Special One Day Session Recap

On Tuesday, August 31st the House and Senate were called in for a one day special session to approve changes to the legislative maps now that the official census numbers have been released. Due to COVID-19 official census data was delayed as the Bureau tried to finalize numbers and encourage participation in the decennial census. Given Illinois' constitutional requirement to pass new legislative maps by June 30th the General Assembly used American Community Survey (ACS) data to pass the legislative maps in late May. Redistricting is one of the most publicly scrutinized and controversial topics the General Assembly deals with every ten years. While I am a supporter of an independent maps process and have unequivocally encouraged a constitutional change to address this issue, we have never passed the amendment to allow a referendum vote on the ballot. The map we have passed reflects of the growing diversity of our state. Changes to our district reflected a greater population increase in the district than previously indicated in the ACS data. The maps can be found here. Clean Energy Jobs Act One of the most frequent policy requests we receive in my office are requests to support the Clean Energy Jobs Act. While I am a staunch proponent of this bill and a cosponsor of HB 814 the original Clean Energy Jobs Act, during our special one day session energy negotiations shifted in the Senate and a new bill SB18 emerged and passed the Senate in a vote of 39-16-2. It is expected that we will be called back for another special session to complete work on voting on Governor Pritzker’s amendatory veto of the ethics bill passed this spring and potentially vote on a final version of the Climate Bill. While some parts of the Clean Energy Jobs Act are included in this proposal this bill does not include interim carbon emissions reductions with the benchmarks necessary to protect public health during the decades it will take to reach full decarbonization. This bill also allows polluters to continue functioning without any restrictions over the next 24 years. However, this is the closest we have been to reaching a deal on the Clean Energy Jobs Act and I am confident with negotiations shifting to the House a final package that includes these changes can emerge. Over the course of my 10 years in the General Assembly, I have not supported any bills that subsidize profitable corporations and voted against the predecessor of this bill, the Future Energy Jobs Act specifically because of ComEd/Exelon’s involvement in the ongoing investigations into corruption in the Capitol. Corporate subsidies remain a concern, but I am pleased to see that the negotiations for this package have not included those entities and that the bill includes significant ethics provisions including a prohibition on ComEd/Exelon use of rate payer dollars for costs associated with their Deferred Prosecution Agreement, among others. We’ll include a deep dive into the specifics of the bill in our next newsletter.

Texas Law Abortion Ban

This week’s news of the US Supreme Court’s refusal to block implementation of the Texas 6 week abortion ban has shaken reproductive rights activists across the country. The more we learn about the draconian policies associated with it, such as incentivizing anyone in Texas to file civil suits against anyone providing any support to a person seeking an abortion, the worse it gets. These realities have me thinking not so much of this night in 2019 as we were celebrating the passage of the Reproductive Health Act with Governor Pritzker and many of the women of the House and Senate who made it happen, but more of the days, weeks, and months leading up to it while our colleagues argued that we were being hyperbolic in pushing for protections for Illinois in a post-Roe world. I’m remembering members from both sides of the aisle who criticized us for prioritizing reproductive health because they thought the political risk wasn’t worth it. I won’t forget the hate mail and name calling or the visits from legislators from Alabama, Georgia, and Missouri who were living the opposite nightmare as their states passed abortion bans. All of it has washed over me all week. I am so full of gratitude to the people in this photo and so many others, to the advocates who refused to take no for an answer, the handmaids who kept vigil with us every day, and the countless constituents who called, wrote, visited, and demanded that we take action. I’m proud of Illinois, but I fear for my friends around the country. And I am redoubling my commitment to finishing the work we started in Illinois. First, by repealing the “trigger law” that would have criminalized abortion in Illinois when we passed HB40. Then in 2019 with the passage of the Reproductive Health Act. Today, we are called on to finish building out the reproductive health protections by passing the repeal of the Parental Notice of Abortion Act HB1797.

Last Call for Back to School Drive

Our office is wrapping up our annual back to school drive. You can drop off school supplies now until tomorrow Friday, September 3 at a variety of local businesses around the district. See the attached flyer for more drop-off locations and hours. Thank you to our local businesses that have been drop off locations and to everyone that has contributed thus far!

Parkway Picture Contest

Entries for the Parkway Picture Contest may now be submitted up to Thursday, September 9. Shine a light on all the hard work you or your neighbors have put into the parkways that make our community beautiful.   Submit your photo using this form. Voting will take place Friday, September 10 - Sunday, September 19 on a separate form that will be launched in our newsletter that Friday and on our social media platforms. There will be two categories for prize winners: residential homes and condos/businesses. The winner of each category will be announced Monday, September 20. Winners receive gift certificates to Gethsemane Garden Center: First Place $250, Second Place $100.

