CHICAGO – State Rep. Justin Slaughter, D-Chicago, is inviting local residents to attend a Health Care Legislative Advisory Committee on Thursday, Oct. 24 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at his district office, located at 1234 W. 95^th Street in Chicago.

“Ensuring that our state’s hardworking families have access to affordable health care is critical,” said Slaughter. “Hosting citizen advisory committees like these allow me to speak directly with local residents about their needs and ideas they have on how to improve health care in Illinois.”

Slaughter is hosting the advisory committee to discuss recently passed health care measures as well as current issues surrounding access to care and affordability. Earlier this year, Slaughter backed legislation to stop insurance companies from implementing significant premium increases for no reason and supported efforts to reduce skyrocketing prescription drug costs.

Local community members are invited to ask questions and share feedback and ideas they have for new legislation aimed at improving health care in Illinois. The advisory committee will also feature  experts from Universal Family Connection, Christian Community Health Center, Advocate Health Care and other organizations.

“Hearing direct feedback from people in our community helps me to understand their needs and how I can serve them better as their voice in Springfield,” said Slaughter. “I look forward to hearing from the diverse voices throughout our community on how to make health care better for everyone.”

For more information or to R.S.V.P., please contact Rep. Slaughter’s office at 773-445-9700 or send an email to Justin@RepSlaughter.com

ROUND LAKE BEACH, Ill. – With the insurance marketplace open enrollment period starting Nov. 1, state Rep. Sam Yingling, D-Grayslake, is welcoming the Illinois Department of Insurance to present a Get Covered seminar to provide valuable information on how to enroll for health care coverage. The seminar will take place on Oct. 30 from 6:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. at the Round Lake Park District Building, located at 814 Hart Rd. in Round Lake.

 “Having quality health insurance is essential to having a healthy life,” said Yingling. “I encourage anyone, even those who currently have health insurance, to attend this seminar and learn what they can do to get the best coverage possible.”

During this past legislative session, Yingling was a supporter of bipartisan legislation that contained many reforms to Medicaid in Illinois, including increasing cost efficiency while still maintaining a high quality of coverage, increasing transparency in claims, and reducing patient barriers to healthcare. In addition, Yingling has taken a stand on recent health issues in the state, including calling for the closing of two facilities in Lake County that emit ethylene oxide, a chemical known to cause cancer in the communities where it is emitted.

“Learning about the different options you may have on the health insurance marketplace can save you time and money, and lead to better coverage,” said Yingling. “I would like to thank the Illinois Department of Insurance for presenting this vital information to my constituents.”

For more information on this event, please call Yingling’s District Office at 847-231-6262 or email repsamyingling@gmail.com.

BATAVIA, Ill. – Continuing her commitment to fight for affordable health care for local residents, state Rep. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago, is partnering with the Illinois Department on Aging for a Medicare Seminar.

“I am working to build an Illinois that prioritizes the needs of seniors and middle-class families by addressing outrageous rises in health care prices and reining in prescription drug costs,” said Villa. “Part of my commitment to building a stronger Illinois is fighting for affordable health care, especially for our seniors, many of whom live on fixed incomes.”

Villa is inviting area seniors, their family members and caretakers to her upcoming Medicare Seminar on Friday, Oct. 25 from 10 a.m. to noon at Batavia City Hall, located at 100 N. Island Ave. Experts from the Illinois Department of Aging will give a presentation about different Medicare plans, new enrollment, important deadlines, and will be available to answer questions about senior care.

“Understanding Medicare, the enrollment process and the different plans is very important,” continued Villa. “I encourage local seniors to stop by my upcoming Medicare seminar to learn more about Medicare and the savings and benefits they are entitled to.”

For more information, or to RSVP, please contact Villa’s constituent service office at 630-326-9319 or at StateRepKarinaVilla@gmail.com.

CHICAGO – In light of Donald Trump’s attacks on affordable health care for working families, state Rep. Aaron Ortiz, D-Chicago, championed legislation to help Illinois residents enroll in affordable health care coverage through the Illinois Marketplace by ensuring information is readily available to them.

“Donald Trump and his extremist allies are deliberately dismantling legislation that expanded access to health care to millions of people, including those with pre-existing conditions,” Ortiz said “He’s going so far as to limit access to information about affordable coverage options, which is why this legislation was necessary.”

