CHICAGO – State Rep. Camille Y. Lilly, D-Chicago, is seeking local residents’ ideas for new progressive legislative proposals to be introduced next year to tackle common problems and improve Illinois for everyone.

“There are limitless ideas we can come up with, and I want to hear from my constituents on their plans that we can implement,” said Lilly. “Illinois only gets better when we work together and address the problems we face each day.”

Legislators introduce new legislation at the beginning of the new General Assembly in January 2019. Residents with ideas for new legislation can submit their ideas to Lilly’s office by calling 708-613-5939 or emailing StateRepCamilleYLilly@gmail.com.

“Legislative ideas are always making their way to me, and if some ideas do not work, we can always try again,” Lilly said. “I welcome all of the new ideas that come my way, and look forward to discussing those with the people who create them.”

Lilly represents Chicago’s West Side, Oak Park, River Grove, Elmwood Park, Franklin Park and Melrose Park. Join her weekly newsletter to stay up to date with events and news from the 78th District.

CHICAGO – To strengthen Illinois schools’ African American history curriculum, state Rep. Camille Y. Lilly, D-Chicago, sponsored legislation to review Illinois’ current requirements.

“Black history is American history, and students across Illinois need to know of the huge sacrifices and contributions that African Americans make,” said Lilly. “Our history cannot be forgotten and should be a part of every history class so students receive a rich and diverse account of what happened in our state and country for the last 242 years.”

Lilly is sponsoring House Resolution 1098, which creates and empowers the Black History Curriculum Task Force to audit all courses and classes on black history. The Task Force will have a layered review process to determine to what level black history is taught at school districts, standardized tests that include black history and the Illinois State Board of Education’s stance on black history. Lilly hopes that this Task Force will make black history a more prominent part of history curriculum. This resolution was adopted unanimously by the Illinois House of Representatives last week, and the Task Force’s reports are required to be submitted in Jan. 2019.

“The Black History Curriculum Task Force has very clear goals, and it is my hope that we will be able to expand on the teachings of black history in all of our schools,” Lilly said. “For anyone learning about history, especially American history, then black history must be integral in that education. This country’s history would be shamefully incomplete if the contributions made by African Americans were eroded from that.”

Lilly represents Chicago’s West Side, Oak Park, River Grove, Elmwood Park, Franklin Park and Melrose Park. Join her weekly newsletter to stay up to date with events and news from the 78th District.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – To provide schools and students with more resources to address mental health issues that arise in the classroom, state Rep. Camille Y. Lilly, D-Chicago, helped pass legislation that is now heading to the governor’s desk.

“Youth is a critical stage of development for young people as they begin to experience different feelings, and it can be difficult to process them for the first time,” Lilly said. “Students struggle with a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental illness that makes these challenges even more difficult to address and overcome. Students need to have well-trained counselors and teachers who are prepared to help guide their students toward an understanding on how to navigate their feelings and emotions and if necessary, where and when to seek outside help.”

Lilly’s bills seek to give teachers and schools more resources to help students process and express their emotions. Lilly’s House Bill 4657 creates the Emotional Intelligence and Social and Emotional Learning Task Force to develop age-appropriate curriculum and guidelines to teach students how to process difficult experiences. Her other measure, House Bill 4658, expands teacher training to provide them with techniques to identify warning signs of mental illness and suicide and to help students in elementary and high school through emotionally distressing times.

“School shootings and other traumatizing events makes our students question a lot of what’s going on and they may not know who they can turn to in their time of need, or worse, they may not feel comfortable enough to speak with someone who is qualified to help them,” Lilly said. “All of our schools should have the resources and tools to teach our students how to understand their feelings and develop productive coping skills, and this task force is a good place for us to start this important process.”

CHICAGO – Aiming to provide more opportunities for local youths over the summer months, state Rep. Camille Y. Lilly, D-Chicago, is highlighting the open enrollment period for One Summer Chicago’s summer jobs program to apply before spaces fill up.

“Nothing beats having a summer job,” said Lilly. “This program offers young adults seeking to learn about various sectors of life and employment a wealth of opportunities to choose from and broaden their horizons. Summer jobs help teach youth about responsibility while helping them decide what path they want to choose in life.”

