CHICAGO – A proposal by State Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, aimed at increasing the diversity of corporate boards in Illinois is now law.

“I introduced this bill and feel so passionately about this issue because there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about creating a brighter future for my children,” Welch said. “I am committed to fostering a business environment that offers the same opportunities for my son, daughter, and all women and people of color that are afforded to their peers.”

Welch’s measure, House Bill 3394, requires corporations based in Illinois to report the racial and gender make up of their board of directors to the Secretary of State’s office and requires the University of Illinois to study the data and make recommendations to improve representation of women and minorities. Additionally, Welch’s legislation would require the University of Illinois to publish an individualized rating for each corporation’s efforts to increase diversity on their boards.

The best and most current thinking on corporate health emphasizes that diversity among organizational leadership results in more nimble, creative problem-solving in our rapidly changing world. A 2015 study by McKinsey and Co. found that companies that excel in racial and ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to have financial returns above their peers, and those excelling in gender diversity are 15% percent more likely. As the conversation on increasing corporate diversity in Illinois has developed, Welch’s proposal has seen a groundswell of support from the business community.

“This measure puts all the data on the table, identifies practices that have worked to increase board diversity, while also holding corporations accountable that are not taking the steps necessary to embrace a more diverse corporate culture,” Welch said. “I would like to thank my colleagues in the House and Senate and Governor Pritzker for their help in getting this reform that will improve corporate diversity in Illinois signed into law.”

HILLSIDE, Ill. – State Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, will examine ways to boost diversity in labor apprenticeship programs as the co-chair of the newly formed Advisory Board for Diversity in Active Apprenticeship Programs.

“We need to be doing more to improve access for minority communities to enter the trades and embark on good paying careers that will help families in our area thrive,” Welch said. “Creating more paths for young people of color to embark on rewarding careers will help revitalize black and brown communities that are left behind far too often.”

As co-chair, Welch will serve as a leading voice on the newly created Advisory Board for Diversity in Active Apprenticeship Programs. The advisory board was created under a provision included in Senate Bill 534, which was sponsored and passed by Welch and recently signed into law. The bipartisan advisory board aims to increase minority participation in labor trades, specifically through apprenticeship programs.

“This advisory board is a good first step toward increasing access to apprenticeship programs and career opportunities in the trades to young people of color,” Welch said. “I am honored to serve as the co-chair of the board and look forward to continuing my work to build a stronger Illinois for all communities.”

MELROSE PARK, Ill. – State Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside issued the following statement regarding the decision by Pipeline Health to declare Westlake Hospital’s bankruptcy:

“Pipeline Health’s decision to file for bankruptcy in order to shut down Westlake Hospital shows the lengths they will go to put profits ahead of people.

“Instead of fulfilling promises to assist Westlake, as Pipeline’s CEO Jim Edwards declared earlier this year, the for-profit company turned its back on the hospital and the largely black and brown communities that rely on it. We deserve better than this, and I will not stand by and allow a corporation to gamble with the health and well-being of our community for the sake of profit.”

“I will continue fighting to keep Westlake open and serving our most vulnerable residents. It is now more critical than ever that Illinois enact vital legislation to prevent for-profit entities from shutting down hospitals for purely financial reasons. House Bill 123 would require any and all attempts to either close or downsize a hospital to be justified by a certificate of need from the institution’s owner.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Survivors of sexual assault who are wanted for non-violent, low-level offenses will be able to come forward without fear of law enforcement under new legislation backed by state Rep. Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch, D-Hillside.

“Priority number one should be protecting survivors of sexual assault,” Welch said. “No survivor should be deterred from coming forward because they fear being arrested for a low-level crime. This proposal will help protect survivors and help law enforcement get the dangerous perpetrators of these heinous crimes off our streets.”

The Welch-backed House Bill 92 protects sexual assault victims with arrest warrants for non-violent crimes by ensuring that they will not be taken into custody if they report the assault to law enforcement or medical professionals. Instead, law enforcement is required only to issue the survivor a notice to appear in court. This exemption does not apply to survivors who have a warrant for a violent crime or forcible felony.

