SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl, D-Northbrook, released a statement following Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s address to the General Assembly on Wednesday.

“Now begins the process of creating another in a string of socially and fiscally responsible budgets. The governor’s address today was step one, but now the true work begins. We’ll need to spend the coming weeks going over the governor’s proposal in detail to find the opportunities and efficiencies that will help us invest in a future that’s affordable and also 180 degrees removed from the hateful incompetence coming out of Donald Trump’s Washington.

“Past budgets have put us in a great position to take charge of the things we can control, and my colleagues and I are gearing up to capitalize on that fact, on behalf of Illinois families and communities. Stay tuned!”

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NORTHBROOK, Ill. — Illinois will have additional tools to preserve clean drinking water—including when it comes to the water needs of data centers—under a new law backed by state Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl, permitting the use of treated municipal wastewater for industrial purposes.

“Drinking water is a human necessity,” Katz Muhl said. “Industrial water users don’t always need fresh water. Often, they can make do with reused water that’s been treated—and when they do, we conserve potentially millions of gallons of fresh water that can be used by families and future generations.”

Katz Muhl’s House Bill 2391 amends the Environmental Protection Act to clarify that treated municipal wastewater can be used by industries including agriculture, manufacturing, and power generation—or by the same municipalities for things like sprinklers, landscape irrigation or toilet flushing. One major potential use that Katz Muhl highlights is cooling water used by data centers. The bill was signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker on Aug. 15.

The data centers that handle AI services and research use vast amounts of water to keep industrial-scale servers and heat exchangers from overheating. A typical AI data center has hundreds or thousands of servers all inside common spaces, and cooling is a major concern. Data centers use massive heat exchangers that draw off heat from servers, but then need to be cooled themselves—which is done by pushing cold water through them. Allowing the use of recycled water instead of data centers needing to pull in new water constantly would represent a significant savings.

“New technology is always going to come with new considerations for our natural resources,” Katz Muhl said. “With the amount of water data centers and other high-tech innovations need, and will continue to need, enabling them to reuse as much water as possible will make them much more sustainable.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl, D-Northbrook, is working to preserve access to clean drinking water by unanimously passing a bill out of the House Energy & Environment Committee expanding the use of treated water for industrial purposes in order to conserve our supply of freshwater for individual use.

“In the near future, fresh water will begin to be of greater and greater importance to the economy and the health of our communities due to increasing scarcity,” Katz Muhl said. “Illinois and the Midwest currently have plenty of fresh water, but that doesn’t mean we should squander it. This legislation expands the number of use cases for treated municipal wastewater and thereby enables us to conserve more of what we have without sacrificing productivity.”

Katz Muhl’s House Bill 2391 makes it unequivocally clear that treated municipal wastewater can be put to industrial use. Current law permits it to be used for irrigation, but is unclear as to whether it can be used for industrial applications. The bill was passed unanimously by the 26-member Energy & Environment Committee and now moves to consideration by the full House of Representatives.

“Allowing the beneficial reuse of municipal treated water means we can reduce taxpayer costs, prevent unnecessary climate-changing emissions, and help local businesses,” Katz Muhl said. “This bill puts Illinois at the leading edge of efficient, smart water reuse policy.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl, D-Northbrook, delivered major gun safety reforms to get guns out of the hands of domestic abusers Tuesday, creating new protections to remove firearms and ammunition from individuals who are the subject of protection orders.

“When a person is subject to an order of protection, that person should clearly not have access to firearms,” Katz Muhl said. “I am proud that the Illinois General Assembly passed this measure with bipartisan votes in both chambers, showing tremendous progress and understanding that this is a common sense solution we can all agree on.”

House Bill 4144, also referred to as Karina’s Bill, aims to break the toxic combination of guns and domestic violence by strengthening protection orders and empowering judges to remove guns from abusers. After a judge issues a protection order for domestic violence, law enforcement would be required to remove firearms from the subject of the order within 96 hours of a judge’s order.

The bill is named in memory of Karina Gonzalez, who along with her teenage daughter Daniela was murdered by an abuser who should have never had access to a firearm. Even though Gonzalez had a protection order against her abuser, he was not made to surrender his guns. Their story illustrates the desperate necessity of doing better when it comes to protecting victims of domestic violence from their abusers.

National statistics show that the presence of a gun in a home where domestic abuse occurs increases the risk of homicide by 500%.

“As a former regional legislative leader for Moms Demand Action Illinois and a longtime gun violence prevention volunteer, I know how much time and heart all the domestic violence and gun violence prevention advocates put into this bill,” Katz Muhl said. “I want to congratulate all of them and the bill’s chief sponsors, Representative Maura Hirschauer and Senator Celina Villanueva. I’m proud to have played a role in the passage of this long overdue and meaningful legislation that will undoubtedly save lives.”

NORTHBROOK, Ill. — State Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl, D-Northbrook, is partnering with fellow state Rep. Mary Beth Canty and Cook County Commissioner Scott Britton to host a Job Fair on Thursday, June 20, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Community Consolidated School District 21, 959 West Dundee Rd, in Wheeling.

