SPRINGFIELD, Ill.– State Rep. Kimberly DuBuclet, D-Chicago, is honoring the life of Emmett Till and the pivotal role his life had on the Civil Rights Movement by passing legislation out of the House that recognizes Till’s birthday as a commemorative holiday.

“To say that it is rewarding to pass legislation that honors Emmett Till, a young boy who grew up right here in our community, would be an understatement,” DuBuclet said. “Suffering into strength is what his mother embodied upon his brutal death in 1955, making the brave decision to show the world firsthand the cruel truth of racial violence in America as her son's mutilated body laid on full display for the world to see at Robert’s Temple Church of God in Christ, also in our community.”

DuBuclet passed House Bill 2755, which recognizes July 25 as Emmett Till Day. DuBuclet hopes that his birthday can be celebrated and be used as a day to have tough and uncomfortable conversations on racial injustices and inequities in America.

“Extreme white supremacists abducted, heinously murdered and lynched Emmett Till. The country was left in a fury, giving fuel to the modern-day Civil Rights Movement and shaping our fight for justice and equality 70 years later,” DuBuclet said. “We are living in a country where extremist politicians are doing everything they can to erase the history of Black and Brown people, which makes it more important for us to stand firm and be even louder when it comes to our story. We will never, ever forget it.” 

DuBuclet’s Bill passed the House and awaits consideration in the Senate.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Concerned that firefighters and other first responders are too often being diverted from serious emergencies to handle non-emergency lift assists, state Rep. Anthony DeLuca,
D-Chicago Heights, has advanced legislation enabling municipalities and fire districts to charge and collect reasonable fees from assisted living facilities and nursing homes for repeated non-emergency lift assist services.

“In recent years, we’ve seen an increase in first responder calls at nursing homes and assisted living facilities for nonemergency lift assists,” DeLuca said. “Not only are these often unnecessary, they come with a real cost and impact the availability of our first responders to travel to life-threatening emergencies as expected.”

During a lift assist, first responders will help a patient physically move from one place to another, such as helping them up. However, such calls involve situations in which they are not otherwise injured or in need of emergency care.

Under DeLuca’s House Bill 2336, municipalities and fire districts would be able to fix, charge and collect reasonable fees from an assisted living facility or nursing home for every lift assist service after the sixth provided lift assist that year. Such fees may not exceed the actual personnel and equipment costs for all services rendered.

Lift assistance does not include lifting a patient or other individual in situations where they are being transported to a health care facility, such as a hospital or emergency room.

“We want to stop health care facilities from shifting health care costs onto taxpayers,” DeLuca said. “This measure incentivizes them to change their existing unsustainable practice.”

House Bill 2336 passed with bipartisan support, and is now in the Illinois Senate for consideration.

For more information, please contact RepDeLuca@SBCGlobal.net.

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. – In response to news that the villages of Hazel Crest and Homewood were selected by the state to develop a new south suburban casino, state Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, sought to highlight the economic benefits the Casino would bring to the area.

“This casino will be a great economic generator for the state and south suburban economies,” said DeLuca. “In addition to revenue that can go towards alleviating the tax burden on local residents, an estimated 600 construction jobs will be created and 800 permanent jobs will come as a result of this $500 million development.”

The casino has been sought after by officials in both Homewood and Hazel Crest for close to 9 years. The winning proposal selected by the state gaming board was put forth by the Wind Creek Casino Company and has the support of both villages. The new 64,000 square-foot casino will sit off of I-80 and Halsted right along the Illinois-Indiana border. It will hold 1,300 slots and 56 table games. In addition to gaming, developers will build a 4-star diamond hotel with restaurants, bars and an entertainment center.

“The next step is for the state gaming board to grant the permit that will allow for Wind Creek to break ground,” said DeLuca. “We are talking about hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue that can go toward the vital concerns of local residents, like education funding, public safety and decreased property taxes. This project has my full support, and I will assist in any way possible.”

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. – To honor those who have served in our nation’s armed forces, state Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, is hosting a free Veterans’ Appreciation Picnic on Friday, July 6 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park, located at 19101 Halsted St. in Glenwood.

“I view this as a small opportunity to give back to this valiant group who humbly don’t ask for much,” DeLuca said. “We should take more opportunities like this to give thanks to veterans and their families for their sacrifices.”

Veterans and their family members can come to Veterans Memorial Park at any time during the event. Hot dogs and beverages will be provided to all attendees, and the event will feature games like BINGO. DeLuca will be joined by leaders from local governments, including Bloom Township, Rich Township, Frankfort Township and the Village of Glenwood John H. Blakey Center for Seniors.

“I’d like for our communities to have more dialogue with our veterans,” DeLuca said. “There is a lot these heroic men and women can teach us, and we owe it to them to show our appreciation for their service.”

The event is free, although space is limited. To RSVP for Rep. DeLuca’s Veterans’ Appreciation Picnic, please contact his constituent services office at 708-754-7900 or repdeluca@sbcglobal.net.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, is sponsoring legislation that would close a loophole that lets thieves caught carjacking avoid jail time.

“While there is robust debate on this issue, there is frankly no excuse for not closing legal loopholes that criminals are known to be exploiting,” DeLuca said. “If officers are catching offenders with known criminal history in stolen vehicles, the last thing that law enforcement should be doing is releasing them without any questions asked.”

The DeLuca-backed Senate Bill 2339 would give judges or juries the ability to convict someone of carjacking if there is sufficient enough evidence to support the charge. As the law stands now, if someone were to be found in a stolen vehicle, regardless of previous criminal history, including crimes of carjacking, the suspect would likely not be convicted if they falsely state the car belongs to a friend or relative. The bill also includes a provision that closes a loophole for minors who are caught stealing a car. Before being released, they will be screened for mental health issues and a determination will be made as to whether they pose any safety risks.

