* Rep. Morgan…

Following is a statement from Rep. Bob Morgan, the chair of the House Safety & Reform Working Group, on the passage of the Protect Illinois Communities in the House of Representatives, including a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines:

“This passage by the House is a monumental step, and all the activists, organizers and survivors who have flooded this building with their advocacy should be proud of this achievement. This is your victory. We aren’t done yet–but this legislative action represents serious progress on the road to full passage. I want to thank Speaker Welch for his leadership and guidance as we have worked to negotiate this package and move forward on the path to passing this life-saving, common sense legislation.”

* Speaker Welch…

“Tonight, I want to congratulate the Firearms Safety Working Group and the Reproductive Health Working Group. More importantly, I want to thank the members whose leadership, hard work, compromise, and compassion have allowed us to find purpose and progress in the pain and trauma so many have felt.

It is thanks to their months of hard work that the Illinois House passed common-sense gun reform and necessary protections for reproductive health care. We know that the work is not done; we will continue looking for opportunities to engage stakeholders and continuing to do the work to move Illinois forward.”

* Gov. Pritzker…

Following the Illinois House of Representatives taking action on several bills today, Governor JB Pritzker issued the following statement.

For months lawmakers and advocates have been hard at work negotiating two very critical pieces of legislation to keep Illinoisans safe. Tonight, with the leadership and support of Speaker Welch, the Illinois House passed critical reproductive health protections and an assault weapons ban. The people of Illinois send us to Springfield to tackle tough issues and these bills are historic steps in the right direction. I look forward to working with our colleagues in the Illinois Senate to get bills addressing these issues to my desk so I can sign them as soon as possible.

I’d like to thank Rep. Cassidy for her tireless work to protect reproductive healthcare and Rep. Morgan for his work to get weapons of war off our streets.

* Rep. Niemerg…

The Illinois House has approved another extreme abortion rights bill and has once again taken aim at the rights of parents, according to State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dietrich).

The House approved SB 1534, which was amended to include more radical pro-abortion language. The bill paves the way for mobile abortion clinics and allows physician’s assistants to administer certain types of abortions.

“When is enough, enough? We pass abortion bill after abortion after abortion bill after abortion bill,” Niemerg said. “The other side is talking about the physician and the patient but what about the parents? I’m a father. There are many mothers and fathers who want to be involved in their kids’ lives. But the radical Democrat majority repealed parental notification. Now we are making it so that physician assistants can perform abortions and we are putting a mobile abortion clinic in southern Illinois. They have removed all liability for abortion clinics. So now a 14-year-old girl can be driven to an abortion clinic by her boyfriend, and she can have that abortion and that child could die on the table with no liability for abortion clinic and the parents wouldn’t know anything about it until it was all over. It is time we started talking about the parents. When is enough, enough? It is obvious there are no restrictions on abortion the proponents of this bill will support.”

Senate Bill 1534 now moves to the Illinois Senate for further consideration.

* ISRA…

The Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) harshly condemns the actions of the Illinois General Assembly as it prepares to vote in the Senate on a comprehensive ban of hundreds of types of firearms across Illinois.

“The Illinois General Assembly is working to pass a bill that the law-abiding gun owners across the state will fear, but criminals will ignore, as they already do to the dozens of laws already on the books,” said Richard Pearson, Executive Director of the Illinois State Rifle Association. “What is most alarming is the impact this will happen on police departments as they try to determine how to implement this law on their law-abiding constituents,” Pearson added.

Pearson echoed the concerns and the alarm felt by ISRA members and the thousands of other FOID card-carrying individuals across the state who rely on their firearms for safety.

Our members, concerned citizens, and members of the law enforcement community are being urged to call their senators in their Springfield offices to have their voices heard on SB 2226 HA2.

The link to the bill can be found here:
https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=10200SB2226ham002&GA=102&SessionId=110&DocTypeId=SB&LegID=134879&DocNum=2226&GAID=16&SpecSess=&Session=

Should the bill pass the Senate and be signed into law, the ISRA will work with other groups and concerned citizens across the state who put their personal safety first and will advocate for repeal in the next session of the Illinois General Assembly as well as consider litigation on what many believe is a constitutionally flawed bill.

“A comprehensive bill targeting the weapon but not the individual who is committing a crime with them is doomed to failure,” said Terry Kreimeier, retired Will County Sheriff Deputy. “Illinoisans want bills that disarm those who should not have firearms, not those who have trained, have complied with all laws, and are state approved to have them.”

* Illinois Freedom Caucus…

The Illinois Freedom Caucus today is issuing the following statement on the passage of Amendment 3 to SB 2226 (the latest version of House Bill 5855) which represents the most expansive gun control measure in the history of the state.

“Once again, we come to the end of the legislative session and the majority party pushes through a massive bill giving rank and file members only a few minutes to read it before voting on it. This legislation is not simple. It is a complex measure that should be seen in the light of day instead of pushed through in the dead of night.

The corrupt leaders in our state care nothing for the rights of members to cast informed votes nor do they care about the honest citizens whose rights are being trampled with this unconstitutional legislation. Illinois is one of the most restrictive states in the country for gun ownership and yet it is also one of the most violent states in the nation.

