CHICAGO, Ill. –State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, released the following statement after attending the signing of her first two bills, which strengthen protections of undocumented immigrants:

“As we watch families torn apart and children kept in cages, it has been made clear that we must seize the opportunities we can to stand up against these inhumane and hateful policies. These bills will protect children by empowering parents to decide who will care for their children in the event they are detained or deported and will empower children who have been abandoned or neglected to apply for special visas.

“As both the product of immigrants and an immigration lawyer, I understand on a deeply personal level that immigrants built America and our communities from the ground up. I am proud to stand up and defend children, and I want to thank Governor Pritzker for never wavering in his commitment to justice. We will continue to send a message to Donald Trump and his allies that immigrants are welcome here.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – After voting to enact a balanced budget and protections for women during the final days of legislative session, state Rep. Robyn Gabel, D-Evanston, released the following statement:

“Over the past months I’ve watched states across the country enact extreme restrictions on abortion, rolling back fifty years of hard-fought progress. The ultraconservatives in Washington DC have made it clear that they will do everything possible to repeal Roe vs. Wade. I worked to pass the Reproductive Health Act, which will enshrine a women’s right to choose in Illinois law. No person will have to resort to an unsafe, illegal abortion in our state – no matter what happens at the federal level.

“This session I voted to make Illinois a leader in the nation when it comes to gun safety by passing the ‘Fix the FOID Act’ through the House. It’s long past time for mandatory fingerprinting and universal background checks. By giving law enforcement more tools to check an applicant’s criminal history and resources to revoke guns from dangerous people, I truly believe we can reduce the number of tragic shootings. Although it’s disappointing that this legislation stalled in the Senate last week, I’m dedicated to putting these protective measures into law next year.

“The historic effort to put a Fair Tax Amendment on the 2020 ballot passed the General Assembly

, which will give Illinois residents the opportunity to implement a graduated tax system and raise the funds we need to stabilize our economy while providing relief to those who need it most. This new revenue will be necessary to finance the Evidence-Based Model of public school funding adequately – as this year’s budget did – ensuring all schools have the resources they need to provide the quality education that every child deserves.

“In addition to these groundbreaking initiatives that establish Illinois as a progressive leader in the nation, I passed legislation that will improve access to education and job opportunities in our community. The Illinois Higher Education Savings Program Fund will expands the ability of parents to save for their children’s futures, and a new firefighters apprenticeship job pipeline will provide good-paying job opportunities while ensuring that more of our newly-hired first responders have experience handling these dangerous situations.

“I’m looking forward to having conversations over the summer with my colleagues in the legislature, advocates and most importantly residents of the 18th District about the work we can do next year to reduce carbon emissions, limit climate change, care for the children in our DCFS system and make healthcare more affordable for all.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Following Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Budget Address, state Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, issued the following statement:

“As the costs of healthcare, college, and everyday expenses continue to rise, we cannot continue to balance our budget and blindly cut funding on the backs of the middle class. With the beginning of a new chapter, we have the opportunity to correct many of the reckless mistakes of the past. Hardworking families in our communities have suffered due to the instability of the state, but I am hopeful with a new administration that we can finally begin to repair the damage caused over the last four years and move Illinois forward.

“As the financial stewards of our state, we must craft a responsible and sensible budget that aims to modernize our government, seeks efficient solutions and controls costs. It is our fiduciary responsibility that we provide services our communities rely on by prioritizing investment in our schools and vital programs to help our most vulnerable. Our taxpayers deserve to know that their dollars are being spent responsibly.

“When we invest in people, the state of the state is bright. We need smart investments in our families to grow our economy and create an equal playing field for those who wish to do their part. I look forward to working with Governor Pritzker and my colleagues in the House and Senate on finding comprehensive solutions to our budgetary problems while advocating for progressive values in our negotiations to rebuild the state to truly have equal opportunity.”

SPRINGFIELD – Continuing her efforts to combat workplace harassment, state Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, introduced a package of bills to create an improved reporting process.

“Part of creating a safe working environment for all individuals is making sure we have a clear and reasonable reporting process that encourages people to speak up,” Gong-Gershowitz said. “We must enact laws to ensure that allegations are taken seriously and that a respectful and safe working place is a priority to employers.”

Gong-Gershowitz’s package of bills make a number of improvements to the reporting process. House Bill 2061 extends the statute of limitations for civil rights violations, such as discrimination based on sex or race, from under one year to three years. This is to take into account that it is often difficult for survivors to bring allegations forward immediately, as they themselves need to process the incident.

House Bill 2062 creates the Freedom to Disclose Act which prohibits employers from requiring employees to sign non-disclosure agreements to prevent the employee from discussing work-related sexual harassment or sexual violence. The act also stipulates that any such agreement is void.

House Bill 2063 directs employers with 50 or more employees to retain their records of sexual harassment employee complaints for a minimum of 10 years after the date it was received. It is important that such records are kept so employers can track repeated poor or dangerous behavior of individuals.

“If we want to empower victims to speak up for themselves, we cannot allow employers to proactively silence their employees or destroy records of complaints,” Gong-Gershowitz said. “We must demonstrate that we are serious about addressing workplace harassment by setting basic guidelines for reporting. These bills are a step in that direction.”

Gong-Gershowitz represents the 17th House District which includes portions of Evanston, Glenview, Northbrook, Skokie and Wilmette.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Yehiel “Mark” Kalish, D-Chicago, is backing an effort to fight wage discrimination by sponsoring legislation that prohibits employers from using unfair practices that force women and minorities into a lifetime of lower pay.

“Women who are doing the same work as men deserve to be paid at the same rate, unfortunately injustices of the past have prevented that from happening,” Kalish said. “By prohibiting businesses from inquiring about previous pay, we can help reduce the role that historic wage discrimination plays moving forward.”    

Kalish is sponsoring House Bill 834, which amends Illinois’ Equal Pay Act to bar employers from requiring jobs applicants to submit a salary history. Given wage discrimination based on gender and race that occurred in the past, Kalish believes the measure will prevent low salaries from following women and minorities from job to job. Former Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed identical legislation last summer, and Kalish is hopeful that it can now become law.  

“Making sure that men and women are paid equally for equal work shouldn’t be a partisan issue, it’s about doing what is right,” Kalish said. “With the new administration we have an opportunity and obligation to making equal pay for equal work a reality.”

Rep. Kalish was recently sworn in as state Representative of the 16th District, which includes portions of Skokie, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove and Chicago. For more information, please contact Kalish’s district office at 847-673-1131.