“HB 92 is a crucial step forward for victims reporting sexual assault,” said Carrie Ward, Executive Director of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault. “Victims should not face the potential of being arrested as a result of reporting rape.  This victim-centered legislation will help propel Illinois forward in its efforts to prosecute rapists and secure justice for rape survivors.

HILLSIDE, Ill. – To help prepare local families for the upcoming school year, state Rep. Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch, D-Hillside, is partnering with local organizations to offer a free Back to School Health Fair.

“Every child in our community deserves access to a quality education and the school supplies and resources necessary to ensure their academic success,” Welch said. “This fair helps equip local students with the tools they need to thrive in the upcoming school year and offers vital health screenings for the whole family.”

Welch’s 7th Annual Back to School Health Fair is scheduled for Saturday, July 27 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Proviso West High School, located at 4701 W. Harrison St. in Hillside. Students can receive free school supply kits—one per family, while supplies last—as well as free school physicals, dental screenings and haircuts. Free health screenings will also be available to adults. Additionally, there will be family friendly entertainment at the fair including music, animals from the Brookfield Zoo, face painting, a jumping house and other fun activities.

“Each year we have a blast at this event helping families get prepared for the upcoming school year and enjoying family-friendly games and activities,” Welch said. “I encourage residents to bring the whole family and I hope to see you there.”

For more information regarding contact Rep. Welch’s full-time constituent service office at 708-450-1000 or repwelch@emanuelchriswelch.com. 

HILLSIDE, Ill. – State Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, continued his efforts to help local job seekers gain employment by hosting his annual job fair last week at the Proviso Math and Science Academy in Forest Park.

“As I fight in Springfield to build a stronger Illinois that puts working families first and creates jobs in our community, it’s important to me that I continue to help job seekers locally by hosting events like my job fair,” Welch said. “We had a great turnout this year and I would like to thank all the employers and residents seeking employment who attended.”

At Welch’s fair job seekers were able to network, submit their resumes and receive resources for the unemployed and underemployed. Multiple state agencies and local companies hosted booths at the event to discuss job opportunities with prospective employees.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Reps. Kathleen Willis, D-Northlake, and Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, are continuing their push to keep Westlake Hospital open by passing legislation that makes it harder for wealthy health management companies to purchase local hospitals and then close down to pad profits.

“Hospitals need every resource made available to them so they can stay open and continue serving local residents. This is especially true for Westlake, which has served residents for nearly 100 years,” Willis said. “Current law makes very easy for big corporations to put profits ahead of patient care by closing hospitals; my bill repeals that law, making it harder for for-profit entities to shut hospitals down.”

Willis and Welch recently introduced House Bill 123 to make it more difficult for hospitals to close and passed the legislation through the House recently. The bill mandates that any attempt to close or downsize a hospital must be justified by a certificate of need from the institution’s owner. Current law allows for an exemption for a certificate, and the bill corrects this by empowering the governor to reverse a decision made by the Health Facilities Services Review Board regarding those exemptions and potential hospital closures.

Recently, the Melrose Park-located Westlake Hospital was slated to close by its owner, Pipeline Health, after they promised to help the struggling institution. In recent days Pipeline Health announced that they were moving forward with closing Westlake months earlier than originally announced. However, a court order blocking Pipeline from expediting Westlake’s closure was issued this week. This will help keep the hospital open until the Health Facilities Services Review Board can fully review Pipeline’s application. Willis and Welch welcome the ruling, and are continuing to push for a comprehensive process to assure companies consider local health needs before closing facilities like Westlake. 

Westlake Hospital has served residents for nearly a century, and primarily assists black and brown communities. The hospital holds 230 beds and employs nearly 700 people, and closing this facility could result in potentially longer emergency response times and overflow at the Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park. Willis’ and Welch’s bill are spearheading this legislation with the hopes of keeping Westlake Hospital open.

“Pipeline officials lied to us when they declared their intent to help prevent Westlake from shutting its doors,” Welch said. “Even more egregiously, when Pipeline saw the vast outpouring of community support to keep Westlake open, they unconscionably backed a plan to close the hospital down months earlier than their initial announcement. We will continue our efforts to keep Westlake open and this legislation is part of that process to ensure that residents have access to quality care.” 