Ortiz led the charge on House Bill 3487, which will require hospitals to display in each facility with an emergency room, information about how to enroll for an affordable health insurance plan through the state exchange. According to the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, funding to promote and provide consumer enrollment assistance has been cut by millions of dollars, encouraging the promotion of limited-benefit coverage options that leave working families exposed to significant financial risk if they become ill or injured.

“While there’s more work to be done at the state-level to push back and protect access to health care, this legislation builds on the progress we’ve made,” Ortiz said. “I appreciate Governor Pritzker’s support to ensure working families are aware about all of the options they have to receive the care they need.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Michelle Mussman, D-Schaumburg, took steps to build a stronger Illinois by building a stronger middle class this legislative session, passing a fiscally responsible budget and fighting for fair taxes for middle-class families, more job opportunities and workplace equity, and more affordable health care.

“After four years of crisis, we finally see the first signs of a state moving in a better direction – and there’s a lot of work to be done,” Mussman said. “Middle-class families deserve fairer taxes, we need significant steps to create high-wage jobs, and we need to make health care more affordable. These are the priorities I hear every day when I walk door-to-door, and working to address these concerns is my commitment to the people of our community.”

Mussman passed a balanced state budget that holds the line on middle-class taxes while ensuring needed funding for essential services – including investing $375 million in new funding for schools, and funding resources for children with special needs, at-risk seniors and women’s health care. In an important step toward repairing the damage done during Illinois’ 700-day budget crisis, the budget commits more than $1 billion to paying down old bills, and meets all pension obligations.

“Moving Illinois forward starts with fiscal responsibility,” Mussman said. “After too much uncertainty, this budget is honest and balanced, and invests in our most critical priorities while controlling spending overall.”

In a step toward long-term fiscal stability and fair middle-class taxes, Mussman passed a Fair Tax that offers relief for 98% of local residents. Under Illinois’ current system, middle-class families bear too much of a burden – paying nearly twice as much of their income in taxes as wealthy people do. The Fair Tax levels the playing field and takes a step toward long-term budget stability. By making the wealthy pay a little more, it will help hold the line on middle-class taxes, and balance future budgets while investing needed funds in schools, health care and economic development.

The Fair Tax package Mussman supported included credits for property taxpayers, and Mussman went further by voting to create a Property Tax Relief Fund which will use state funds to provide a property tax rebate to homeowners.

“As I walk door-to-door talking with people in our communities, I hear how our families bear too much of a burden,” Mussman said. “Income taxes, property taxes, health care costs and other expenses are hitting middle-class families hard. Asking the wealthiest pay a little more so we can hold the line on middle class taxes, balance budgets and invest in important services is an important step toward fairness.”

To build a stronger economy, Mussman has focused on resources that prepare young people for high-wage jobs. Working with business groups including the Chamber of Commerce and Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, Mussman voted to restore a key research and development tax credit for Illinois employers, and create a new tax credit for businesses that create apprenticeship opportunities. Legislation Mussman supported also brings together community colleges, high schools and employers to help grow the economy and prepare workers for high-wage jobs by creating the 21st Century Employment Grant Program. The program makes resources available for employers that enter into public-private partnerships to create customized job training programs specific to the skills they are looking for in workers.

Mussman also passed legislation strengthening Illinois’ commitment to equal pay for women, by preventing bad actors from using salary histories to lock women into a lifetime of unfair pay.

“Improving Illinois’ business climate and creating jobs means ensuring our workforce is second to none, striving to make our workplaces the most fair and equitable in the nation, and investing in businesses that invest in Illinois,” Mussman said. “These measures partner with employers that are leading the way toward a high-wage economy and provides them with the resources they need to create jobs and innovate.”

Mussman also took significant steps toward reining in health care costs and defending women’s medical privacy. Pushing back against out-of-touch politicians in Washington trying to strip away our health care, Mussman fought for legislation protecting individuals with pre-existing conditions, and passed measures capping skyrocketing health insurance premiums and reining in out-of-control prescription drug costs.

While states like Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia push outrageous restrictions on women’s health with the goal of dismantling federal protections for a woman’s right to choose, Mussman supported legislation making women’s health care a fundamental right. The Reproductive Health Act Mussman helped pass will ensure women in Illinois are always able to make their own medical decisions – regardless of what Donald Trump, right-wing judges and extreme politicians in other states do.

