150,000 for a couple or $112,500 for a family with a single parent The Child Tax Credit has been expanded to $3,000 per child 6-17 years old and $3,600 per child under 6. Approximately 39 million households, with 90% of children in the U.S., will automatically receive the new child tax credit. If you are not automatically enrolled in the program you can click here for an online service launched by the IRS You must claim the child as a dependent on your federal tax return The child must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or U.S. resident alien. To learn more please go to ChildTaxCredit.gov.

Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) Updates

Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation (MEUC) Program Launch

The Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation (MEUC) Program was created by Congress to help gig workers, freelancers, and other self-employed workers access additional unemployment benefits. Those eligible will receive an additional $100 per week on top of their normal unemployment insurance benefits. This is also in addition to the automatic $300 FPUC payment. Eligibility: To qualify for MEUC, you need to meet all three of the following requirements: You are already eligible for unemployment. You received unemployment benefits for weeks between December 27, 2020 and September 4, 2021. You earned at least $5,000 in net self-employment income. *PUA recipients cannot receive MEUC. Other Information to Know After Applying: You will receive a determination letter in the mail telling you if you’re approved and how to appeal if you are denied. They will issue backpay in a lump sum after your application is approved. We do NOT know how long this will take. We will post updates when we have them but please don’t ask every week if anyone has heard anything. It could be six more months for all we know. After backpay is issued, the $100 will be paid AFTER your regular deposit. So do not expect it all at the same time. We obviously don’t know what the deposit will look like since we haven’t seen any yet, but it will be taxed at the usual rate. MEUC will count as income when considering eligibility for public aid such as Medicaid and SNAP. The program ends 9/4, along with the other federal programs. That means the last payable week is week ending 9/4. If they haven’t processed your application by then, you will still receive backpay after approval. For more information and to apply, click here.

Department Discusses Increase in Identity Theft and Phishing Schemes

Illinois Rental Payment Program

The Illinois Rental Payment Program is an emergency rental assistance program designed to support Illinois households that are unable to pay rent due to the pandemic. Applicants who apply may be eligible for up to 15 months of assistance and a maximum grant amount of $25,000.  To be eligible for this assistance, you must meet all of the following: Household is at risk of homelessness or housing instability (i.e. household received a past due rent or eviction notice).  Household lives in Illinois and rents their home as their primary residence.  Household’s total gross income cannot exceed 80% Area Median Income for location Household must have experienced a financial hardship directly or indirectly due to the pandemic, for example: Being laid off, place of employment has closed, reduction in hours of work, loss of spousal/child support, inability to find work due to COVID-19, having to stay home with children due to closure of day care/school.  Tenants have until 11:59 PM on Sunday, July 18 to complete their portion of the application. If a landlord is unresponsive, the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) will provide an alternative pathway to complete the application.  Please visit the IHDA website (https://ilrpp.ihda.org/) to start the application. Before applying, be sure to check out the income limits on eligibility here.

NHS Mortgage Assistance Program The Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) of Chicago is offering a Mortgage Assistance Program to provide assistance to low to moderate-income homeowners who have suffered an economic impact due to the pandemic and are having difficulty paying their mortgage. The maximum amount of assistance available is $3,300.  To be eligible for this assistance, you must:  Be a resident of the City of Chicago.  Live in the home (single family up to 4 units) for which you are applying for assistance. It must be your primary place of residence. Demonstrate your total household income was 120% or below the Area Median Income (AMI) prior to March 1, 2020.  Have a mortgage on your home that was current as of 3/1/2020 and is now delinquent. You may be on a forbearance plan. Have experienced a change in your financial status after 3/1/2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis. Be 18 years of age or over, or be a financially independent minor. Grant applications will close in October of 2021, or until funds are exhausted. So, applying early is encouraged!   Please visit the NHS Emergency Housing Assistance page (https://www.nhschicago.org/emergencyassistance) to apply for this mortgage assistance.

