Andrade Highlights Illinois Status as a “Purple Heart State”

CHICAGO, Ill. – Earlier this month, in one of the last acts of the 99th General Assembly, state Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, supported a proposal to designate Illinois as a Purple Heart State.

“Personally, I am always humbled when I think about the service and sacrifice made by our veterans all in the name of protecting our freedom,” Andrade said. “By designating Illinois a ‘Purple Heart State’ we can help raise awareness for what a Purple Heart represents and further honor the sacrifice of our veterans,”

Over 1.8 million Purple Hearts have been awarded to service members and veterans dating back to World War I. In 2013, Ohio was the first state to adopt the designation as a “Purple Heart State”. Since then, these designations on state, county and municipal levels have been adopted throughout the country. The hope is that any place that takes up this designation will create a discussion about the Purple Heart and Purple Heart Veterans.

“It’s our duty to take care of our veterans,” Andrade said. “I will continue to fight to make sure that veterans are receiving responsive and effective resources to meet their health care needs, transition to civilian life, and connect them with career opportunities.”

SJR 57 passed the House on January 10 with a unanimous vote of 114-0 from members on both sides of the aisle. The resolution has now been adopted by both chambers and will go into effect immediately.