CHICAGO – Following 15 years of service as a state representative, Majority Leader Greg Harris today announced he will not seek re-election to the Illinois House of Representatives. 

“When I stepped into this office 15 years ago, I was committed to making change. I wanted to improve the lives of LGBTQ folks, support our immigrant community, increase the diversity of our caucus and fight for those who for so long have been ignored. As I look back at my time in Springfield, I can confidently say that I was fortunate to do that and more. Therefore, while I will finish the rest of my term and continue leading our caucus through the annual budget process, I will not be seeking re-election,” said Leader Harris. 

Harris is leaving office with a litany of legislative achievements to his name. Harris was the chief sponsor of the law that delivered marriage equality throughout Illinois. Following this, Harris became the first LGBTQ person in Illinois history to be in legislative leadership. Additionally, despite Gov. Rauner’s heartless efforts, Harris successfully protected funding for critical human services programs. Early in his tenure, Harris successfully spearheaded legislation reducing economic disparities in mammograms and breast cancer treatment. He is also credited with numerous laws cutting red tape in Illinois’ health care system and lowering the costs of prescription drugs. 

“As a proud member of the Democratic Caucus, I can say we stood together and worked toward change over the course of eight General Assemblies, four Governors, two recessions and a global pandemic. I am proud to have worked with dedicated colleagues, staff and activists. I am immensely proud to have served with Speaker Welch, our state’s first African-American Speaker. And finally, I’m most proud to have served my district and demonstrated that good government matters—that, with thoughtful policy, we can improve lives and make a more just society together,” said Leader Harris. 

Other major bills Leader Harris has sponsored include:

• Legislation providing that Transgender Illinoisans can correct their birth certificates;
• Legislation preventing consumer reporting agencies from imposing a fee for credit freezes;
• Legislation reforming anti-consumer practices in prescription drug pricing.

“I’m making this announcement now so people considering running for office have time to think and prepare. There is much more to accomplish and we have a young, diverse group of leaders who are ready to take the reins and lead. It’s time to give them the opportunity to do so,” said Leader Harris. 

“I want to thank my colleagues—on both sides of the aisle—who have worked tirelessly alongside me. I have learned many lessons, created countless memories and cemented life-long friendships. This has been an honor of a lifetime, so thank you,” said Leader Harris.

CHICAGO – Citing concerns regarding data security and voter suppression, Assistant Majority Leader Greg Harris, D-Chicago, issued the following statement urging the Illinois State Board of Elections to withdraw from the controversial Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck System (“Crosscheck”):

“Recent findings from Indivisible Chicago have discovered an alarming the lack of proper security measures for the Crosscheck program. Illinois voters’ personal information is being uploaded to an unencrypted server—putting all registered voters in Illinois at risk of falling victim to identity theft. Additionally, the administrators of Crosscheck have engaged in extremely negligent security practices. They have used easily guessed passwords, have sent passwords and usernames on unsecure emails, and even released sensitive, un-redacted personal voter information to the public.

“The administrators of Crosscheck are engaging in the exact same negligent security practices that led to the massive data breach at Equifax. We can’t sit idly by while the personal information of every Illinois resident is at risk of being hacked because of lax security practices.

“In addition to data security concerns, Crosscheck has repeatedly falsely flagged citizens as duplicate voters. Recent studies have shown Crosscheck results are 99.5% false positives, which runs the risk of suppressing turnout by incorrectly kicking legitimate voters off the rolls.

“Even more concerning is Crosscheck program’s head administrator, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a right-wing ideologue who has made a career out of suppressing voter turnout, particularly in minority communities. Kobach’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. He has been tapped as the vice-chairman of the new Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, Donald Trump’s pet project aimed at suppressing voter turnout nationwide.

“The time to act is now. I strongly encourage the State Board of Elections to withdraw from this program that has placed the identity of Illinois voters at risk and threatens to substantially suppress the right to vote for thousands of Illinois residents.”

CHICAGO – Individuals affected by the governor’s most recent cuts to the state’s social services had the opportunity to testify on the life-changing impact Rauner’s cuts will have at the Appropriations – Human Services committee hearing on Wednesday.