“These steps to protecting individual rights, building a stronger middle class, and building a stronger Illinois show that our state will not join a race to the bottom, but is finally ready to work its way to the top,” Mussman said. “This work is far from over and it will still require many difficult choices. My pledge to the people of our community remains what it has always been: real tax relief, a high-wage economy, accessible health care, and a fairer, stronger Illinois for all.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Following the adjournment of the Illinois House on Friday, state Rep. Sonya Harper, D-Chicago, is highlighting her agenda to build a stronger middle class in Illinois.

“Throughout this session, I’ve worked with colleagues to build a stronger Illinois by fighting for a stronger middle class through measures to provide tax relief to 97 percent of Illinois families and reduce health care costs,” Harper said. “I’ve also worked on critical measures to reduce hunger among seniors and make our criminal justice system fairer and more equitable.”

Harper sponsored the Fair Tax Amendment to level the playing field for middle-class families and provide tax relief to 97 percent of taxpayers in the state. Under a fairer tax system, Illinois will be able to balance the budget, invest in local schools and build a growing economy with high-wage jobs. Without moving toward a fairer tax system, Illinois would be forced to deny breast cancer screenings to thousands of women and would be forced to cut over $1.2 billion from our children’s schools.

Harper also sponsored Tobacco 21 to lower health care costs for Illinoisans by raising the age limit to buy cigarettes and other harmful tobacco products as well as House Bill 471 to prevent unfair and excessive health insurance rate increases. Tobacco 21 will help save over $2 billion dollars in Medicaid spending that can be redirected toward preventative care for Illinoisans by raising the age limit to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21. House Bill 471 would lower health care costs by making health insurance rate increase subjects to regulation from the Department of Insurance, which would be empowered to prevent unfair, excessive, or discriminatory rate increases by making health insurance.

“As part of my pledge to build a stronger Illinois by fighting for a stronger middle class, I know we must lift up our must vulnerable citizens,” Harper said. “That’s why I fought for a restaurant meals program for nutrition assistance recipients in order to reduce hunger among seniors and it’s why I worked on critical criminal justice reform measures to help individuals who’ve made mistakes transform their lives.”

Harper sponsored House Bill 3343 to create a restaurant meals program for SNAP recipients in order to reduce hunger. Under the program, disabled, elderly and homeless SNAP recipients would be allowed to shop for hot meals at participating establishments such as grocery stories.

Harper’s criminal justice reform measures included Senate Bill 1583, a warrant reform measure and House Bill 2541, to provide non-partisan civics education to re-entering citizens. Under Harper’s warrant reform measure, there would be a ten-year limit on warrants for probation violations where the underlying conviction involved possession of a controlled substance or low-level theft and the probation violation involved traffic violations or petty ordinance violations in order to free up resources for law enforcement to focus on combatting violent crime. Under Harper’s civics in prison measure, incarcerated citizens nearing their release date would undergo a peer-led non-partisan civics education to help reduce recidivism and increase civic awareness.

“By fighting for a stronger middle class, my colleagues and I were able to advance critical measures to create a fairer tax system with tax relief for the middle class and to lower health care costs,” Harper said. “We were also able to take action to reduce hunger among seniors and give Illinoisans a second chance by reforming our criminal justice system. I am extremely proud of the work my colleagues and I did to build a stronger Illinois.”

Harper represents the 6th District, which includes all or portions of Armour Square, Bridgeport, Chicago Lawn, Englewood, Gage Park, Back of the Yards, Canaryville, New City, West Englewood, Marquette Park, South Loop and River North.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin, took steps towards building a stronger Illinois through her work passing the Fair Tax amendment, which relieved the tax burden on the middle-class; fighting for reproductive health and equal pay legislation to preserve women’s rights across the state; and pushing for more accessible and affordable health care.

“The families in our communities deserve a state that prioritizes their best interests,” Moeller said. “Middle-class families need tax relief, abortion rights are under attack around the country, and families are getting charged thousands for medications while individuals with pre-existing conditions are at risk of losing care entirely. I’m here to fight for solutions that strengthen the middle class and build a stronger Illinois.”

Moeller passed the Fair Tax, which lowers income taxes on 99.8% of Illinoisans while balancing the budget by making the wealthy pay their fair share. This new plan is only one step on the road towards financial freedom for the middle class, but it will provide the backbone for a more robust financial future. Moeller worked to ensure the Fair Tax package also provides property tax relief for families, and takes further steps to address skyrocketing property taxes by establishing a bipartisan task force to create new relief efforts.

