Stuart 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. Katie Stuart, D- Edwardsville, during a highly productive fall session focused on making life easier for working people and seniors.

“Right now, across the United States, life is hard for people,” Stuart said. “That’s why we knew it was critical to take clear and concise steps to help make life easier for Illinois residents. We worked together to create tangible solutions to the rising cost-of-living, transit issues and chaos coming from Washington.”

Stuart 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, institutions of higher learning and courthouses.

She also backed Senate Bill 2111—transformative legislation designed to save and reform public transit, 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.

Downstate public transportation agencies are expected to receive up to $220 million in new funding to meet anticipated growth needs. Senate Bill 2111 also creates the Interagency Coordinating Committee on transit innovation, integration, and reform, which will be focused on improving and integrating all transit networks outside of the Chicagoland area.

Finally, Stuart supported 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.

These measures now move to the desk of Gov. J.B. Pritzker for final action. Together, they represent major progress on priority issues for Stuart 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.

“As we look toward the spring session, our goals remain the same, making life easier for Illinois residents,” said Stuart. “Our people deserve a life of dignity and respect, and I will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that reality.”