“For three long years, people did not know whether or not they were going to be able to receive life-saving care, which is why Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature came together, despite the governor’s refusal to negotiate, to pass a balanced budget and make sure that these services would continue to receive funding,” said state Rep. Greg Harris, chair of the House Appropriations-Human Services Committee. “As the governor rides around on a motorcycle recording campaign commercials, he has decided that these people do not need to get the help that they need to survive. It is our job as elected officials to help people when they need it, and the governor is clearly demonstrating that he does not understand that.”

Despite the vitality of the state’s social services, the governor announced a series of cuts to programs that the state’s most vulnerable citizens rely upon. It is because of his cuts that people suffering with HIV/AIDS, epilepsy, autism, substance abuse and many other severe illnesses will not be able to receive the care that they need to survive. Children will be unable to attend afterschool programs that help them avoid being victims of gang violence, and immigrants who have made Illinois their home will not have resources they need to settle into the state.

“It is because of the services I received that I am in a better space mentally, physically and spiritually, and have been able to dedicate my life to helping others who are experiencing difficult times as result of HIV/AIDS,” said Arick Buckles, volunteer advocate for the Illinois Alliance for Sound AIDS Policy (IL ASAP) “But as a result of the governors cuts to HIV prevention and services it will be harder to test and treat those who are most at risk for contracting HIV. I urge the governor to restore the funding to HIV and AIDS services so that Illinoisans who are experiencing HIV/AIDS and most at risk populations will have the much needed systems of support in place.”

In July, Harris led the negotiations that resulted in the passage of the bipartisan, balanced budget that ended the governor’s three-year budget crisis. Due to his leadership, social services across the state have been able to once again assist the state’s most vulnerable citizens.

“The Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago has given me the support and comfort to know I am not alone,” said Eva Wadzinski, a service recipient and volunteer at the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago. “The foundation helps me and my friends express our anger, loss, and emotions when dealing with epilepsy, and case managers are always there to work through the spider web of healthcare. I make the foundation a priority, sometimes even more than my schoolwork, because this is a place where you can be yourself, and not feel like an outcast.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. –State Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, passed legislation unanimously out of the House today that aims to protect Illinois consumers impacted by the Equifax data breach by preventing credit freeze charges.

“It’s wrong that people are being forced to pay to protect their own identities and financial security because of the errors of others,” Harris said. “We shouldn’t have to pay for the mismanagement and negligence of giant corporations that are collecting personal and sensitive information from consumers.”

Harris worked in conjunction with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to introduce legislation in response to the Equifax data breach. Late last month, Equifax announced it had suffered a massive data breach of sensitive consumer information from May to July of this year, impacting as many as 143 million Americans. In Illinois, the breach is believed to have jeopardized the personal and financial information of more than 5.4 million residents.

After the data breach, Attorney General Madigan encouraged residents to consider placing a freeze on their credit and to sign up for free credit reports to help protect themselves from identity theft. Harris’ proposal, House Bill 4095, would prevent credit agencies like Equifax from charging consumers with a fee to freeze their credit.

“The Equifax data breach was absolutely inexcusable. This legislation is an example of the legislature working swiftly and in a bipartisan fashion to protect consumers,” Harris said. “I urge the Governor to sign this proposal to help victims of the data breach protect themselves.”

CHICAGO – State Rep. Greg Harris issued the following statement regarding the governor’s practice of paying top administration officials out of state agency budgets and his recent devastating cuts to the Department of Human Services budget:

“Governor Rauner has made a habit of taking money from state agencies to pay for the high salaries of his administration officials. His recently departed Education Secretary Beth Purvis was paid $250,000 a year out of the Department of Human Services’ (DHS) budget.

“While the governor is dipping into state agency budgets to pay for the huge salaries of his top administration officials, he has pursued a destructive agenda of drastic cuts to vital agency programs—it’s not right.

“Just recently, Governor Rauner announced a new round of devastating cuts to essential DHS initiatives like after school programs and the autism program. I’m calling for his administration to restore the salary of Secretary Purvis to the DHS budget to provide relief from his devastating cuts that harm our most vulnerable kids, seniors, and people with disabilities.”

CHICAGO – State Rep. Greg Harris, lead budget negotiator for the House Democratic Caucus, issued the following statement Tuesday, following Gov. Bruce Rauner’s speech:

“Democrats are returning to Springfield in hopes that the governor is finally ready to compromise on a budget. But, even now, the governor is talking out of both sides of his mouth: As he holds a campaign speech ostensibly calling for unity, he’s also bankrolling negative attack ads and mailers against House Democrats and the very people he is calling on to work with.