Moeller also recently passed a bipartisan budget to manage spending while maintaining funding for critical services. The budget further invests $375 million to improve public schools, and provides crucial financial backing for veterans’ services, elder care and health care. More than $1 billion was set aside to pay off remaining bills from the Rauner-era budget crisis and to help make much-needed pension payments.

“Illinois has had one of the most unfair tax systems in the country for far too long,” Moeller said. “We have a long way to go before these problems are solved, but making the wealthy pay their fair share brings us towards long-term budget stability, ensures essential programs are available and offers countless new employment opportunities, including job training and economic incentives to promote apprenticeship opportunities.”

As politicians across the country wage war on women, Moeller worked to promote women’s rights in Illinois. She supported the Reproductive Health Act, which protects access to abortion and reproductive health services for women. Moeller was also the chief sponsor of House Bill 834, legislation promoting equal pay to combat unfair payment practices of female employees.

“Women’s rights are under threat right now, and we have to ensure Illinois is a place where those rights are safe,” Moeller said. “I look around at states like Georgia, Alabama and Missouri, who are all passing laws restricting women’s bodies, and it’s clear that we have to act. We have to send a message to the entire country that Illinois is not a state that tolerates discrimination and misogyny.”

Moeller also took significant steps toward reining in health care costs. While out-of-touch politicians in Washington trying to strip away our health care, Moeller fought for legislation protecting individuals with pre-existing conditions, and passed measures capping skyrocketing health insurance premiums and reining in out-of-control prescription drug costs.

“We can’t play political games with peoples’ health,” Moeller said. “Keeping my communities healthy is crucial. I have to ensure they can live free from the control of big businesses trying to exploit them by ratcheting up prices for drugs and doctor visits. Providing these services is essential, but that’s not worth very much if people go bankrupt paying for them. No one should ever have to choose which medication to take because they can’t afford more than one.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. John Connor, D-Lockport, focused his efforts on developing good-paying sustainable jobs, improving access to health care and taking steps toward fair taxes for middle-class families during the spring legislative session.

“My focus is on the priorities the people in my district and what I can do to make their lives better,” Connor said. “People with pre-existing conditions are denied health insurance coverage, and they pay $500, $800 or more for medications that should cost them 40 bucks; there are mothers and fathers losing huge chunks of their paychecks to an unfair tax system that forces them to pay more than billionaires. Kids rack up debt at expensive colleges and can’t find a job that pays more than minimum wage afterward. While solutions will not be easy or quick, we must steadily address these very real problems for my constituents.”

Connor passed a budget that controls government spending while maintaining our investments in necessary statewide services. The budget goes on to invest $375 million for public schools, and assigns much-needed funds for health care, veteran’s assistance and elder care. More than $1 billion has been set aside to pay bills from the Rauner-era budget logjam, and money will go towards updating our pension system.

Sparking economic growth and boosting the market for good-paying jobs were crucial pieces of Connor’s legislative agenda this session. These bills included the 21st Century Employment grant program, which funded job training grants for businesses, community colleges and high schools and the creation of a statewide Worker Protection Unit controlled by the Attorney General, which would ensure employers kept working conditions safe and paid workers on time. Connor was also a vocal proponent of “Buy Local” bills to keep state funds flowing to Illinois businesses not foreign corporations.

“One of the biggest steps we can take towards a strong Illinois is creating more $35 an hour jobs,” Connor said. “Good-paying jobs are the foundations for growing communities and secure families. We also pushed for safe working conditions, workers’ rights and Buy Local bills because good-paying jobs don’t mean a thing if employers aren’t giving you the wage you’ve earned or if you end up injured on the job and can’t work, and the state shouldn’t be sending money from Illinois taxpayers to non-Illinois businesses. We need to keep tax dollars in our communities to help them grow.”

To accompany the economic growth spurred by this legislation, Connor supported the Fair Tax amendment, which will cut taxes for 97% of Illinoisans. While middle-class families currently pay twice as much of their salary in taxes as millionaires and billionaires, the Fair Tax makes the wealthy pay their fair share to balance the budget and fund critical services like schools and health care. Connor also went further to reduce taxes on middle-class families, passing property tax credits for homeowners and creating a Property Tax Relief Task Force to lead the effort to lower taxes on homeowners.

“The Fair Tax is a long-overdue change our state has needed for years,” Connor said. “We are shifting the tax burden away from middle-class taxpayers so they can go back to fueling a robust economy. This is just the first of many changes I intend to support to reform the Illinois tax system. However, the Fair Tax goes a long way to changing what was one of the most unfair plans in the country.”

