BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. – State Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Buffalo Grove, is asking residents to submit their ideas for new laws for the upcoming 2019 legislative session starting in January.

“Part of fighting for our community in Springfield includes seeking community input on legislation the General Assembly should pass in 2019,” Carroll said. “I want residents directly involved in the legislative process to make sure that the laws passed next year reflect our values.”

Carroll is encouraging residents to submit legislative ideas to his constituent service office. In some cases, residents may have the opportunity to testify on them in a committee hearing. Carroll believes that receiving input is vital to representing his district well in Springfield.

“Everywhere I travel in the community, I hear from people with great ideas and insights into our community’s and state’s most pressing challenges,” Carroll continued. “Our legislative idea submission process serves as a great opportunity to turn ideas into action.”

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. – To provide residents property tax relief, state Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D – Buffalo Grove, voted last week to consolidate unnecessary township road districts in Lake County.

“This is a bipartisan effort to rid Lake County of unnecessary layers of government,” Carroll said. “Overlapping agencies and districts inflate our property tax bills. This legislation will lower costs without impacting services.”

Carroll was a chief co-sponsor of House Bill 4637, which passed the House of Representatives last week with overwhelming bipartisan support. The legislation requires that Lake County townships dissolve road districts that oversee less than 15 miles of road, a measure that will eliminate several unnecessary taxing bodies in Lake County. Five Lake County townships –Avon, Newport, Shields, West Deerfield, and Waukegan – will have their road districts dissolved as a result.

Vernon Township, which abolished its road district in 2017, lowered the township property tax levy by 5% following the move. Carroll hopes that this legislation will be a model for the rest of Illinois.

“It’s time to end the status quo of high property taxes subsidizing government waste,” Carroll continued. “This government consolidation initiative is a commonsense step we can take to provide much-needed property tax relief.”

The bill will now head to the governor for his signature.

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. – State Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Buffalo Grove, is calling for an immediate end to the Trump administration’s continued tearing apart of families seeking asylum at the border, resulting in children being separated from their parents.

“Trump’s decision to separate defenseless children evokes some of the cruelest acts that humans have ever carried out against one another,” said Carroll. “Trump has not learned from history’s cruelty, he is rather repeating it.”

During the legislative year, Carroll supported multiple measures aimed at aiding immigrant families. Most notably, Senate Bill 34 makes it easier for victims of sexual and domestic abuse to receive a visa that would let them stay in the U.S., and Senate Bill 35 limits the assistance a state-funded agency may give to federal immigration officials that would violate an individual’s rights.

“America is supposed to uphold human rights, not trample on them,” Carroll continued. “I will continue to do everything in my powerful to stop Trump’s attack on our values.”

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. – State Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Buffalo Grove, hosted a Coffee and Conversation this past weekend in his ongoing effort to meet with constituents and understand the needs of local residents.

“My favorite thing to do is to get out into the community and have one-on-one conversations with people,” said Carroll. “I’m overjoyed at our turnout on Saturday. Many people took time out of their weekend to talk to me about what I can do for their community. The more people come out, the better I will be as a representative.”

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. – State Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Buffalo Grove, is calling on Governor Rauner to immediately sign legislation that would extend the waiting period when purchasing all guns to 72 hours and close the “gun show” loophole.

“The governor is playing politics with these gun reforms by waiting to sign them,” said Carroll. “Keeping our children safe is very serious.”

Carroll’s original measure, House Bill 1468, increased the waiting period to buy an assault weapon from 24 to 72 hours and also closed the gun show loophole. The gun show loophole allows no waiting period for non-Illinois residents who bought an assault weapon at a gun show. The governor’s amendatory veto extended the waiting period to at least 72 hours for all guns bought in Illinois, but would re-establish the gun show loophole. Carroll responded by offering Amendment 1 to Senate Bill 3256 so that it included the governor’s language of extending the waiting period for all guns to at least 72 hours and his original language to close the gun show loophole. Under the legislation, all gun dealers would have to delay delivery of a purchased firearm to the customer to at least 72 hours.

“Gov. Rauner should sign this bill into law before more people get hurt due to Illinois’ lax gun laws,” Carroll continued. “We know that these commonsense gun reforms will save lives. Every day that the governor waits he puts people’s lives in danger.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Buffalo Grove, passed legislation on Wednesday that would extend the waiting period when purchasing all guns to 72 hours and close the “gun show” loophole after the legislation was vetoed and amended by the governor.

“The governor blocked these gun reforms and then his office said he would sign them. Our children can’t wait while Governor Rauner plays games,” said Carroll. “Increasing the waiting period to at least 72 hours when purchasing any firearm was fueled by the energy of students, moms, family members and activists, many of whom are new to the political process, but tired of witnessing a new tragedy unfold every week. Today’s progress belongs to them as much as anyone.”