“House Democrats have said for two years that we believe a resolution to Governor Rauner’s manufactured budget crisis must be our top priority. We have continually looked for ways to compromise with the governor without hurting middle-class families, and have worked to find common ground so the governor will finally focus on a budget.

“At the governor’s request, House Democrats have voted to cut property taxes, reform workers’ compensation, improve the business climate, sell the Thompson Center and reform the state procurement code. With each attempt to meet Governor Rauner half way, we urged him to return to the table to negotiate a budget. Sadly, the governor refused each time.

“The budget supported by Governor Rauner and legislative Republicans is not balanced. It’s not the honest budget Illinois taxpayers deserve. It’s clear that real negotiations and real compromise are needed.

“Despite the repeated campaign attacks against House Democrats, we have continued to prioritize a balanced budget. In the weeks since the spring session adjourned, we’ve held a series of budget hearings where we’ve heard directly from the victims of Governor Rauner’s budget crisis. From the parents of children with developmental disabilities, to survivors of sexual assault, the men and women speaking out are in agreement: the governor needs to put aside his extreme agenda and compromise. The governor dismissed these people as ‘props’ instead of recognizing who they are – victims of his budget crisis.

“Governor Rauner, your actions speak louder than your rhetoric. After more than 700 days of blocking compromise, it’s up to you to prove that you are finally ready to put the needs of Illinois families ahead of political games and start working in good faith on a budget.”

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Video of Rep. Harris statement is available at: https://livestream.com/accounts/954563/events/7529393/ and  https://www.facebook.com/HouseDemsIL/

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – House Speaker Michael J. Madigan issued the following statement:

“There is no more urgent matter facing the state than the passage of a comprehensive, balanced budget, and House Democrats will continue our efforts to address this challenge, end this destructive impasse and close the Rauner budget deficit. The House Democratic Budget Working Group led by Representative Greg Harris will hold public hearings and continue working in June to prepare a budget for the coming fiscal year. The first hearing will be held on June 8 in Chicago.

“The governor’s reckless strategy of holding the budget hostage to create leverage for his corporate agenda that pads the profits of large corporations and insurance companies has for the third year left Illinois without a budget at the end of the May legislative session. He has put our schools at risk of being unable to open, denied care to victims of domestic violence, kept tens of thousands of seniors from receiving Meals on Wheels, and tripled Illinois’ backlog of unpaid bills. This cannot continue.

“Where we can compromise with the governor without hurting middle-class families, House Democrats have consistently advanced measures that address the governor’s requests so we can get down to the work of passing a balanced budget. House Democrats have:

• Voted to provide property tax relief to homeowners;
• Put forward reforms to the workers’ compensation system that will ensure employers see the savings from reform;
• Introduced an agenda of economic reforms that make Illinois a better place to do business while also lifting up middle-class families, not tearing them down;
• Voted at the governor’s request to streamline the state procurement process;
• Voted to sell the Thompson Center.

“I have directed members of the House Democratic leadership team to meet with the governor and seek common ground on his other proposals. To date, the governor has refused to meet.

“We remain ready to work with the governor and find common ground whenever he is ready to return to the table and work in good faith.”

Rauner’s proposed changes will have dramatic impact on Illinoisans’ access to healthcare

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Legislators are demanding to know whether Gov. Bruce Rauner’s sweeping changes to the Medicaid system will allow recipients to keep their current doctors and hospitals, what access and quality will be lost by the proposed changes and what steps the administration has taken to prevent conflicts of interest during its unilateral push to overhaul the system that currently provides care to millions of Illinois families.

Rauner and his Department of Healthcare and Family Services have pushed to reduce consumer choice and limit options by reducing the number of managed care organizations authorized to provide coverage under the Medicaid system. In a letter to the governor released Monday, state Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, who chairs the House Appropriations-Human Services Committee, is calling on Rauner to address questions about how the proposed changes would affect patient care, how the contracts will be reviewed and awarded, and what steps the administration has taken to ensure employees involved in the selection process do not steer contracts to managed care organizations they previously worked for or may work for in the future.

