SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Norma Hernandez, D-Melrose Park, championed House Resolution 624 calling on Congress to condemn Donald Trump for misguided foreign policy and reject Trump’s efforts to acquire territories and titles overseas while leaving working families at home to pay the bill.  

“Although Trump sells himself as a “peace president” who keeps America out of unnecessary foreign conflicts so we can focus on providing for our communities, the reality of this administration has been marked by needless provocation, alienation of our allies, and continued, escalating insanity,” said Hernandez. “This is an outrageous act. At no point has Trump sought or been granted congressional authorization for military actions.”

Hernandez authored House Resolution 624, which calls on Congress to hold Donald Trump accountable for his illegal use of military action and American dollars to fund illegitimate operations, including in Venezuela, unprovoked attacks toward Cuba and Iran, and threats of forcefully pursuing Greenland’s autonomous territory. 

The American dollars that have funded these illegitimate operations could fund SNAP benefits for more than 310,000 Americans, and the amount of money Trump has publicly committed to obtaining control over Greenland would cover the cost of the Affordable Care Act subsides he let expire and the cost of the state childcare funding he froze, with still more than $550 billion left over. 

“Congress must step in and provide the constitutional oversight necessary to hold Trump accountable to the American people, preserve our longstanding alliances and prevent our global standing from being further diminished,” said Hernandez.

MELROSE PARK, Ill. — State Rep. Norma Hernandez, D-Melrose Park, is announcing a state funding opportunity for local governments to invest in the repair of local roads. The current state budget includes $400 million for this purpose. Applications are due no later than Sunday, June 1 at 11:45pm. 

“Supporting our local communities by helping families to get around safely and efficiently is really important,” Hernandez said. “Helping local government pay for road maintenance is also a great way we can reduce their dependence on property taxes, and relieve some of that pressure on homeowners.”

Roads are typically the responsibility of local governments to maintain. However, historically underserved municipalities, as well as those with lower cash flows, often don’t have the option of doing all maintenance routinely carried out elsewhere. The funding opportunity is meant to fill in the gaps by providing disadvantaged municipalities with assistance. Individual awards will range from $100,000 to $10 million.

For more information, go to https://gata.illinois.gov, click “CSFA,” and search for CSFA Number 494-00-3626, or email DOT.OPP.GrantApplications@illinois.gov.

The application is available online at https://forms.office.com/Fenm6Rdza0.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Rep. Norma Hernandez, D-Melrose Park, is taking aim at factors which contribute to shortages of specialist healthcare providers by passing three bills aimed at updating requirements and removing roadblocks that currently often lead to many Illinoisans being underserved.

“Part of building a brighter future for every family and community in Illinois is making sure that people who need specialized medical and behavioral health care are able to access it,” Hernandez said. “That means making sure that shortages of providers don’t lead to monthslong waits or even to patients needing to travel hours roundtrip—or even incur overnight stays—in order to be seen. It also means making sure that expert knowledge and best practices are at the heart of what we’re doing for Illinois families.”

Hernandez recently passed three bills aimed at helping underserved areas to see increased numbers of nearby specialist providers:

House Bill 2676 would allow ophthalmologists, optometrists and anesthesiologists to qualify for loan repayment assistance through the already-existing Underserved Health Care Provider Workforce Program (UHCPW). This program incentivizes newly trained specialists to move to and practice in “designated shortage areas” by helping with their educational loans if they do so.

House Bill 3160 would require the Department of Human Services (DHS) to more promptly furnish providers of home and community-based services with updated and detailed rate sheets for the clients they serve. Rate sheets inform providers of the rates at which they can be reimbursed when caring for specific patients. Currently, some providers haven’t received updated rate sheets since 2019, which has made it difficult for providers to budget and maintain full operation. The bill would require DHS to furnish new rate sheets within 60 days of a provider’s request.

House Bill 3385 would require public colleges and universities to employ at least three licensed mental health professionals if the student body is at least 3,750 students or one licensed professional per 1,250 students otherwise. It also would change the makeup of mental health expert panels already required at public colleges and universities. Current law doesn’t explicitly spell out requirements for the makeup of the panels, but Hernandez’s bill would require them to have a minimum of two administrators, two faculty members and one mental health professional.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Representative Norma Hernandez, D-Melrose Park, is stepping up to lead the Illinois House Latinx Caucus as Chairperson following the recent announcement of which members would be chairing House committees and caucuses.

“I am beyond excited to take on this role, which will enable me to lead the way on policies that impact Latino families across Illinois and address the issues that many in our community have in common,” Hernandez said. “Keeping Illinois moving forward means ensuring our policies lift up everyone and leave nobody behind. Representation matters and that’s the message I’m bringing to the House floor over the next two years.”

The caucus consists of the Democratic members of the Illinois House of Representatives who are of Latino heritage. They comprise eleven of the 78 Democrats in the House. Caucuses are groups of legislators, usually of the same party, who unite around some aspect of shared identity to bring focus to policies aimed at addressing the particular needs of that group.

The Illinois House Democrats have and Asian Caucus, a Black Caucus, a Downstate Caucus, a Women’s Caucus, a Moderate Caucus and a Progressive Caucus. Individual legislators can be members of more than one of these. In addition, the House Democrats are considered a caucus.

“I’m looking forward to the coming two years because of the potential to have a transformative impact on my community and communities across our state,” Hernandez said. “I’m honored by the esteem and trust of my colleagues and I know that I can count on their support as well as we begin another legislative session.”

