Mayfield Advances Major Initiatives Addressing Cost-of-Living Issues for Working Families and Older Adults, Reforming Transit, Protecting Due Process

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.— Affordable public transit, relief from rising costs, and new protections safeguarding Illinoisans’ due process rights were top priorities for state Rep. Rita Mayfield, D- Waukegan, during a highly productive fall session focused on making life easier for working people and seniors.

“The goal is for everyone to be able to pay their bills without having to choose between one or the other, to walk the streets without fearing they won’t return home to their families, and to get to work on time without missing their train,” Mayfield said. “If we continue taking steps toward accomplishing our goal, our communities will thrive as the quality of life for resident’s flourishes.”

Mayfield passed Senate Bill 25, which is aimed at lowering energy costs for families affected by rates that have risen sharply in recent years. It does this by making transformative investments in capturing clean energy, increasing battery storage and improving energy efficiency.

She also passed House Bill 1312, a bold measure that seeks to inject more accountability into federal law enforcement operations by creating new protections against the Trump Administration’s warrantless raids at hospitals, daycares, and institutions of higher learning, and courthouses.

She also passed Senate Bill 2111—transformative legislation designed to save and reform public transit, both in Chicago and across Illinois, without new taxes on food delivery, without new taxes on real estate, without new taxes on streaming services, and without funding more bureaucratic mismanagement.

Finally, she passed Senate Bill 642, a measure that updates existing legislation that helps older adults reduce their property tax liabilities by freezing their rates. This bill helps more seniors remain eligible for the existing property tax assessment senior freeze program by raising income eligibility cutoffs to better account for inflation.

All four measures now move to the desk of Gov. J.B. Pritzker for final action. Together, they represent major progress on priority issues for Mayfield and her colleagues, as they stand with residents who are struggling to make ends meet and vulnerable Illinoisans confronted by authoritarian policies and an administration that continually abandons democratic and constitutional norms.

“We acknowledge that this is only the first step in a broader mission to address and undo the hardships our communities have endured,” Mayfield said. “My colleagues and I look forward to returning to the drawing board in January to create new solutions that will help our families and communities flourish.”