CHICAGO – Reflecting his commitment to labor rights, better working conditions and union representation, state Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, was appointed as Vice-Chair to the Labor & Commerce Committee. 

“I am honored to be appointed as Vice Chair of Labor and Commerce,” said Andrade. “Now is a critical moment for the economic future of our state, its workers and the next generation of Illinoisans, so I don’t take this appointment lightly. I am honored to be selected by Speaker Welch to protect all Illinoisans, and especially my fellow union workers and those in my district who rightfully demand sensible leadership in Springfield.” 

Andrade currently chairs the Transportation: Vehicles & Safety Committee, Artificial Intelligence Subcommittee, Data Privacy and Analytics Subcommittee, Social Media and Content Moderation Subcommittee, and Occupational Licences Subcommittee. In addition to his appointment as Labor vice chair, Andrade serves as vice chair on the Public Utilities Committee.

“The Labor and Commerce has subcommittees that cover so many different areas from workforce development to wage policy to minority and women businesses. That’s the kind of impact we can have,” said Andrade. “As a proud union member myself, I will continue to advocate for and protect union workers as vice chair. I will continue working to protect workers’ rights and opportunities in Chicago and across Illinois.”

Andrade is a current member of the I.A.T.S.E. Local 2 Union. 

Andrade’s appointment as Labor & Commerce replaces former L & C vice chair, state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines. The appointment is effective immediately.

CHICAGO – As the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) open enrollment deadline approaches, state Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, reminds residents to explore their health insurance options through the individual marketplace.

“It is important to me that families know all their health insurance options,” Andrade said. “The online exchanges are a useful tool to help you explore your options and see if you qualify for a subsidy so you can find the plan that fits your family’s needs and budget.”

Residents can access the federal exchanges to view their options at healthcare.gov or by calling 800-318-2596, or through Get Covered Illinois at getcovered.illinois.gov or by calling 866-311-1119. Andrade has supported a number of measures to expand and protect access to healthcare, including House Bill 2959, now law, which protects the portion of the ACA that mandates insurance coverage for patients with pre-existing conditions. He also supports House Bill 4900 to rein in the prices of generic drugs by giving the attorney general the ability to investigate and prosecute instances where drug manufacturers engage in price-gouging.

“Ensuring access to quality, affordable healthcare must be a priority,” Andrade said. “Much remains to be done to reduce the costs of prescription drugs and provide comprehensive care. I pledge to continue that fight in Springfield.”

CHICAGO – State Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, is encouraging residents to submit their ideas for new laws for the upcoming 2019 legislative session.

“I want to open the floor to residents to share their ideas on laws that could improve their daily lives and make our state better,” Andrade said. “Every resident deserves to have their voice heard, and I want my agenda to reflect our community’s needs.”

Andrade is encouraging residents to email their ideas to staterep40@gmail.com. Additionally, individuals can visit his office at 3007 W. Irving Park Rd., Suite A-Front in Chicago, or call 773-267-2880. Andrade will review submissions, and may have them drafted into a bill. With session scheduled to begin in January, residents are asked to submit their requests as soon as possible.

“The legislative process can become more inclusive and effective with the input of all Illinoisans,” Andrade said. “I look forward to working with residents to address the challenges facing our community and our state.”

CHICAGO – In light of the recent expiration of the Obama-era net neutrality rules, which ensured open and equal access to the internet, state Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, is urging action on the state and federal level to stop the roll back of net neutrality.

“I am displeased that the FCC, which is tasked with protecting consumers from potentially harmful businesses practices in the communications industry, has sided with big business by rolling back important protections,” Andrade said. “The internet has become a basic and integral part of our daily lives, leading many people to rely on it for a multitude of functions. The FCC’s ruling and Congress’ inaction threatens its continued use as an accessible tool for many to access information and services.”

Andrade, who serves as Chair of the House Cybersecurity Committee, introduced House Bill 5094 which would require internet service providers to publically disclose their network management practices as well as their commercial terms so consumers may make informed decisions when choosing a provider. His bill would also prohibit providers from engaging in what is known as “paid prioritization,” which is blocking, slowing down, degrading or otherwise favoring internet content for the benefit of outside parties.

Andrade also is a chief co-sponsor of House Bill 4819, which would encourage internet service providers to maintain net neutrality rules by prohibiting state contracts with providers who engage in paid prioritization.