“Whatever your situation—looking for a job, or for a new job—this is an opportunity to upgrade your future,” Katz Muhl said. “Come on out and connect with opportunity!”

The Job Fair promises to connect job seekers with numerous employers and local businesses. Contributing to the event as well are the Illinois Department of Employment Security, the American Job Center, and Business and Career Services, Inc.

Participants can register in advance by visiting https://tinyurl.com/KatzMuhlJobFair.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl, D-Northbrook, is promoting common-sense healthcare coverage for people who may become pregnant, passing a bill that would streamline affordable access to at-home pregnancy tests where medically necessary and required for treatment.

“Without insurance coverage, patients who require regular at-home pregnancy tests currently face cost, stigma, and convenience barriers,” Katz Muhl said. “These tests should come delivered privately in the same brown paper bag as the rest of your prescriptions, streamlining treatment and leading to earlier identification of pregnancy.”

Katz Muhl’s House Bill 5643 would require health insurance policies to cover two at-home, urine based pregnancy tests each month when prescribed by a doctor, such as for fertility and dermatology patients, where pregnancy is either the goal or contraindicated. The bill comprehensively expands coverage for state-based private insurance, state-employee insurance coverage, and Medicaid patients.

The bill passed with bipartisan support in the House and now awaits consideration by the Senate.

“I am particularly proud that this legislation brought together a broad coalition of supporters in the medical and advocacy community, including both Planned Parenthood of Illinois and the Catholic Conference of Illinois,” Katz Muhl said. “Our communities are strongest when we come together to solve these kinds of everyday problems faced by Illinois families.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — State Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl, D-Northbrook, is using her first legislative session to advance critical measures to make communities safer, make housing more affordable, increase transparency for insurance policyholders, and expand access to reproductive healthcare.

“Our community, and all Illinoisians, deserve innovative, data-driven solutions to their most pressing concerns,” Katz Muhl said. “That’s why I’ve put forth a legislative agenda that’s focused squarely on the issues I’ve heard from my constituents are most important to them.”

Katz Muhl advanced several measures through House committees this month, including:

• House Bill 5643, which would require health insurance policies to cover at-home pregnancy tests when prescribed by a doctor, reducing barriers including cost, stigma, and convenience for people who can become pregnant.
• House Bill 5559, which increases transparency between auto insurance companies and their policyholders so that everyone understands exactly what factors went into a decision to total a vehicle involved in a car accident.
• House Bill 5543, which would give townships more holistic and equitable options for using existing public safety dollars to serve their communities, including additional violence prevention measures, with the greatest impact on unincorporated communities.
• House Bill 5542, which would expand the eligibility of affordable housing projects for charitable property tax exemptions by removing an outdated requirement that projects be entirely owned by a single non-profit entity. This would encourage nonprofits to partner on affordable housing projects, increasing capacity and access.

Katz Muhl’s bills now await consideration by the full House.

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to bring people together to find consensus and amplify the voices of families and communities in my district and statewide,” Katz Muhl said. “More remains to be done and I look forward to continuing that hard work together.”

NORTHBROOK, Ill. — State Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl, D-Northbrook, will advocate for affordable healthcare, sustainable environmental policy, safe roads, and the needs of local governments as a member of several key House committees.

“Committees are crucial to the policymaking process and a meaningful part of how elected representatives craft policies to address residents’ ideas and issues,” Katz Muhl said. “With these appointments, I can work in earnest on behalf of families and community members.”

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch appointed Katz Muhl on Feb. 6 to the following committees:

• House Agriculture & Conservation Committee
• House Cities & Villages Committee
• House Counties & Townships Committee
• House Insurance Committee
• House Transportation: Vehicles & Safety Committee

These appointments position Katz Muhl to weigh in on issues ranging from natural resources to climate change to crime and public safety, property taxes and other local issues, health care access, to road and highway safety.

“I’m beyond excited to dive in and get to work on the issues that matter to the community I serve and to Illinois families across the state,” Katz Muhl said. “I’m looking forward to sharing our progress as we continue to move Illinois forward.”

NORTHBROOK, Ill. — Newly inaugurated state Rep. Tracy Katz Muhl, D-Northbrook, has jumped into action since taking office, announcing her policy goals for the upcoming 2024 regular session—including gun violence prevention, healthcare access, protecting the right to choose, consumer protection, access to affordable housing, as well as government accountability and transparency.

“I’m honored to have been selected to serve our community in a capacity like this and I’m eager to get to work,” Katz Muhl said. “There’s a lot of important work coming up on issues that matter, not just to our community but to communities across Illinois. I’m also looking forward to ensuring that members of our community have representation that reflects their views and values.”

Katz Muhl was appointed Jan. 11 to fill the House seat vacated by former state Rep. Jonathan Carroll, who resigned.

“Making sure that families in our community—and in every Illinois community—can live, work and go to school in neighborhoods that are safe, with access to essential services like housing and healthcare, and that they are served and represented in a manner that is both above board and accountable is an important duty,” Katz Muhl said. “It is a duty that I promise always to put first and to carry out with the utmost dedication.”