“This legislation will take the legal handcuffs off the courts and law enforcement,” DeLuca said. “It will help them combat this wave of armed carjackings in our area.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A bill supported by state Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, that lowers the amount of money the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority can charge towed trailers and medium trucks at toll booths passed out of the House.

“This bill is a matter of fairness to people traveling our tollways, DeLuca said, “Because the average fully loaded semi does far more damage to our roadways than a car-trailer combination, the amounts charged at the tolls should reflect that.”

DeLuca co-sponsored and voted to pass House Bill 1620, which caps the tolls that can be charged to vehicle-trailer combinations traveling on Illinois highways. This is because, in many cases, passenger vehicles hauling trailers are charged the same as trucks hauling trailers due to the amount of axels of the car-trailer combinations. The bill takes into account the amount of axels but will cap the tolls if the vehicle is a passenger car towing a trailer.

“Many of our residents enjoy taking a camper, ATV or bike ride to the various parks and trails in Illinois, and they should not be nickeled and dimed on the way to and from their destination,” DeLuca said. “I’m proud to have helped pass this bill to protect drivers from excessive tolls.”

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. – Illinois veterans, active-duty service members, reservists and their dependents will be able to access free legal help for consumer, housing and family law issues through a statewide hotline and network of legal support services launched earlier this month, state Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, highlighted today.

“The men and women who bravely serve our country deserve to have access to proper care and programs that they need,” DeLuca said. “Veterans with limited resources will now have access to attorneys to represent them in civil legal matters. Those who risk their lives to protect the United States should not be restricted from receiving legal services at little or no cost.”

The Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network (IL-AFLAN) was created through the passage of House Bill 3933 in 2015. Under the law, the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation, a not-for-profit organization founded by the Illinois State Bar Association and Chicago Bar Association, is tasked with administering a pilot program, launched this month, that provides civil legal aid to veterans and active duty military personnel.

IL-AFLAN operates a statewide hotline that is staffed by attorneys from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, to assist veterans with discharge upgrades, benefit appeals and civil legal problems such as family, housing and consumer issues. Veterans can call the hotline at 855-452-3526 or 855-IL-AFLAN. Former and active duty military members with an income below 80 percent of the Chicago area median income are eligible for services. For a family of four, this translates into $63,200 annually.

“The Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network will help make a difference in protecting veterans who might be facing housing or consumer issues,” DeLuca said. “I am glad we were able to pass legislation that will benefit the men and women who bravely serve our country.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In an effort to increase government transparency and save taxpayer dollars, state Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, overrode Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of the Debt Transparency Act.

“After two long years, Illinois now has a balanced and bipartisan budget,” DeLuca said. “Despite this, there is a lack of clarity on how many bills need to be paid since many agencies have not submitted all of them to the comptroller. This legislation will require agencies to report how many bills have not been submitted for payment, and ultimately protect taxpayers from paying late fees on these bills.”

DeLuca’s House Bill 3649, also known as the Debt Transparency Act, provides taxpayers with a clearer picture of how their dollars are spent. By requiring state agencies to disclose the bills they are holding monthly, taxpayers will know the true extent of the state’s debt along with the estimated amount of penalties paid on late bills. While agencies are currently required to report this data annually to the comptroller, it is outdated by the time it is reported, preventing taxpayers and policymakers from having a clear understanding of the state’s debts. DeLuca is committed to finding new ways to protect taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars.

“Illinois families work hard and should not have to pay more to cover late fees that could have been avoided,” DeLuca said. “I will continue to fight to put Illinois taxpayers first.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights, signed on as a co-sponsor to legislation that prohibits trigger modification devices that can increase a semi-automatic weapons rate of fire to a speed similar to a fully-automatic weapon.

“In the recent Las Vegas shooting, the gunman used legal bump stocks that resulted in 58 people being killed and over 500 injured,” DeLuca said. “The victims were innocent people who were attending an outdoor country music festival, and one man destroyed the lives of families from across the country.”

House Bill 4120 prohibits the import, sales, manufacture, transfer or possession of “Bump Fire Stocks” – also known as Bump Stocks, which are trigger modification devices that allow semi-automatic guns to fire at an accelerated speed and with diminished accuracy. The shooter in the Las Vegas massacre had multiple rifles modified with these devices. Under House Bill 4120, it would be a felony to possess such modification devices. DeLuca is committed to protecting citizens from firearm devices that serve no practical purpose.

“House Bill 4120, sponsored by republican State Rep. Barbara Wheeler, is a bipartisan effort to protect the safety of citizens from senseless gun violence throughout Illinois,” DeLuca said. “I stand ready to work together with my colleagues to pass sensible legislation that will protect Illinoisans from such crimes.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Local students will have more resources available to them because of the new school funding formula that was supported by state Rep. Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights.

“Every child deserves the opportunity to receive a quality education, regardless of their zip-code,” DeLuca said. “By investing in our students’ education, they will have more opportunities to be successful in their futures.”

DeLuca fought to secure nearly $5 million in new funding for area students by supporting Senate Bill 1947, the new, bipartisan school funding formula. With this increase in funding, students will have additional opportunities to participate in afterschool programs. DeLuca understands the importance of these programs since they help children focus on school work and maintain positive relationships with peers.

According to Youth.Gov, successful afterschool programs can help students achieve higher grades, improve behavior, and reduce the likelihood of becoming a dropout. DeLuca’s support of Senate Bill 1947 will provide students with access to a quality education, both inside and outside the classroom.

“Education and afterschool programs help provide students with more opportunities to achieve their goals,” DeLuca said. “When students have a well-rounded education, they can become successful doctors, entrepreneurs, public servants or anything else that they want to be.”