“It is imperative that we do everything we can to make sure corporate greed does not allow for a system of price-gouging which pushes out working families who cannot afford to pay more for their internet,” Andrade said. “I urge Congress to take up the matter and counteract the FCC’s ruling, and I pledge to continue working to protect the residents of our state from moneyed interests.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Due to high turnover and low retention rates for child welfare services jobs, state Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, recently supported a measure to investigate the causes and effects a worker shortage has on children in Illinois.

“Ensuring the safety of vulnerable children should be a high priority for our state,” Andrade said. “However, many child case-workers face heavy caseloads and low pay, making it difficult to recruit and retain competent and passionate individuals.”

The Andrade-supported Senate Bill 2628 creates a study group known as the Task Force on Strengthening the Child Welfare Workforce for Children and Families. The group will be tasked with evaluating the compensation and caseloads of child welfare workers, their impact on retention rates, and their impact on achieving safety and timely permanency for children under the care of relevant agencies. Once these reviews have been conducted, the task force will then develop and recommend policies to address the poor retention and turnover rates that currently exist. Senate Bill 2628 passed both chambers this past spring legislative session and will be sent to the governor for further action.

“When children are placed under our state’s care due to difficult family circumstances, it is crucial that we have qualified and experienced individuals working with them to address their needs,” Andrade said. “The creation of this task force is an important step toward investigating and addressing the problems that currently exist, and I urge the governor to sign this important legislation.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In an effort to protect and preserve a citizen’s right to vote, state Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, sponsored legislation to end the state’s relationship with Crosscheck, an interstate voter data program which has been shown to result in voter suppression.

“While Trump and the alt-right are working to roll back much of the progress that took decades to accomplish, we need to have an open voting process that allows everyone to become engaged,” Andrade said. “Crosscheck, under the guise of maintaining the integrity of voter rolls, has shown to be inaccurate and faulty, resulting in individuals losing their right to vote.”

The Andrade-backed Senate Bill 2273 would prohibit Illinois from further participating in Crosscheck. Crosscheck is a voluntary interstate program that allows states to share voter data and find duplicate registrants. A state may then use these potential duplicates to purge their voter rolls. However, the program has been shown to be problematic because it only relies on two data points: date of birth and surname. Opponents have argued that this has created a built-in racial bias, as many minority communities have common surnames, leading the program to find many false positives.

“Minority communities already face a multitude of challenges navigating their daily lives, the last thing we should be doing is threatening their ability to vote for those who set the policies that influence their life,” Andrade said. “I pledge to continue fighting to protect the voting rights of my residents, and I urge the governor to sign this critical piece of legislation so that we may back out of this dangerous program immediately.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – With the spring legislative session at a close, state Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, worked on several measures that would reduce vehicle theft, protect the state’s cybersecurity network and provide more protections to immigrants who have been abused.

“Too many of our neighbors, family and friends have fallen victim to violent thefts that all too often go unsolved and unprosecuted,” Andrade said. “We must provide law enforcement with the tools necessary to protect our communities and stop these crimes from occurring.”

One of Andrade’s top priorities this spring has been to reduce the recent surge in vehicular thefts that has left many victims without justice. Currently, prosecutors are limited in charging people with vehicle theft since there is typically little evidence surrounding that type of crime. Andrade’s House Bill 1804 allows prosecutors to use more of the surrounding facts and circumstances that could lead a reasonable person to believe that the defendant stole the vehicle. Andrade’s legislation also directs courts to look into a youth’s prior arrests to determine the best course to deal with juveniles who are repeat offenders to ensure that the juvenile is not unjustly prosecuted.

Andrade also sponsored House Bill 5611, which establishes the Office of the Statewide Chief Information Security Officer to be responsible for ensuring cybersecurity across all state agencies. The office’s duties include implementing security controls, establishing protocol in the instance of a cybersecurity breach and monitoring the compliance of state agencies. As the chairman of the House Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, and IT committee, Andrade wants to protect the sensitive data that different state agencies have on Illinois residents.

“There have been many stories of data breaches, and Illinois needs to be fully equipped to prevent and handle any data breach that could happen to the state’s technology infrastructure,” Andrade said. “This office will be equipped to protect our residents’ information from any potential breach.”

Andrade supported the bipartisan balanced budget that contains no new taxes yet provides for necessary funding for important programs like affordable child care, domestic violence shelters, and breast cancer screenings. The budget also contains $350 million in new funding for K-12 schools and an increase in funding for higher education while still creating a surplus to pay down old bills.