Connor also made a significant push to ensure health care is affordable and accessible for all Illinoisans. Recent years have seen skyrocketing costs on essential aspects of health care, and Connor cracked down on the pharmaceutical companies and insurance agencies responsible. Connor voted to crack down on big insurance companies that raise rates for no reason by passing legislation that will require them to justify any premium increase. The Pharmacy Benefit Managers Article and Prescription Drug Transparency Act, both of which Connor supported, imposed penalties on bad-actors trying to take advantage of patients with preexisting conditions or crucial medication needs. When President Trump tried to sneak in legislation to slash the Affordable Care Act and take health care from millions of Illinoisans, Connor stepped in and passed legislation to stop him.

“Affordable health care is crucial to a safe, happy life,” Connor said. “Legislators have to address any challenges to that immediately. Pharmaceutical companies trying to pad their profits by exploiting my communities, insurance agencies do their best to deny care to anyone who isn’t already healthy; now, even the president is coming after Illinoisans’ health care. These attempts to strip people of their health care are shameful, and I will not allow them to continue.”

Connor had numerous other legislative achievements this session such as his work to keep violent offenders from purchasing firearms, the passage of the Reproductive Health Act to secure a woman’s right to an abortion and his many bills to expand veterans’ rights and the rights of their families.

“These measures are critical in getting Illinois moving forward again; however, we are far from finished,” Connor said. “I look forward to continuing to work for a stronger Illinois.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, took critical steps toward building a stronger Illinois this session by advocating for good-paying jobs, affordable health care and tax relief for the middle class while passing a responsible, balanced budget.

“My goals as a new state representative were to strengthen Illinois by strengthening the middle class,” Hernandez said. “We must continually take steps that will grow the economy and create jobs that will pay well, relieve the tax burden on a middle class that has borne the brunt of an unfair system for too long, and ensure health care is affordable for all Illinoisans. While I have taken some significant first steps, there is more work to be done.”  

Hernandez passed a budget that manages spending while sustaining investment in crucial services. Hernandez’s budget further invests $375 million for public schools, and provides much-needed funding for health care, senior care and veterans’ services. Over $1 billion has been set aside to pay bills remaining from the Rauner-era budget crisis, and makes required pension payments.                               

Hernandez also helped pass several economic develop bills which were designed to spark the growth of good-paying across Illinois. These bills included the 21st Century Employment grant program, legislation that grants funding to community colleges, high schools and greater access to vocational and practical skills-based education that is available to all Illinoisans. She also backed the Worker Protection Unit in the Attorney General’s office, which was created to ensure workers received steady wages, safe working conditions and fair treatment.

“We need jobs that are paying $35, $40 dollars an hour or more,” Hernandez said. “Those jobs require a good functional education. It is also crucial that we make sure workers are well-treated. It doesn’t matter how well-compensated people are if they never get a paycheck, and it doesn’t matter what work someone is doing if conditions are unsafe. Our new Worker Protection Unit will fight for workers’ rights.”

Affordable health care was also a crucial focus for Hernandez. She supported the Pharmacy Benefit Manager’s Article and the Prescription Drug Pricing Transparency Act, both of which focused on forcing pharmaceutical companies and insurance agencies to price medications clearly and fairly. Hernandez also worked against the radical Trump agenda that targeted the Affordable Care Act, putting millions of Illinoisans’ health coverage in jeopardy.

“Filling a new prescription or visiting a doctor should not force people to have to dip into their savings,” Hernandez said. “Medical care is a major cost for many households, and that has to change. Staying healthy isn’t optional. Skipping an emergency room visit because it will cost too much is not a choice anyone should have to make. There are special interests dead set on putting profits over the wellbeing and even the lives of the people of Illinois. Massive pharmaceutical companies and insurance agencies are now even the president are trying to make care unaffordable. I will not let that happen.”

Hernandez passed the Fair Tax amendment, which shifts the tax burden off middle-class taxpayers and onto the wealthy. While middle-class families bear too much of a burden under the current tax system, Hernandez’s Fair Tax plan cuts taxes on 99.7% of local residents, while making millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share to balance the budget and fund critical services like education and health care.