Multiple studies have shown that restricting the Constitutional rights of responsible citizens does not deter crime. The only thing this legislation accomplishes is to make a direct attack on our Second Amendment rights. The respect for individual liberty found in the Bill of Rights is what has made our country a ‘city upon a hill.’ As lawmakers, it is our duty to protect and preserve the Constitution. We believe every member of the House who voted for this legislation violated their oath of office by supporting a bill they know is on its face unconstitutional. Today is a sad day for liberty and freedom. Tyranny reigns supreme in the Illinois Legislature. We will continue to stand firm in our opposition to unconstitutional laws and any and all threats to our rights and freedoms as American citizens.”

The Illinois Freedom Caucus is comprised of State Representatives Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich); Chris Miller (R-Oakland); Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville); Blaine Wilhour (R-Beecher City) and Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur). The members of the Illinois Freedom Caucus are members of the Illinois General Assembly who are advocating for limited government, lower taxes and accountability and integrity in government.

* Rep. Harper…

Following the passage early Friday morning of the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA), state Rep. Sonya M. Harper, D-Chicago, issued the following statement.

“Last night, we made progress in promoting public safety in our state. The bill my colleagues and I voted on and passed promises to improve public safety in our state in many ways. It is important, however, that we not forget that assault weapons and mass shootings are only part of the problem we face. I hope I will not be misunderstood: the Protect Illinois Communities Act represents a significant—and necessary—step in protecting our communities. It is an accomplishment of which we should be proud. However, the fact is that assault weapons only account for about 3% of gun crimes nationwide, and mass shootings are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the totality of the gun violence that people in our state have been experiencing on a daily basis for decades—especially in majority-minority and other historically disinvested communities. Again, last night’s historic achievement should in no way be diminished. But more remains to be done. I look forward to working with Governor Pritzker and legislative leadership throughout the coming session to develop and pass common sense solutions that address the most common and incessant forms of gun violence which remain a serious problem throughout our state. We have done a good thing, but we cannot rest with the job unfinished.”

*** UPDATE *** We may be seeing more of this as groups try to pressure the Senate into taking action. NASW IL..

Last night the Illinois House passed the Patient And Provider Protection Act (PAPPA) which was a culmination of months of negotiations by stakeholders. This bill not only protects patients and social workers who work in abortion-related services but also protects our clients and social workers who work in gender-affirming care from aggressive attacks from states wishing to strip rights and protections from these individuals.

Unfortunately, the Illinois Senate’s competing bill that was posted this week stripped out protections for social workers who provide gender-affirming care and protections for our clients seeking out those services. The lessons learned from the last election should not be to stand with groups like Awake Illinois, whose aggressive approach threatens and attacks our client’s very existence.

Children and adolescents who identify as LGBTQIA+ face numerous challenges that can negatively affect their mental health in Illinois. In addition to discrimination, harassment, and violence, LGBTQIA+ people face family rejection, inadequate support, and a lack of inclusive education and healthcare, including enough mental health professionals. Young LGBTQIA+ people may also be more likely to develop mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and suicidality due to these stressors.

We already have a shortage of quality-affirming practitioners in Illinois. As clinicians licensed in multiple states fear challenges to their licenses and livelihoods, the added stressors from outside states that propose legislation that would impose their regressive policies on abortion and gender-affirming health care will only further worsen our shortage situation. Providing gender-affirming care is fraught with risks due to unclear laws, and one of the most frequently asked questions social workers are now asking is related to these risks.

In Illinois, LGBTQIA+ youth have found a welcoming beacon, but this light can shine only as long as Illinois affirms its commitment to its protections. During a time when extremist groups like Awake Illinois attack and bully our children, we look to our legislative leadership to reaffirm that hate has no place here in Illinois. The legislative leadership must reaffirm that social workers’ critical work is protected as they strive to heal the horrible wounds thrust on our children.

It is essential that Illinois protect healthcare providers and our clients seeking out abortion and gender-affirming healthcare. Social workers in Illinois are watching, and we expect the Illinois Senate to follow the lead of the Illinois House on this issue. The LGBTQIA+ children are watching, and they want the Illinois Senate to join the Illinois House in reassuring them that they are seen, wanted, and protected.

The Illinois Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers urges the Illinois Senate to support the Patient And Provider Protection Act as written and passed by the Illinois House.

And…

Today, the Gun Violence Prevention PAC (G-PAC) released the following statement from its CEO Kathleen Sances following reports that proposed statewide bans on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines passed the House. The bill will now be deliberated by the Senate.

“By passing the assault weapons and large-capacity magazines in the House, our lawmakers are prioritizing public safety over the gun lobby’s agenda. We are grateful to Representative Bob Morgan, Speaker Emanuel Welch and the House working committee for their leadership on this issue. Its passage through the House represents a critical first step in removing assault weapons and large-capacity magazines off our streets.

“Since July, G-PAC has stood firmly with gun violence prevention advocates and survivors to demand our lawmakers work to halt the assault on our families and communities. We are grateful to the network of activists who have helped us keep the pressure on Springfield and ensure gun safety remains top of mind for the General Assembly. We look forward to working with the Senate to pass these same life-saving measures for Illinois children and families. Gun safety advocates can count on G-PAC’s full support to help see this measure across the finish line.”