Property Tax Assessments Appeals for Rogers Park Due Monday, July 19

Rogers Park homeowners may begin filing for a property tax assessment appeal of the new assessment mailed on June 15, 2021, if you believe your assessment is too high. You must file the appeal before July 19, 2021 in order for the appeal to be considered. How to File You must create an account with a valid email address in order to file an appeal. You can do so here. After setting up an account you can file your appeal here. Reminders The assessment you receive in 2021 will affect the tax bill you receive in 2022. You have two opportunities to appeal, first with the Cook County Assessor and later with the Cook County Board of Review. It is recommended that you do both if you feel your assessment is too high. If you have any questions it may be helpful to contact your Cook County Commissioner directly. You can find yours here. Property Tax Exemptions There are over 250 individuals in our district who have not submitted tax exemptions. Please contact the Cook County Treasurer’s Office by phone at 312-443-5100 or you can make an online appointment/find email information at https://www.cookcountyassessor.com/. Feel free to contact us with any questions as well.  The Cook County Treasurer’s Office has also provided a brochure with helpful information about property taxes for homeowners. The brochure can be found here and is also provided in several different languages.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

The new round of applications will open for the Low Income Energy Assistance Program starting September 1st. You can pre-apply for the program online here or call to get an application started at 800-571-2332. The program will run through May 2022 Eligibility requirements: Eligibility and the amount of grants depend on household size and the last 30 days of gross household income prior to filing an application. See the following chart for more information. *Additional $736 per person in monthly income above 8 people, or $8,840 annual.

Secretary of State News and Updates

Driver's License and ID Card Expiration Dates Extended Until January 1, 2022

The expiration dates for driver's licenses and ID cards have been extended by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White until January 1, 2022. This provides five additional months from the previous extension to August 1, 2021. This extension does not apply to commercial driver's licenses (CDL) or CDL permits. These measures have been taken to limit in person customer volume, especially in the hot weather. Many transactions can also be made using online services, which you can access at www.cyberdriveillinois.com. These transactions include purchasing new license plate stickers, renewing driver's licenses and ID cards. and getting a duplicate license or ID card. Those who are eligible can also obtain Real IDs using the online services. However, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has extended the federal Real ID deadline to May 3, 2023. If you are eligible for the online renewal process, you will receive a letter with the required PIN approximately 90 days before your driver's license or ID card's expiration date. If you have not received a letter, check your eligibility here.

License to Work: Reinstating Suspended Licenses As of this month, Illinois will no longer suspend a license for any ticket debt, fines, or fees. This change includes suspension and holds due to: parking tickets, vehicle compliance tickets, red-light camera tickets, automatic speed camera tickets, traffic tickets, and abandoned vehicle fees. These changes are due to the SAFE-T Act passed in January. The Act also reinstates driving privileges for those who have already had their driver’s license suspended/revoked for failing to pay red-light camera tickets, speed camera tickets, traffic tickets, and abandoned vehicle fees. Reinstatement is free and automatic. Your license might still have a suspension or a hold if there were multiple reasons for suspension/hold on your record. Call the Secretary of State's automated phone number to determine if your license is valid: 217-782-6212, select option 2, then option 1. Have your Social Security Number and Driver's License Number handy. The law does not eliminate any outstanding ticket debt. You must still pay off your tickets, but your license will no longer be suspended due to the debt. Further explanation of the bill can be found here. To find out if you can currently drive, see the following poster below. You can also see this guide for further guidance. The Secretary of State is currently working on updating their website to reflect the change in this process. You can also see a sample notice of what you will get in the mail to show your license was reinstated.

Below is a sample letter of what the letter in the mail will look like if your license suspension has been rescinded.