Important Update for Medical Cannabis Patients

The Illinois Department of Public Health has sent out a letter in regards to an important update for medical cannabis patients/applicants. Many patients were unclear about the use of physical cards as well as having trouble with their online accounts. A copy of that letter can be found below:

Federal Unemployment Programs Ending

Several pandemic assistance programs are ending on September 4. This includes the programs PEUC, PUA, FPUC, and MEUC (not listed above). The expiration of these federal programs have no impact on the state's regular unemployment benefits. For more information on programs ending, visit ides.illinois.gov/expiringprograms. With PEUC ending that means September 4th is the last payable week regardless of when you certify, that is your last payment. Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC): the additional $300 a week all claimants are currently receiving is also ending September 4th, this is the last week you will be paid these additional funds. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA): this federal program was launched to allow those who are typically ineligible for regular state unemployment benefits and expanded the eligibility to file a claim for those experiencing hardship as a direct result of COVID-19. This program is ending on September 4th even if your account is showing a remaining balance at this time. *Exceptions to the end date apply to those PUA/PEUC claims that are in adjudication for back owed weeks prior to September 4th. Monday, September 4th is a holiday, banks and state agencies are closed so deposits for benefits may be delayed. As these programs end, individuals may still be in need assistance recovering from the pandemic. The following is a list of state resources that you should continue to seek out after the expiration of the federal pandemic assistance programs: Illinois Department of Human Services Cash assistance Childcare House services Food assistance (SNAP, WIC, and more) Illinois Housing Development Authority Rental Assistance Homeowner Assistance Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity LIHEAP Get Covered Illinois Health insurance More information about resources and assistance can be found on the state’s COVID-19 resource page or on the IDES website. As always, if you are in need of further assistance with your claim please contact my office for assistance.

Select IDES Offices Reopening for Appointment Only The following locations are open by appointment only: Rockford | 303 North Main Street Harvey | 16845 South Halsted Champaign | 1307 North Mattis Avenue Mt. Vernon | 333 Potomac Boulevard, Suite E Belleville | 7650 Magna Drive, Suite 120 Pilsen | 1700 West 18th Street, Chicago Wheeling | 1400 South Wolf Road To schedule an appointment, call the IDES Scheduling Hotline at 217-558-0401 and request a callback. Appointments must be scheduled a minimum of 24 hours in advance. The IDES are taking appointments to assist with the following: ▪ Identity verification for an unemployment insurance claim ▪ Assistance registering with IllinoisJobLink.com ▪ Assistance documenting work search activities ▪ Employment services, including resume and job search guidance ▪ Request to use the Resource Room to use computers with internet and other resources Appointments will be available Monday through Friday between 8:30am and 5:00pm. Each appointment will be given an allotted 20 minutes with a 10-minute grace period, if you are running late. Be sure to bring your photo ID and any other documentation required for the appointment. You will not be let into the offices without an appointment and will be directed to the Hotline phone number. Masks are required in IDES buildings and if you are experiencing COVID-related symptoms or have been exposed within 14 days of your appointment, the IDES will ask you to reschedule.

Eviction Moratorium Update

The US Supreme Court has put a stop to the federal eviction moratorium proposed by President Biden that was originally set to go until October 3. This means that Cook County is no longer effected by this moratorium, having been before as it was an area with "sufficient" or "high" rates of community transmission of COVID. However, Governor Pritzker has extended the statewide moratorium to pause eviction enforcement as COVID-19 cases linked to the delta variant continue to rise. State protections originally set to phase out next week will now continue through October 3rd. Last week, the Illinois Supreme Court issued an order that will suspend hearings for most eviction cases through September 18.

Ways to Continue to Support Afghan Refugees

Ismaili Center The Ismaili Center located at 6259 N Broadway is collecting donations for refugees this Saturday, September 4th between 10am-2pm. You can reach them at (773) 262-1616 for more information.

Ethiopian Community Association The Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago is taking donations to help provide services to support recently arrived Afghan refugees in the resettlement process. These services include airport pickup, placement into affordable housing, English language classes, job readiness training, financial literacy, health education, and more. You can donate here.

Refugee One Our partners at Refugee One have set up a website to show how you can support those that are coming to the United States. They offer everything from English classes and youth programming to employment assistance and comprehensive mental health care. To learn more about how you can help click here. World Relief Chicagoland World Relief Chicagoland provides a multitude of resources for those looking to get involved and help those coming to the United States from Afghanistan. There are many ways to support these efforts from advocating to volunteering to host a family. You can see a list of these opportunities below. For more information on how you can help, visit here.

Jewish Federation Chicago Disaster Relief Fund

The Jewish Federation of Chicago is accepting donations to help those impacted by the devastation of Hurricane Ida and its related storms. The Jewish Federation of Chicago and Federations across North America have a long track record of caring for victims of global natural disasters. In 2005, our community raised $2 million to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina.   You can contribute online at https://juf.org/disaster, by calling (312) 444-2869, or by sending a check to the Jewish Federation Hurricane Ida Relief Fund, Room 3017, 30 S. Wells St., Chicago, IL 60606.   All funds collected by the Jewish Federation of Chicago will be directed to social welfare agencies in the affected areas serving both the Jewish and general communities. The Chicago Federation will absorb all administrative costs, ensuring that 100% of all donations go directly to aid those most grievously affected.

Edgewater Annual Yard and Sidewalk Sale

You can now register for the Annual Yard and Sidewalk Sale. This event will take place September 25th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For participating residents, there is a $10 registration fee that covers all promotions of sale and contribution to your block club. Contact edgewateryardsale@gmail.com with any questions and register here.

Join Alderwoman Maria Hadden: Community Meeting on Homelessness

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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