“Critical programs like human services and public education have greatly suffered the last few years, hurting many in our communities,” Andrade said. “I urge the governor to do right by the people of our state and sign our bipartisan budget so that we may help those who we are sworn to serve.”

Andrade has also worked to provide rights and protections to immigrants by supporting Senate Bill 34, which would create the Voices of Immigrant Communities Empowering Survivors (VOICES) Act. The bill would help survivors of physical or mental abuse, such as domestic violence or human trafficking, apply for a Nonimmigrant U and T visa. Andrade’s measure would require law enforcement and other investigative agencies to respond to the visa applications for survivors no later than 90 business days after receiving the request. Andrade wants to ensure that anyone who has been abused has the ability to leave their abuser, regardless of the survivor’s immigration status.

“This common-sense legislation will help survivors of traumatic crimes come forward by giving them piece of mind that they will not be punished for their immigration status,” Andrade said. “If someone abuses another person, they should be prosecuted for their crime, regardless of where the survivor is from.”

CHICAGO – Aiming to help immigrants who are survivors of crimes but afraid to speak out, state Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, is sponsoring legislation to help survivors more easily attain Nonimmigrant U and T visas.

“In a climate where Washington politicians and the alt-right are exploiting every opportunity possible to demean and threaten the livelihood of immigrants, it is crucial that we do all we can to let them know they are not alone,” Andrade said. “If someone is the survivor of abuse, they should and must be helped, regardless of their citizenship status.”

The Andrade-backed Senate Bill 34 would create the Voices of Immigrant Communities Empowering Survivors (VOICES) Act. Currently, nonimmigrants who are survivors of certain crimes resulting in physical or mental abuse, such as domestic violence or human trafficking, may apply for a Nonimmigrant U and T visa. To qualify, individuals need a police department or other agency to provide a certification confirming that the individual is contributing or will likely contribute to the investigation. However, agencies are currently not required to respond to certification requests. Senate Bill 34 would require law enforcement and other investigative agencies to respond to certifications for U visa applicants and T visa applications for survivors no later than 90 business days after receiving the request

“If those who are have been subjected to abuse are afraid of punishment for coming forward, it makes it difficult for law enforcement to carry out their duty to serve and protect,” Andrade said. “This legislation will help restore trust between law enforcement and their communities and do right by those who have suffered harm by those who have been allowed to go unpunished.”

CHICAGO – In honor of the month of May as Mental Health Awareness Month, state Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, is encouraging residents to engage in self-care and to help those they know who are struggling with their well-being.

“Current events, particularly the mass shootings that have captured our headlines, have made it clear that we must pay more attention to mental health issues,” Andrade said. “It is important that residents take the time to address their personal emotional and mental needs for themselves and their families.”

May has been annually designated as Mental Health Awareness month since 1949, and Andrade is encouraging residents to take time to get the facts on mental health. The National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) offers facts, resources and other related items in recognition of the month at www.nami.org/mentalhealthmonth.

Additionally, Andrade is highlighting measures that address mental health. The recently signed into law House Bill 3502 creates an advisory council to develop recommendations to address barriers against implementing early and regular mental health screenings for children and adolescents. The council is expected to begin providing recommendations to the General Assembly within the next year.

“There is significant research tying poor mental health to a number of ills that plague our communities,” Andrade said. “With the epidemic of opioid addiction and mass shootings, it is critically important that we address the root causes and work to prevent more tragedies and suffering from occurring.”

CHICAGO – State Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, is supporting a bill that encourages state agencies to respect and protect immigrant rights by directing them to limit their assistance with unreasonable demands from federal immigration officials.

“No one should have to constantly worry about their loved ones being unexpectedly and baselessly detained,” Andrade said. “Our state should be doing everything it can to protect those who come to this country to make an honest living.”

Senate Bill 35 directs the Attorney General to publish policies that will limit the assistance a state-funded agency may give to federal immigration officials that would violate an individual’s rights. The policies must include protections against unreasonable searches and seizures, requirements for warrants based on probable cause and any other relevant constitutional protections. The bill would apply to any state-funded agency, including but not limited to all public schools, courts of the state, public libraries, licensed daycare centers, and state-funded hospitals and nursing homes.

“When our residents are applying to school or for a library card, they should rest assured that their personal information will not be used against them,” Andrade said. “It is my hope that this legislation will restore some faith and trust between our state and its residents by giving them peace of mind.”