“As Medicaid’s fate at the federal level is still very much in question, the subject of health care is one of great anxiety for countless Illinois families,” Harris said. “The governor has pursued these changes without the consent of the Legislature, but the members of the Appropriations-Human Services Committee have an obligation to the people of our state to ensure this process is deliberate, thorough, ethical and ultimately in the best interest of Medicaid recipients.”

Harris is asking Rauner to inform committee members what steps have been taken to ensure continuity of care, including whether patients will retain access to primary-care physicians and specialists as the state plans to contract with fewer managed care organizations. Before the administration awards one of the largest contracts in state history, Harris is also requesting the governor outline who within his administration was involved in the RFP process, who will review the proposals, who will be subject to “revolving door” employment prohibitions and whether any employees have recused themselves from the process. A number of Rauner administration officials have previously been employed by managed care organizations.

“President Trump and Republicans in Washington will continue trying to fundamentally alter the health care landscape, and Medicaid in particular,” Harris said. “Their proposals sounded alarm bells for countless families in our state who would be denied care, and I hope sent a message to the governor that decisions regarding people’s health cannot be made in the back room.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Speaker Michael J. Madigan has directed state Rep. Greg Harris, chair of the House Appropriations-Human Services Committee, to hold a hearing Thursday to determine how Medicaid cuts being pushed by the Trump Administration and congressional Republicans will affect children, families and other vulnerable residents in Illinois.

“Medicaid is one of the most significant segments of our state budget, and plays a critical role in the health and wellbeing of over 2 million children and families statewide,” Madigan said. “With so much at stake for our state and our families, it’s important for legislators and the governor to understand the real cost of the cuts being proposed by President Trump and congressional Republicans.”

Madigan and Harris have scheduled a hearing of the Appropriations-Human Services Committee on Thursday, March 16 at 8 a.m. in Room 114 of the Capitol. Representatives from the Illinois Hospital Association and Illinois’ safety net hospitals, as well as Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Felicia Norwood will brief members about the proposed changes and their impact.

Changes to federal Medicaid funding could have a dramatic effect on the state budget, and to Illinois families. An estimated 1 in 4 Illinois families would be impacted by the plan backed by Trump and congressional Republicans to alter the Medicaid system by providing states with a set lump sum payment. These proposed changes could cause significant reductions to federal funding, which would force Illinois to cut critical care for struggling families and persons with disabilities, or put taxpayers on the hook for significantly higher payments in order to continue services.

Committee members will consider not only the immediate impact, but how these cuts, coupled with rising health care costs, could force deeper cuts for many years.

“The Trump administration is moving quickly to make sweeping changes that will have a deep effect on our state, our communities and our families for years to come,” Harris said. “These proposals need to be thoroughly evaluated, so lawmakers can understand how they will affect Illinois, and determine the best course of action for Illinois families.”

CHICAGO – In recognition of his of years of commitment to fighting for equality and opportunity for all Illinoisans, state Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, was named Majority Conference Chairman for the Illinois House Democrats.

“I’m honored that my colleagues have put their trust in me to serve as a leader for the House Democratic Caucus, especially at a time when our state is facing some of the most challenging days in its history,” Harris said. “In the past two years, Democrats have worked to defend the middle class and our most vulnerable neighbors against unprecedented attacks led by Gov. Rauner. Now, with Pres. Trump leading attacks on public education, women’s reproductive rights, healthcare for families and seniors, voting rights, civil rights, LGBT rights, and his historic attacks on our immigrant/refugee neighbors, we must use every legislative power we have in Illinois to resist and make State-level protections available for Illinoisans.”

With his appointment as Majority Conference Chairman, Harris becomes the first openly gay legislator in Illinois history to serve in a caucus leadership position. During the 100th General Assembly, he will also serve as Chairman of the Appropriations-Human Services Committee and as a member of the Executive, the Health & Life Insurance and Aging Committees. Also as chief budget negotiator for the House Democrats, Harris is urging the governor to return to the table and compromise on a full-year budget that funds critical services, improves our business climate and restores fiscal stability to our state budget.

“I look forward to continue to serve as the chief budget negotiator as we seek to find a responsible solution to the budget crisis,” Harris said. “The lack of a state budget has been devastating for the elderly who rely on state supports, children with disabilities, victims of domestic violence, neighborhood schools and social service agencies all across the state. In my role as chief budget negotiator and as member of the House Democratic Leadership, I will continue fighting to protect the values of middle-class families and our state’s most vulnerable citizens throughout these budget discussions.”