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Reps. Kathleen Willis, D-Northlake, and Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, are continuing their push to keep Westlake Hospital open by passing legislation that makes it harder for wealthy health management companies to purchase local hospitals and then close down to pad profits.

“Hospitals need every resource made available to them so they can stay open and continue serving local residents. This is especially true for Westlake, which has served residents for nearly 100 years,” Willis said. “Current law makes very easy for big corporations to put profits ahead of patient care by closing hospitals; my bill repeals that law, making it harder for for-profit entities to shut hospitals down.”

Willis and Welch recently introduced House Bill 123 to make it more difficult for hospitals to close and passed the legislation through the House recently. The bill mandates that any attempt to close or downsize a hospital must be justified by a certificate of need from the institution’s owner. Current law allows for an exemption for a certificate, and the bill corrects this by empowering the governor to reverse a decision made by the Health Facilities Services Review Board regarding those exemptions and potential hospital closures.

Recently, the Melrose Park-located Westlake Hospital was slated to close by its owner, Pipeline Health, after they promised to help the struggling institution. In recent days Pipeline Health announced that they were moving forward with closing Westlake months earlier than originally announced. However, a court order blocking Pipeline from expediting Westlake’s closure was issued this week. This will help keep the hospital open until the Health Facilities Services Review Board can fully review Pipeline’s application. Willis and Welch welcome the ruling, and are continuing to push for a comprehensive process to assure companies consider local health needs before closing facilities like Westlake. 

Westlake Hospital has served residents for nearly a century, and primarily assists black and brown communities. The hospital holds 230 beds and employs nearly 700 people, and closing this facility could result in potentially longer emergency response times and overflow at the Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park. Willis’ and Welch’s bill are spearheading this legislation with the hopes of keeping Westlake Hospital open.

“Pipeline officials lied to us when they declared their intent to help prevent Westlake from shutting its doors,” Welch said. “Even more egregiously, when Pipeline saw the vast outpouring of community support to keep Westlake open, they unconscionably backed a plan to close the hospital down months earlier than their initial announcement. We will continue our efforts to keep Westlake open and this legislation is part of that process to ensure that residents have access to quality care.” 

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In an effort to protect consumers from predatory loans that target low-income communities, State Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, has introduced legislation that puts restrictions on extreme auto loan title lending practices.

“The predatory practices being used by these lenders trap lower-income folks in a cycle of debt that’s nearly impossible for them to get out of,” Welch said. “The extreme interest rates—some as high as 360%—are unfair and quite frankly unethical. It’s time to rein these predatory lenders in and protect consumers.”

Under current law, some lenders were able to offer nearly unregulated car title loans due to a loophole in the law. Welch’s legislation, House Bill 2468, would close this loophole and caps the interest rate that may be charged to consumers. The measure passed out of the House Executive Committee with strong, bipartisan support and awaits further action on the House floor.

“The way lenders operate currently puts consumers at a severe disadvantage,” Welch said. “This measure will level the playing field and help put an end to loans and rates that unfairly target lower-income communities. I am encouraged by the bipartisan support that this measure has received and look forward to continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to protect consumers and get this legislation signed into law.”

HILLSIDE, Ill. – Community can share their opinions on state issues over pizza at state Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s “Pizza & Politics” Town Hall Meeting on Monday, April 8 from 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. at the Maywood Village Hall located at 125 S. 5th Ave. in Maywood.

“There are many important issues that I’m working on in Springfield including protecting health care for working families, adopting a fair tax that requires the wealthiest to pay their fair share, and passing a capitol plan that will help create jobs in our community,” Welch said. “One of my top priorities is to maintain a dialogue with residents, and having meetings like this gives me the opportunity to talk to folks about issues that they are concerned while also coming together to have a bite of pizza in a relaxed setting.”

For more information or to RSVP, please contact Welch’s constituent services office at 708-450-1000 or repwelch@emanuelchriswelch.com.

Who: State Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch

What: “Pizza & Politics” Town Hall Meeting 

Where: Maywood Village Hall, 125 S. 5th Ave., Maywood, IL 

When: Monday, April 8, 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m.