To say this week was a marathon would be an understatement. We had tons of bills to tackle including crime and tax relief packages. This session was one of the shortest in history but that did not stop the important work that needed to be done.

As I write this, we are continuing to run through bills and are waiting for the Senate to send the budget over to us for action. It’s likely to be a very late night, so consider this newsletter an appetizer of sorts. We’ll have a special edition soon with more details on budget and other late action bills.

HB4430: This historic bill will allow pharmacists to dispense HIV prevention drugs — including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to people at risk and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for people who may have been recently exposed to HIV — without a prescription. Only 2 other states have this access model that empowers pharmacists. These lifesaving drugs are readily available but many communities face barriers to access from physicians. Now with the passage of this bill PrEP and PEP medications can be obtained from a local pharmacy. Pharmacists will be able to administer drugs, order lab tests, and consult with individuals related to HIV pre-exposure (PrEP) and post-exposure PEP drugs which will help us get to the goal of no one contracting HIV due to lack of access.

HB4165: This historic bill is in response to the tragic Lake Michigan drownings we have seen throughout the years within this district and our community’s long frustrating efforts to convince the Park District to install floatation devices along the lakefront. Illinois is now the first state to require such water safety equipment along Lake Michigan. This bill would require the owner of a pier or drop-off on Lake Michigan to install public rescue equipment, including ring life buoys at a minimum, on each of the piers and drop-offs along the Lake Michigan coast. 

SB3023: This bill represents the work of the SASETA (Sexual Assault Survivors Emergency Treatment Act) Task Force to adopt recommendations to improve care for survivors. This bill includes provisions related to the pilot project I sponsored to increase access to Medical Forensic Examinations for sexual assault survivors by allowing approved Federally Qualified Health Centers to provide the examinations.

SB2942: This bill clarifies the court’s ability to remove individuals from the courtroom during sensitive testimony or evidence presented in cases of sexual assault or abuse when the survivor was a minor at the time of the offense, regardless of the survivor’s current age. This closes a loophole State’s Attorney Knapp has seen exploited in a series of cases in his county where the survivor turns 18 before a case gets to trial and prevents the retraumatization of these young survivors.

HB3988: Creates the Task Force on Missing and Murdered Chicago Women. This task force would analyze rates of violence, underlying societal factors, and current institutional responses to create effective policy solutions to better address violence against women and girls in Chicago. This bill is personal to me. The recent death of Elise Malary and countless others highlight that we are in need of a new approach to truly take these cases seriously.

HB5441: This bill strengthens consent laws of survivors of sexual assault. It clarifies the existing definition of “unable to give knowing consent” by adding that the survivor remains unable to consent if they voluntarily consumed an intoxicating substance. Under the current interpretation, the offender must have provided the intoxicating substance to the survivor to be held responsible for a sexual assault. I worked closely with the lead sponsor of this bill as well as the woman who inspired it.

HB5525: This bill Creates the Commission on Children of Incarcerated Parents, within the Department of Human Services, which shall reflect the diversity of the State of Illinois, including geographic, racial, ethnic, and diversity of life experiences.

HB4392: This bill allows for a petitioner to still be able to petition for expungement or sealing of criminal records in cases where the petitioner tested positive for cannabis from a drug test taken within 30 days. We have legalized cannabis in our state and should not continue to penalize in cases of expungement.

HB5265: This legislation would ensure access to fee waivers for Illinois students and families, regardless of whether they attend a public or charter school. The legislation would also expand waivers to include fines imposed on students and families and prohibit withholding transcripts and other disciplinary action due to lack of payment of school fees before determining if the family qualifies for a fee waiver. 

HB5016: This is a bill that will allow students at the Chicago public school Consuella B. York, located in Cook County Jail who are sentenced to a term at an IDOC prison to be able to continue their education through remote learning.

HB1464: This bill provides that medical professionals licensed in the state of Illinois who also practice in other states can not be penalized by the licensing authority here for adverse actions taken by another state over their provision of abortion care in that state solely as a result of that state’s prohibitions on abortion.

HB4797: This bill creates a highly limited exception that allows nonresidents visiting Illinois or nonresident students of an Illinois university/college to continue to see their existing social work therapist licensed in the state they are a resident of. Current telehealth law requires you to be licensed where your client is physically present (not where they normally live), this bill just guarantees continuity of care for people visiting or attending school in Illinois.

