Legislative Updates
With this week's deadline to pass House bills out of our chamber, there are a few exciting bills that moved and now face action in the Senate. As the Senate finishes their first half work, watch for information on the Senate bills I’ll be sponsoring in the House. As we move into the second half of session, we are also getting more details on the budget process, so I’ll have more to share on the developing budget in the next few weeks as well.
Bills I sponsored that passed the House and are now being considered in the Senate include:

  • HB2542 - Removes the barrier to name change for persons with a felony background for individuals endangered by the prohibition such as human trafficking survivors, domestic violence survivors, transgender individuals, and those seeking name change for religious reasons. Requires anyone on a registry seeking name change to update the registry with their new name and ensures that criminal histories and aliases follow the individual for law enforcement purposes. The prohibition’s impact on survivors and transgender people causes significant safety risks and these populations are more likely to have criminal histories stemming from crimes of survival. Passed the House with 85-27 bipartisan votes. Senate sponsor: Robert Peters.

  • HB3265 - An initiative of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, this bill makes a technical change to the definition of Rape Crisis Organization to close a loophole exploited by defendants in an attempt to access confidential treatment records when an organization is multi-purpose rather than exclusively focused on sexual assault. Passed the House unanimously and will be sponsored by Senator Mike Simmons.

  • HB3443 - Creates a process by which a prosecutor’s office may motion up a resentencing hearing for someone currently serving a longer sentence than they would if they were convicted today. As we continue our work reforming the criminal justice system and in particular undoing the harms of the war on drugs and reducing sentences for certain crimes, it has always struck me that someone was always the last person sentenced under the prior law. This initiative begins to create an opportunity to revisit the sentence and for a judge to determine if the defendant should be resentenced under the new penalty. This bill is partnered with HB3587 (Rep. Slaughter) which creates a task force to study other possible avenues for such hearings such as initiation by judge or corrections department. Passed with 60 votes and heads to the Senate with Robert Peters as sponsor.
  • HB2784 - An initiative of Access Living, the Community Emergency Services and Support Act (CESSA), also known as the Stephon Edward Watts Act. In 2012, Stephon was 15 years old, Black, and autistic. His parents were hesitant to call 911 when Stephon would act out and lose control, fearful that he would be hurt, but needed help getting him under control. When police arrived Stephon was in the basement with a butter knife attempting to open a locked door and officers shot him from the top of the stairs, killing him. Stephon’s parents have been advocating for a change in the law mandating a mental health response to a mental health emergency. Modeled on the incredibly successful CAHOOTS model in Oregon, CESSA takes a regional approach, requiring each 911 district to model their plan based on their needs and resources. Passed the House unanimously and is also sponsored in the Senate by Robert Peters.
A few other bills introduced by my colleagues that I was a cosponsor of include:

  • HB 2775 (Rep. Ford): This bill protects all Illinois residents from source of income discrimination related to housing. The bill reinforces that landlord must not discriminate against tenants who participate in government funded voucher, subsidy or grant programs and instead accept them as legal forms of income. It creates clear guidelines for the real estate industry on how to evaluate renter income eligibility. It also allows victims of illegal source of income discrimination to seek justice in court for the first time in Illinois. It also requires landlords to consider child support and alimony as income.
 
  • HB 3665 (Rep. Guzzardi): Currently incapacitated and dying individuals in Illinois prisons can only seek early release via clemency by the Governor. This bill allows a path for these individuals to petition the Prison Review Board for mandatory supervised release if they meet the conditions.

  • HB 3447 (Rep. Ammons): Also known as 'reducing barriers to recovery' reclassifies the penalty for possession of small amounts of drugs from a felony to a Class A misdemeanor, and offers a diversion and behavioral health assessments and access to treatment for people who need it as an alternative. It also offers retroactive sentencing relief to tens of thousands of people negatively impacted by felony convictions for drug possession, and enables people with misdemeanor drug convictions to have their records expunged after 5 years.

  • HB1064 (Rep. Mayfield): Creates an opportunity for a person who was under the age of 21 when convicted and serving a sentence for first degree murder or a term of natural life imprisonment to be eligible for parole review by the Prisoner Review Board after serving 40 years or more of his or her sentence or sentences.

  • HB 642 (Rep. DeLuca): Provides that no person may serve more than 10 consecutive years in any of the following leadership roles: Speaker of the House of Representatives, President of the Senate, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, and Minority Leader of the Senate.
Rental Assistance Program
Rental Assistance Program (RAP) provides funding to Chicagoans who are at risk of becoming homeless. RAP helps Chicagoans who have housing right now, but who may become homeless soon because they lost income or had another eligible emergency which prevents them from paying rent.

