Hurley Applauds First Responders, Passes Budget During Special Session

CHICAGO – As the Illinois General Assembly adjourned from the emergency special session that was convened to address challenges caused by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, state Rep. Fran Hurley, D-Chicago, released the following statement:

“As the General Assembly passed a budget and other legislation to help families facing hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I continually worked through the emergency session with our first responders in mind. I knew it was critical for lawmakers to make tough decisions to support our first responders, nurses, doctors and other health care workers during this challenging time.

“While there is much more work to be done to get Illinois back on the right track, I worked to address our most urgent priorities, including passing a budget that ensures access to critical programs like domestic violence shelters and in-home health care for seniors. As a part of my commitment to build a stronger Illinois, I also supported an initiative to allow more residents to take advantage of telehealth services for both health care and mental health services.

“To show my dedicated support for our first responders and to help create jobs in our community, I supported legislation to authorize the construction of a Chicago casino. This measure is critical especially during this uncertain time as it will help fund much-needed infrastructure projects across the state, put many residents back to work, and will secure and protect the retirements of the men and women that serve our city in the Chicago Police and Fire Departments.

“I have continually advocated for property tax relief for local homeowners, which is necessary now more than ever. After years of work, last year I passed a law to remove the burdensome requirement that Cook County seniors reapply for their annual property tax exemption. I know the pandemic has caused challenges for many of our neighbors, especially our most vulnerable residents like seniors, veterans and individuals with disabilities. To help provide relief during this difficult time, I passed a measure to create a one-year application deferral program to ensure homeowners can continue receiving valuable, money-saving exemptions without jumping through hoops.

“I will continue working to build a stronger Illinois by supporting local residents, small business owners and workers to help grow and strengthen our economy and help our state move back in the right direction in a safe way.”

For more information, please contact Hurley’s constituent service office at 773-445-8128 or RepFranHurley@gmail.com.