Illinois Secretary of State Office's New Electronic Mandatory Insurance Verification Program

The Illinois Secretary of State’s Office has revised the way they verify vehicle insurance. Instead of continuing their current verification process, they are implementing a new online system of automatic verification. The old insurance verification system was slow, labor intensive, and inefficient. The SOS hopes the new online system will make this process more effective and efficient for both Illinois residents and the SOS offices. Key information on the updated process can be found below. Current verification system: Postcards are sent to residents to fill out with their insurance information and mail back to the SOS office. The SOS office then calls each insurance office to confirm your information. This process is slow and inefficient.  New verification system: The SOS office randomly chooses residents and runs their insurance information against their vehicle’s VIN number to see if they match. This process will happen at least twice a year.  If it is a match, your insurance will be verified and no action is necessary.  If there is not a match, the SOS office will hold your name in a queue and run the information again 30 days later. The purpose of this is to give the insurance companies time to resubmit on their end. At this point there is still no action necessary on your part. If there is not a match for a second time, you will receive a letter in the mail noting that your vehicle registration has been suspended with instructions on what to do based on your particular circumstance. The letter At the top of the letter there will be a reference number, suspension date, and date that you should have been insured by. The reference number will be used in the (portal see below) as one of the ways to log in. If you were already insured by the date at the top of the letter, you can tell the SOS and get the issue resolved. Call your insurance agent to get proof of insurance to report to the SOS office.  If you were/are not insured by the date at the top of the letter, you will follow the steps outlined in the letter regarding what to do next. Suspension Suspension will begin 30 days after the letter was sent. You will owe a $100 reinstatement fee. This can be paid at the DMV, by mail, or through the (portal see below). You can also mail a check - call the customer service number on the letter to attain the proper address. You can also go to the DMV just to pay the fee, but not give insurance information. The SOS office recommends the online portal as the best way to pay. Suspension lasts as long as it takes for you to get insurance and pay the reinstatement fee. Again, DO NOT go to the DMV in person unless you just want to pay the $100 fee there. Agents there cannot take insurance information, you must follow the steps on the letter to get the issue itself resolved. Online portal - ILIVS.com  You can log in with your reference number (given on the mailed letter), zip code, or license plate number on the “Vehicle Owners” section. You can pay the $100 reinstatement fee here.  Second violation With a second violation in this process you will receive a minimum of a 4 month vehicle suspension. This is the same penalty as before the electronic system was implemented.  Other important information Make sure both your driver’s license and vehicle registration addresses are correct/the same. The SOS office has separate departments for each of these and this is where the letter gets mailed to. You can correct your addresses on cyberdriveillinois.com. If your insurance, VIN numbers, and addresses match - should be good to go!

Illinois Vaccine Lottery Program

To provide incentives for obtaining the COVID-19 vaccine, Illinois has implemented the Vaccine Lottery Program which enters vaccinated residents into a $10 million sweepstakes. The first drawing will occur on July 8th. Vaccinated adults are entered into a pool that offers a total of $7 million in cash prizes. While vaccinated youth (ages 12-17) are entered into a $3 million scholarship pool. Illinois residents are automatically registered after receiving the vaccine. Eligibility: Illinois Resident You received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Illinois (except for vaccines administered at certain federal facilities). To be eligible for the July 8th drawing you have to have received your vaccination by July 1st. Vaccination records will continue to be checked before each subsequent drawing (July 12th - August 26th). *Individuals vaccinated at clinics operated or supported by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are still eligible, as well as those vaccinated at federal DVA facilities. *Eligibility is not dependent on immigration status. You do not have to be a U.S. Citizen in order to win. For more information click here to visit the program's website or click here to view the program PDF with additional information.

Chicago Advisory Redistricting Commission

The Chicago Advisory Redistricting Commission wants to connect with communities and neighborhoods and is seeking residents to engage with them. They are hosting hearings on Tuesday, July 13 from 7-9 p.m. and Friday, July 16 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the month of July, along with other hearings and events in the following months. You can find more information and register for hearings here. See the attached flyers for more information on how you can be of service to your community and to the Commission.

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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