SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Following the inauguration of the 101st Illinois General Assembly, state Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago, released the following statement detailing her legislative priorities:
“Illinois faces a road filled with challenges and tough choices as we work set out to repair damage caused by the Rauner Administration and reject the extreme agenda being pushed by Donald Trump and his allies in Washington. Putting our state back on track and continuing to advocate for local families will be my top priorities in the days, weeks and months ahead.
“We need to adopt a fairer tax system that demands the wealthiest to pay their fair share to lower the burdens placed on middle-class families. Local public schools need greater funding from the state to provide the best possible opportunities for our students and prevent closures. I will continue fighting for a Chicago elected school board to give local families a voice and push for stronger affordable housing policies.
“Gun violence continues to plague our communities, and more steps must be taken to ensure deadly weapons stay off our streets and violence is reduced. We need to raise the minimum age to buy guns and get at the root causes of consistent crimes to prevent future gun violence. More solutions can be found with criminal justice reforms by decriminalizing recreational marijuana.
“Our efforts to strengthen urban agriculture must also continue. Following the passage of the Urban Agriculture Zones, we need to continue eliminating food deserts across the state to help people buy healthy foods for their families. This will help empower communities to develop and create more economic opportunities for families there.”
Harper represents the 6th District, which includes all or portions of Armour Square, Bridgeport, Chicago Lawn, Englewood, Gage Park, Back of the Yards, Canaryville, New City, West Englewood, Marquette Park, South Loop and River North.