Carroll’s original measure, House Bill 1468, increased the waiting period to buy an assault weapon from 24 to 72 hours and also closed the gun show loophole. The gun show loophole allows no waiting period for non-Illinois residents who bought an assault weapon at a gun show. The governor’s amendatory veto extended the waiting period to at least 72 hours for all guns bought in Illinois, but would re-establish the gun show loophole. Carroll responded by offering amendment 1 to Senate Bill 3256 so that it included the governor’s language of extending the waiting period for all guns to at least 72 hours and his original language to close the gun show loophole. Under the legislation, all gun dealers would have to delay delivery of a purchased fire arm to the customer to at least 72 hours.

“The recent Santa Fe High School shooting in Texas marked the 101st mass shooting of 2018, meaning we have averaged five mass shootings per week this year,” Carroll continued. “That is unconscionable. Today we showed that we refuse to accept gun violence as another fact of life that we have no control over.”

Carroll’s amendment 1 to Senate Bill 3256 now goes to the governor for approval.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – During his first legislative session, state Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Buffalo Grove, passed a bipartisan, balanced budget in addition to working for greater tax relief, curbing gun violence and strengthening women’s rights.

“I arrived in Springfield for the first time in January ready to get to work on the issues most important to local residents,” Carroll said.

Carroll helped pass a balanced, bipartisan budget on May 31 that protects investments in critical services such as affordable child care, domestic violence shelters and breast cancer screenings while also increasing school funding by $350 million. The budget accomplishes these priorities without raising taxes.

“A budget ought to reflect our values while also forcing us to live within our means,” Carroll said. “More work remains, but this compromise budget shows what we can do when Democrats and Republicans sit down to help move Illinois forward.”

One of Carroll’s top legislative initiatives responded to the Trump Administration’s cut to the State and Local Tax (SALT) Deduction by creating the “Illinois Education Excellence Fund.”  The Illinois Education Excellence Fund would allow individuals to donate money to Illinois public schools, which could then be written off as a federal charitable tax deduction.

“After Trump’s tax changes limited the SALT deduction, I spearheaded an effort with Republicans and Democrats to provide tax relief to families negatively affected,” Carroll said.

As mass shootings in 2018 continued to terrorize schools, churches and other public spaces once considered safe, Carroll led on gun safety initiatives, most notably by championing Senate Bill 3256, which would create a 72-hour waiting period when purchasing any firearm.

“With more than 100 mass shootings in 2018 alone, there has never been a greater sense of urgency to put an end to senseless gun violence,” Carroll continued. “Even with the National Rifle Association’s overwhelming opposition at every turn, we passed serious gun laws that would keep deadly, military-style assault rifles off our streets and prevent the senseless tragedies endured by too many families.”

Carroll also led on strengthening women’s rights, most notably by voting to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the U.S. Constitution, SJRCA 4, in Illinois, and by serving as a chief co-sponsor for the initiative.

“As President Trump looks to roll back women’s rights, I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with women in protecting their rights here at home,” Carroll continued. “I have also taken numerous stands in Springfield to protect survivors of domestic violence, ensure equal pay for working women and ensure health care decisions remain between a woman and her doctor.”

Carroll also worked with Democratic and Republican lawmakers on finding solutions to improve public safety and reduce sexual harassment and discrimination by serving on the governor’s Public Safety Working Group and the House Sexual Discrimination and Harassment Task Force.

“I am proud of the work I was able to accomplish, the coalitions I was able to build and the people I could fight for in Springfield,” Carroll continued. “I look forward to continue representing the people of my district and moving Illinois forward.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Jonathan Carroll, D-Buffalo Grove, helped ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in Illinois on Wednesday, making it the 37^th state to ratify the amendment to the Constitution that would guarantee constitutional protections against gender-based discrimination.

“It is humbling to have taken such a historic, critical vote that will help both women and men,” said Carroll. “Our constitution needs to be updated now more than ever to guarantee equal rights to women because we can’t look to Washington to lead on women’s issues anymore.”

Carroll was one of the chief backers of the legislation to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment – Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 4.

The Equal Rights Amendment would guarantee constitutional protection of the rights of all citizens regardless of sex. The measures would help to provide clearer judicial standards for deciding cases of sex discrimination and help women combat wage discrimination in the workplace. In order for ratification to the Constitution, approval is required by 38 states.

“Washington is continuing to erode women’s rights in health care, employment and other critical areas,” Carroll continued. “Today we showed Trump that women are going to fight to protect their rights.”

SJRCA 4 passed both the Senate and the House with a supermajority, making Illinois the 37^th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.