“The Fair Tax is crucial legislation that will form the foundation of our plans for Illinois’ future,” Hernandez said. “While there is plenty more work to do to make our tax system completely fair, this is a critical step toward putting the middle class first. The tax relief this brings to 99.7% of people here in our community, combined with the money it brings in for schools, health care and other essential services, which will have a huge positive impact for years to come.”

Hernandez also recently helped pass the Reproductive Health Act. While states like Alabama, Georgia, Missouri and more are passing outrageous restrictions with the goal of stripping away the federal protections of a woman’s right to choose, Hernandez voted to make women’s health care a fundamental right in Illinois. The bill ensures women here will always have the right to make their own medical decisions – regardless of what Donald Trump and extreme politicians in other states do.

“Everywhere we look, women are having their rights taken away,” Hernandez said. “States all over the Midwest are limiting access to needed women’s health care, and we have radical Supreme Court justices who have gone on record saying they are against reproductive rights. Illinois has to act to keep these freedoms safe and ensure that women everywhere have control over their bodies.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, took steps toward building up Illinois’ economy by creating opportunities for good-paying jobs, relieving the tax burden on the middle class by passing the Fair Tax amendment, and championing affordable health care by delivering a slate of bills designed to lower medication costs and improve health insurance accessibility and reliability.

“My focus will always be improving the lives of the people I represent,” Halpin said. “The middle class in our communities needs tax relief, and the next generation of job seekers needs practical training to compete for high-wage jobs. Families need affordable health care if they are ever going to be comfortable. What fundamentally ties these ideas together is financial security, financial strength. Our goal should be to work together to build a stronger Illinois to help communities prosper and ensure no one has to live in fear of financial collapse.”

Halpin passed the Fair Tax amendment, which will lower income taxes on 99% of people in the Quad Cities area while shifting the tax burden off of the middle-class so the wealthy pay their fair share. This new plan is only the first step towards financial freedom for Illinois’ middle-class, but it marks significant progress away from the state having the most unfair tax system in the country.

“We have a long way to go, but our work this session reforming the state finances will help balance the budget, bring in more revenue and ensure Illinois can offer countless new employment opportunities,” Halpin said. “The Fair Tax will form the backbone of our initiatives to create a more robust economy and bring a brighter future to this state.”

Halpin also played a significant role in passing a budget which allocated $375 million for education funding while setting aside a billion dollars to pay old bills. The budget also bolsters the pension fund and other services, such as veterans’ affairs and infrastructure improvements; all while holding the line on middle-class taxes.

Halpin supported work to ensure health care is consistently cheaper and more accessible. Halpin passed legislation cracking down on skyrocketing prescription drug costs, and capping double-digit insurance premiums. He also pushed for the Pharmacy Benefit Manager’s Article and the Prescription Drug Pricing Transparency Act, both of which enforce penalties on insurance providers and pharmaceutical companies that overcharge patients for crucial medications. Halpin also stood up to extreme politicians’ attempts to strip care from people with pre-existing conditions, barring the state from entering into waivers to allow big insurance companies to sell inadequate plans.

“Pharmaceutical companies and insurance agencies are piling up profits off of exploiting patients with serious diseases and outright lying to others about the costs of their medicines,” Halpin said. “There are powerful groups trying to take advantage of sick Illinoisans; even the president is trying to score cheap political points by attacking their care. It is essential we stand up to special interests and a hostile federal government intent on harming communities across the state.”

Economic development and job opportunities made up another big part of Halpin’s work this session. He helped pass the 21^st Century Employment grant program, legislation to fund job training grants to high schools, community colleges and businesses. This program will assist a new generation of workers in learning the skills they need to work sustainable, good-paying jobs. Halpin also backed the forming of a Worker Protection Unit in the Attorney General’s office to ensure workers are kept safe from unsafe working conditions and mistreatment by their employers, and passed a series of “Buy Local” bills to keep Illinois money with Illinois businesses.

“Illinois needs more jobs paying $35 or $40 an hour, and we need practical educations for these jobs,” Halpin said. “Increasing worker protections, focusing on buying local products; this legislation will build up our economy and provide long-term, good-paying employment opportunities for all Illinoisans, now and in years to come.”

While these areas were Halpin’s main focus, he helped pass policy in numerous other areas; including instituting many pieces of legislation creating support programs for veterans and their families, securing women’s reproductive health programs and protecting unions from extreme attacks.

“We see the first signs of Illinois moving forward, but there is much more work to be done,” Halpin said. “I will continue to fight for our constituents in the coming months and years.”