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As we prepare to return to Springfield for the second half of session, it’s been an eventful couple of weeks. First, congratulations to Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson and 48th Ward Alderperson-elect Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth. We have been in touch with the Mayor-elect’s transition team and are looking forward to helping advance the city’s agenda in Springfield in the years ahead. We’ve already set up some transition meetings with Alderperson-elect Manaa-Hoppenworth’s team to ensure that our shared constituent services operations continue without interruption. We’ll be sure to share information about the new aldermanic office, contact information, and newsletter sign-up as we get it in the lead-up to the city inauguration on May 15th.
This week brought a lot of confusing news related to the ongoing litigation in Texas and Washington State related to the availability of one of the main drugs used in medication abortion. The Texas case Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v USFDA aims to reverse a decades-old Food and Drug Administration approval of Mifepristone, one of the two drugs used in approximately half of all abortions. Mifepristone has a better safety record than Tylenol, and it’s unprecedented to seek to reverse an agency approval in this way. In response to this case, an alliance of 18 pro-choice Attorneys General brought a case seeking that the court order the FDA maintain approval of Mifepristone. This week, we’ve been fielding dueling court rulings and interpretations of what it means for our providers and patients. The Dobbs Working Group that I chair issued a statement earlier in the week affirming our commitment to protecting access to care for Illinois residents and the ever-growing number of patients coming to Illinois seeking care.
While the decision in Texas has potentially devastating implications, the case in Washington will provide protection for the 18 states including Illinois that participated. Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued a statement Thursday after the federal judge in the case issued a clarifying ruling affirming that the states that are party to the case will have access to Mifepristone protected by his order. On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court granted the Department of Justice’s request for a stay in the Texas case until April 19th.
If this all seems confusing, imagine being pregnant in a hostile state trying to figure out your options, and knowing that fear and confusion are the goals here. Just as the actions taken in recent weeks in states like Indiana and Idaho criminalizing seeking gender-affirming care and abortion are intended to make already vulnerable populations fearful.
While all of this is playing out, I’ve also been paying close attention to the “ComEd Four” corruption trial. The government has made use of recorded conversations and emails to paint a picture of how things got done in Springfield under the leadership of former Speaker Madigan, occasionally including references to my efforts over the years to draw attention to issues of sexual harassment, intimidation, and corruption when Madigan’s close friend and advisor Mike McLain would comment on the trouble I was causing. The government rested its case this week and the defense started presenting theirs at the end of the week when former ComEd and Exelon CEO Anne Pramagiore took the stand in her own defense. The trial continues Monday. The Capitol Fax Blog has created a handy tool to follow along.
On Saturday, I was finally able to make it back to DMApothecary on Sheridan. Torrence and I were so impressed by this mother-son duo’s great small business selling soaps and cosmetics made by Deirdre along with custom graphic clothing designed and produced by her son Matthew last summer. However, we were so sad to learn that shortly after the grand opening of their shop it was nearly destroyed by a water leak next door. Deidre and Matthew have persevered and are back open and featuring a special blend of rainbow soaps and t-shirts with a wink and a nod to my embracing of the latest name I’ve been called by the very kind people at the Illinois Family Institute who referred to me as a Venomous Lesbian after I defended the trans community from attacks on the House floor. Torrence and I stopped by to add to our t-shirt collections and pick up some beautiful and fragrant soaps to share with some colleagues in Springfield when we return next week. I highly recommend stopping by to check out Deirdre and Matthew’s creations located at 5230 N Sheridan.
As we head back to session next week, I’m excited to welcome Mayor-elect Johnson to the Capitol and get back to work on the second half of the session. Senate bills in the House have until Friday, April 28 to get out of committee with a May 12th deadline for final passage. In between, we’ll be setting our budget priorities as we prepare for our scheduled adjournment on May 19th.
This is also the season for advocacy days now that the Capitol is fully open. I’ll be joining Equality Illinois for their lobby day on April 26th, and am also looking forward to the Drug Education Saves Lives Day of Action on May 3rd as harm reduction advocates share the importance of smarter approaches to drug laws. More on that event is below.
With Wade still recovering, we ask for your continued patience as we don’t always have someone physically in the district office. Please call or email first as those are always monitored even when Torrence and I are both in Springfield.
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