MELROSE PARK, Ill. – State Rep. Norma Hernandez, D-Melrose Park, is celebrating investment in her community as Forster Tool & Manufacturing, which is based in her district, was recently awarded a $47,420 grant through the Made in Illinois Grant Program.

“Local manufacturing strengthens our economy and creates quality jobs,” Hernandez said. “Securing investments like these in our community helps provide opportunities for our working families and keeps our area competitive and growing into the future.”

Forster Tool & Manufacturing, founded in 1958 and based in Bensenville, manufactures a variety of products for the aerospace, automotive, and medical industries. Grants awarded through the Made in Illinois Grant Program are intended to help Illinois manufacturers grow and innovate. Forster Tool & Manufacturing is one of 40 manufactures across the state to receive funding in this latest round of grants that total $1.7 million.

“I’m always happy to celebrate greater investment into our community,” Hernandez said. “Congratulations to Forster Tool & Manufacturing for this well-deserved funding. I look forward to seeing this important local company continue to provide great products and strengthen our local economy.”

MELROSE PARK, Ill. – State Rep. Norma Hernandez, D-Melrose Park, is working to provide property tax relief for home buyers and expand access to housing by creating a property tax exemption for certain kinds of newly-built homes.

“Many Illinoisans are looking to achieve their American dream and purchase their own home,” Hernandez said. “Unfortunately, property tax burdens can make this dream unobtainable, leaving these homes to go unsold, or be bought by those not looking to make that home their permanent residence. This leads to even less construction of new homes, further diminishing the options available to potential home-buyers. This new legislation will help buyers of new homes with property taxes and lead to greater utilization of existing land.”

Hernandez’s House Bill 1377 allows homebuyers to receive a 50% reduction value used to calculate property tax assessments for 8 years, followed by 2 years of a 33% reduction. The bill would apply to recently built constructions and is limited to certain areas, emphasizing areas that have been historically underutilized. 

Hernandez received bipartisan support in the House Revenue & Finance Committee. The bill now moves to the House Floor to be voted on by the full body.

“This bill will not only provide immediate property tax relief, but will also promote the construction of more single-family homes in areas that have been neglected or overlooked for such construction,” said Hernandez. “When our neighborhoods are put to their best use and we have a greater supply of quality housing options, we all benefit. I am excited to see this legislation help more people achieve the American dream.”

CHICAGO — State Rep. Norma Hernandez, D-Melrose Park, will hold a press conference in conjunction with Prestige Health to discuss Medical Nutritional Therapy (MNT), as well as her House Bill 5249, that would make MNT available through the state’s medical assistance program. The press conference will be held Monday, March 18 at 10:00 a.m. at the Morgan Arts Complex, 3622 S. Morgan St. in Chicago.

“Nutrition is at the core of good health, and it’s important to have that foundation that other healthcare services can build upon,” Hernandez said. “That’s why it’s so important to make sure, when a person’s nutrition is an issue that may be contributing to their overall health situation, that dietician and other nutritional services are accessible and covered.”

Hernandez’s bill would provide for Medicaid coverage of nutrition services like assessment, intervention, counseling, monitoring and evaluation. Hernandez will speak and be available for questions, along with representatives of Prestige Health.

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MELROSE PARK, Ill. — State Rep. Norma Hernandez, D-Melrose Park, is announcing her goals for the 2024 legislative session—highlighting issues such as housing, healthcare access, government transparency, education and addressing the difficulties posed by the ongoing spike in migrant arrivals.

“This year, I’m continuing to embrace our focus on getting the state back to work for working families,” Hernandez said. “Part of that is working to ensure that families have access to housing, access to care, public administration they can trust and rely on and good schools for their kids. At the same time, we’ve all seen the situation unfolding in Chicago and the suburbs, with families just like ours continuing to arrive from Texas and elsewhere.

One bill Hernandez is continuing to pursue is House Bill 1377, which would create a 50% property tax exemption for newly constructed homes in eligible areas of Cook County, or any other Illinois county that chooses to participate, for the first ten years that it is occupied by the original owner. The intent of the bill is to encourage the construction of new housing, which Hernandez and others hope will help increase supply and counteract rising home prices.

“Families are the bedrock of the communities that make up Illinois, and concentrating on making sure they have their needs met and access to opportunities is good for everyone,” Hernandez said. “When families thrive, so do communities. And that’s how we keep Illinois moving forward.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Cook County’s water management agency will be able to more quickly and efficiently hold accountable those who violate the law by improperly discharging waste into the sewage system—under a new law introduced by state Rep. Norma Hernandez, D-Melrose Park.

“When hazardous waste is being introduced into our sewer system by unscrupulous businesses or other entities, we can’t afford to let that go on any longer than it has to,” Hernandez said. “Having to wait for a letter to arrive in the mail and for the offender to read it takes too long and results in additional contamination and longer and more expensive cleanup.”

Under existing law, when a person or entity was found to be unlawfully discharging waste into the sewer system, notices and orders—including cease-and-desist orders—had to be sent either by certified mail or by official courier.

Hernandez’s House Bill 3133 permits Cook County’s Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) to implement an electronic reporting system that, once operational, can be used to serve notices and orders to violators via email. It also stipulates that such electronic notices have the same validity and effect as those delivered by mail or by hand.

The bill was signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on July 28 and took effect immediately.

“Protecting the water supply that Chicago families depend on is far too important for authorities to be forced by outdated policies to drag their feet,” Hernandez said. “I’m confident that by updating the tools at their disposal, we’re empowering the MWRD to better protect public health, the environment and our economy from the effects of sewage violations.”

For more information about House Bill 3133 and all Illinois legislation, visit ilga.gov.