  • Assistance may include: Payment of future rent, or rent arrears to prevent eviction
  • Security deposits in cases of fire, flood, foreclosure, domestic violence, or eviction
  • You may be eligible if: You live in the City of Chicago, you are at risk of becoming homeless due to eviction, loss of income or other emergency, you economically classify as a low-income household, your landlord completes the RAP requirements

Application deadline is Friday, April 30. Visit RAP FAQ page.
To apply: chicago.gov/fss/RAP. For help with your application, or to apply in person, call or visit the North Area Community Service Center (845 West Wilson Avenue, 312-744-2580) on Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The Illinois eviction moratorium has been extended through June 30, for individuals in need of the declaration form click here.

Vaccination Updates

All Illinois residents including Chicago residents age 16 and older are eligible to sign up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

Currently, the two-dose Pfizer vaccine is approved for individuals age 16 and older. The two-dose Moderna vaccine is approved for individuals age 18 and older.

Earlier this week, the Chicago Department of Public Health announced that the City has an adequate supply of vaccines, and is now welcoming walk-ins at City-run Mass Vaccination Sites, including the ones at Wrigley Field and the United Center. Appointments are still recommended, and are available at zocdoc.com/vaccine. 

For city of Chicago residents who are home bound and unable to leave their home for medical reasons, are encouraged to complete the form below for home vaccination services. To be eligible for this program, you must live in the City of Chicago and:
  • Be a senior OR a person with a disability who requires in-home assistance.
  • OR have to use adaptive equipment (like a ventilator, crutches, a walker, a wheelchair, etc.) and/or accessible transportation to leave home.
  • AND leaving home is not an option for you because doing so requires considerable and taxing effort.
If you fit these criteria, please complete the web-based form at https://redcap.link/MobileCOVIDVax so the City can coordinate in-home vaccination with you when the vaccine is available to you.
COVID-19 Count as of Friday, April 23rd:



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
Illinois Restaurant Association Vaccination Event with the 49th Ward
In collaboration with the Illinois Restaurant Association, city of Chicago and Alderwoman Hadden's office we are sponsoring a vaccination event for restaurant, hospitality and foodservice workers at the Loyola Park Field House 1230 W. Greenleaf Ave. on Monday, April 26 from 9am-5pm. Staff will be administering the Moderna Niaid (2-dose) vaccine with the second dose scheduled for May 24, 2021.

Thank you to everyone who signed up to volunteer for this event, our volunteer positions are full for Monday's event. If you are interested in volunteering to help support the event for second doses please sign up here and we will contact you. Volunteers help with line management/crown control, patient flow, document completion and general support.
Secretary of State Drivers License and ID Extensions
Secretary of State Jesse White has extended all driver’s license and ID card expiration dates an additional two months in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. All expired driver’s licenses and ID cards, as well as those expiring over the next four months, are now valid until August 1, 2021. This extension does not apply to commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) and CDL learner’s permits. Click here to read the full press release.

Many services offered by the Secretary of State's Office are available online. Visit cyberdriveillinois.com for a full list of services.
Save the Date for Upcoming Earth Day Activities
Hosted by the Edgewater Environmental Coalition
The Edgewater Environmental Coalition is currently working on Earth Day activities. 

Saturdays 4/17 & 4/24: Neighborhood Clean Ups 10:30am-12:30pm with a homebase of the Vedgewater Community Gardens @ Rosemont & Broadway.

Sunday 5/2: Osterman Beach Stewardship Day 10:30am-12:30pm.

To RSVP for any of the three above events, click HERE.
 A moratorium on Utility Shut-Offs Ended on April 1 LIHEAP Information and UDAP Program
Low income heat and energy assistance program (LIHEAP) applications are still open, apply here. Through one-time payments, the State will grant billing relief for over 80,000 LIHEAP customers facing an imminent risk of shutoff. UDAP participant may receive a one-time credit of at least $250 up to a maximum of $5,000 for each eligible utility account. To qualify for UDAP, you must be both currently on a utility disconnection list and have received state energy assistance through LIHEAP or PIPP between October 1, 2018 through May 31, 2021. For more on how UDAP works, please check out our FAQ.

Consumers Utility Board (CUB) and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) have helpful presentations online about energy assistance by CUB and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO): 

Peoples Gas Bill Pay Assistance

Peoples Gas is offering an additional $6 million in bill-payment assistance to its residential customers facing hardships as a result of the pandemic. The assistance is the result of collaboration between Illinois gas and electric utilities, the State of Illinois, consumer groups, and other stakeholders. It was approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). The additional assistance is being offered in the form of a one-time credit of up to $500 on customer bills, plus other support to help pay bills. 

Customers who may be eligible for the new assistance will receive a letter with additional details from Peoples Gas in April. They can also get information at peoplesgasdelivery.com or by calling Peoples Gas at 866-556-6001. The programs will be offered for a limited time.
Message From the Federal Trade Commission - Gift Card Scams
Paycheck Protection Program Deadline Extended to May 31, 2021
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan deadlines have been extended to May 31st, 2021. Applications will be accepted until May 31st or until funds in the program have been depleted.
  • PPP 2nd Round applications can be found by clicking HERE.
  • Watch the PPP Round 2: Updates for Non-Profit Organizations & Small Business Borrowers Webinar by clicking HERE.
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)