* Chicago Coalition for the Homeless…

A new, animated video released today by anti-poverty advocates starts with “You would think that child support goes toward supporting children, right? But families in Illinois who need the most help are getting just a fraction of child support payments.”

The video goes on to explain that families living in extreme poverty and who receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) have child support collected from their non-custodial parents only to have most of that money go to the State of Illinois. In fact, only 14 cents of every dollar paid by non-custodial parents go to support their child. The policies disproportionately harm Black families in Illinois and make it harder for families to lift themselves out of poverty. The video can be found here: It is Time to Fix Our Broken Child Support System

House Bill 4423, which passed unanimously out of the Illinois House of Representatives last spring, can be passed this lame-duck session by the Illinois Senate and would fix this harmful policy. Passing HB4423 would help families living in extreme poverty meet their basic needs and ensure child support paid by non-custodial parents goes to support children receiving TANF. The bill would make the TANF grant amount equivalent to 50% of the Federal Poverty Level and direct the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services to send funds collected from non-custodial parents directly to the custodial parent and their children.

“This video lays it out straightforwardly. This legislation isn’t about partisan politics; this is about righting a wrong that has been decades in the making,” said Niya Kelly, Director of State Legislative Policy, Equity and Transformation with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. “It’s simple: This is about ensuring dollars that are collected on behalf of children who are living in extreme poverty actually get to those children.”

The legislation is sponsored by Representative Marcus C. Evans, Jr., Speaker of the House Emanuel Chris Welch, Senator Adriane Johnson, and Senator Celina Villanueva, among others. The video was put out by Chicago Coalition for the Homeless in support of House Bill 4423.

* Sens. Sally Turner and Sue Rezin…

In their ongoing desire to combat the ongoing fentanyl epidemic that is running rampant throughout the state and nation, State Senator Sally Turner (R-Beason) and Senate Deputy Minority Leader Sue Rezin (R-Morris) held a press conference at the State Capitol with McLean County State’s Attorney Erika Reynolds to unveil legislation that creates two new offenses and penalties for individuals who intentionally sell scheduled drugs with fentanyl or use electronic communication devices to sell fentanyl.
 
“This epidemic grows more serious each year as the number of deaths continues to climb. No longer is this just something that is happening in a faraway land, it’s happening everywhere,” said Senator Sally Turner. “We, as legislators, have a responsibility to take action and to protect the people who are the targets of this awful poison. Each day that we do nothing, more lives are lost.”
 
Senate Bill 4221 would amend the manufacture and delivery offense within the Illinois Controlled Substances Act to create a new Class X felony requiring nine to 40 years in prison for unlawfully selling or dispensing any scheduled drug, like Adderall or Vicodin, that contains a detectable amount of fentanyl.

“Nationally, nearly 70,000 people 18 and older died in 2021 from synthetic opioid-related incidents, with 90 percent of those being fentanyl-related. That is equivalent to one plane crashing each and every day,” said Senator Sue Rezin. “In Illinois, we have seen the number of synthetic opioid deaths jump from 87 in 2013 to 2,672 in 2021. That means in less than one decade, the state of Illinois saw nearly a 3,000 percent increase in synthetic opioid overdose deaths. We cannot and should not continue to turn a blind eye to this staggering trend.”
 
Additionally, Senate Bill 4221 would expand the controlled substance trafficking offense to create a new Class 1 felony, which would come with a fine up to $100K for anyone using an electronic communications device in the furtherance of controlled substance trafficking involving a substance containing any amount of fentanyl.
 
“As the McLean County State’s Attorney, I am thankful that Senator Turner and Senator Rezin are taking steps to support communities victimized by the ongoing fentanyl problem. My office welcomes the opportunity to hold accountable the people who prey upon the weakest among us by pushing fentanyl for financial gain,” said McLean County State’s Attorney Erika Reynolds. “This poison is killing people in our communities, and those who knowingly spread that poison should face harsher penalties.” 
 
Sen. Turner and Sen. Rezin hope to see this legislation move through the legislative process this veto session.

* Stand Up America…

Today, the Illinois General Assembly begins its veto session in Springfield. Lawmakers will work to pass Senate Bill 828, legislation to restore voting rights to nearly 30,000 individuals while they serve a felony sentence. If passed, Illinois would become the first state to restore voting rights to incarcerated citizens and join Maine, Vermont, Puerto Rico, and Washington D.C. in allowing currently and formerly incarcerated citizens to vote. 

Stand Up America members across the state will be advocating to make sure SB 828 is passed this veto session – joining a growing grassroots movement across the country for voting rights restoration. In recent years, the movement has made important strides to ensure no one has their right to vote taken away. Since 1997, 10 states have reformed their felony disenfranchisement laws—and in 2020, Washington, D.C. became the first jurisdiction in the country to restore full voting rights to people in prison.

During the 102nd General Assembly, state lawmakers worked to pass SB 828. However, the bill narrowly failed just days before the end of the regular session. During the session, Stand Up America members in Illinois sent nearly 2,400 constituent emails to their state legislators in support of voting rights restoration. 

In addition to grassroots advocacy, Stand Up America and its partners recently released a poll revealing that 56% of Illinois voters believe voting should be a guaranteed right for all and the state should give full restoration of voting rights to all citizens over the age of 18. The polling also showed wide support for voting rights restoration in the state among younger voters, older voters, and voters of color – including the notion that all citizens should be eligible to vote – with 60%, 53%, and 65% support, respectively. 

Voters in Illinois are ready for all citizens to be eligible to vote, no matter their relationship with the criminal legal system. Although many voters in Illinois aren’t aware of the laws in their state around voting rights, the majority of them believe that every citizen should have the right to vote.