The Secretary of State's Office will be offering a variety of services, listed above. You can find the registration form here: bit.ly/SOS-SignUp. You must register to reserve yourself a spot. You can find required document and fee information here: bit.ly/SOS-Drive.

To learn more on the scope of the grant and eligibility criteria, visit 49thward.org/communitycash.

To apply for funding, visit bit.ly/CommunityCash49.

COVID-19 patients in hospitals are back on the rise as shown in the graph above from IDPH's website. As of Wednesday night, the state was averaging 517 COVID-19 hospitalized patients. This is a small rise from last week's Illinois hospitalization rate. The statewide positivity rate is now up to 2.2%. We are fortunately not seeing a major increase in hospitalizations in Illinois.

Chicago's public health Commissioner Dr. Arwady, expressed again that the new version of the omicron variant (BA.2) has led to an increase in COVID-19 cases. Although there has been a 28% increase in Chicago from the previous week according to Dr. Arwady hospitalization and deaths continue to remain low in Chicago.

We have fortunately been spared a major surge in Chicago thus far. Please click here to see the upticks in our zip codes. BA.2 has been known to spread more quickly but has not yet been shown to cause more severe symptoms. However, we must continue to remain prepared.

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

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

Statewide Totals: 3,080,436 confirmed cases, 33,465 deaths and tests performed 57,898,053

Hotline: 800-889-3931

Email: dph.sick@illinois.gov

Hotline: 312-746-4835

Email: coronavirus@chicago.gov

Heartland Health Centers is offering COVID-19 PCR testing for non-patients. Results are available in 2-3 days and testing is available only by appointment on Wednesdays from 1:00 pm- 4:00 pm. To make an appointment, call 872-245-3790.

The website is live. Constituents living in eligible zip codes can go to www.AccessCovidTests.org to order a free test kit.

The City of Chicago is offering free, confidential tax help, partnering with Ladder Up. Volunteer tax preparers who are trained to assist you can help complete and electronically file Federal and Illinois tax returns for 2021 and years prior in some circumstances. They also can help determine if you qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child Tax Credit (CTC), and other tax credits.

The tax filing deadline is Monday, April 18. For more information, visit www.taxprepchicago.org or call (312) 588-6900 to schedule an appointment.

IDES has released this statement in regards to the 1099-G tax forms. For a FAQs sheet from the IDES on all your questions related to the 1099-G form, click here. For an information packet on how to navigate your ILogin account, click here.

This initiative remains available for all qualifying households with low income, regardless of how they may be affected COVID-19.  The last day to apply online with the Request for Services form is April 15. After that date you can still apply through your local administering agency through May 31, 2022.

To learn more and to fill out a new application, visit helpillinoisfamilies.com.

Operating in partnership with the Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County (CEDA), who operates the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), the UBR program will utilize their expertise and extensive network of partner organizations to conduct outreach and enroll homeowners. For more information and how to apply, visit here.

The Illinois Homeowner Assistance Fund (ILHAF) program offers assistance to Illinois homeowners who have struggled to pay their mortgage due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ILHAF is funded through the U.S. Department of Treasury and starting today, they will begin accepting applications for grants of up to $30,000 to eliminate or reduce past-due mortgage and property tax payments.

For more information, visit the Illinois Housing Development Authority's website here.

International Refugee and Immigrants Community Services provides services to Assyrians and other refugees including the following:

If you need services or assistance, please visit the organization’s website at www.irics.org or call Donald Giyo at 773-573-5473.

IGiGi Tonye' Arts and Fitness are offering free, virtual Zumba classes that adapt to all ages and capacities. They work with schools, community partners, and companies around Chicago and beyond to get people active while building a sense of community.

Zumba classes are offered in both English and Spanish. See slyer for how to register or the following link: http://bitly.ws/pHnK.

For more information and to register, click here.

Nominations must be submitted by June 1, 2022 to be considered. The online submission form is accessible here, or you can submit a completed nomination form via email to Purnell.Bordersiii@Illinois.gov.

The Protect Chicago at Home program is offering homebound residents and seniors who received their in-home vaccines earliest to schedule their booster shot appointment. To make an appointment for a visit, call 312-746-4835 or register at Protect Chicago at Home. For more information on the Chicago Booster Shot Program, visit here.

Check out the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce's Jobs Page to see job opportunities and openings in the Andersonville neighborhood.

The Department of Water Management is looking for a Labor Relations Specialist. Click the following to learn more about the job description and how to apply.