One Summer Chicago brings together government institutions, community-based organizations and companies to offer over 31,000 employment and internship opportunities to youth and young adults ages 14 to 24. There is still room to apply for a summer-long job, and Lilly wants to make sure every young adult has the opportunity to participate. Interested youth can learn more and apply for a placement by visiting http://www.onesummerchicago.org/SummerJobs/.

“Each year, there are 31,000 internships or job availabilities that our youth can apply for, but opportunities are filling quickly,” said Lilly. “Nothing is guaranteed, but no one should miss out on trying to get a job for themselves over the summer.”

Lilly represents Chicago’s West Side, Oak Park, River Grove, Elmwood Park, Franklin Park and Melrose Park. Join her weekly newsletter to stay up to date with events and news from the 78th District.

CHICAGO – A measure sponsored by state Rep. Camille Y. Lilly, D-Chicago, that aims to shield consumers from being charged excessive fees for freezing their credit reports is now law in Illinois.

“Last summer, Equifax was breached by a cyberattack, which compromised nearly 145 million Americans’ personal information and data,” Lilly said. “Consumers did not have the necessary protections in place at the time to prevent identify theft without having to pay to freeze their credit files. This new law outlaws companies like Equifax from charging fees when a consumer chooses to freeze their reports at any time.”

Last year, Lilly backed House Bill 4095, which streamlines individuals’ ability to freeze their credit over the phone or electronically. It was discovered that Equifax, one of the nation’s largest credit unions that collects and stores data on more than 800 million people and 88 million businesses worldwide, was impacted by a massive cybersecurity breach last summer. Millions of Illinoisans’ personal information was compromised, and this new law is designed to protect consumers by eliminating costs and burdensome obstacles when they want to protect themselves from future cybercrimes. The measure was signed into law last week.

“It’s unfair to ask consumers to pay to defend themselves, when mistakes happen through no fault of their own,” said Lilly. “Laws like these prioritize the needs and well-being of people and their families, which is something we need to be doing more often.”

Lilly represents Chicago’s West Side, Oak Park, River Grove, Elmwood Park, Franklin Park and Melrose Park. Join her weekly newsletter to stay up to date with events and news from the 78th District.

CHICAGO – State Rep. Camille Y. Lilly, D-Chicago, offered local residents the opportunity to dispose of outdated and sensitive personal information at her shred day event.

“No one can be too careful in protecting themselves against identify theft,” said Lilly. “Properly shredding and disposing of your information is one good way to prevent identify theft and fraud from happening to you. I’m happy to offer this free service annually to local residents and help them protect themselves from becoming victims to scam artists.”

Lilly partnered with 29th Ward Alderman Chris Taliaferro to help residents safely dispose of their personal documents. Families stopped by to take advantage of the free service that is annually offered by the two officials. To stay up to date with upcoming events, legislation and neighborhood news, please contact Rep. Lilly’s office at staterepcamilleylilly@gmail.com

Lilly represents Chicago’s West Side, Oak Park, River Grove, Elmwood Park, Franklin Park and Melrose Park. Join her weekly newsletter to stay up to date with events and news from the 78th District.

SPRINGFILED, Ill. – State Rep. Camille Y. Lilly’s, D-Chicago, legislation to raise the age to buy tobacco products in Illinois passed the House last week with bipartisan support.

“This is a public health issue for our young children who need to be focused on doing the best they can in school and other extracurricular activities. Long-term health care needs to be taken into account because while we enjoy good health at a young age, lung cancer, respiratory issues and heart disease can be exacerbated through smoking,” said Lilly. “Adolescence is a critical time for brain development. Raising the age to buy tobacco products can lower the number of young people who start smoking and then develop a lifelong addiction.”

Lilly’s Senate Bill 2332 raises the age to buy tobacco from 18 to 21. The American Lung Association and American Cancer Society are backing Lilly’s effort in order to raise awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco and decrease the high risk of cancer as a result of prolonged tobacco use. The measure passed out of the Illinois House of Representatives with bipartisan support after recently passing the state Senate. Senate Bill 2332 now heads to Gov. Bruce Rauner for his signature to become law.

“I am glad my colleagues joined me today to make Illinois a national leader on public health and the well-being of our children,” said Lilly. “We have the opportunity to join other state like California, Hawaii, New Jersey, Maine and Oregon that have also enacted tobacco 21 laws, and I urge the governor to sign this immediately.”

Lilly represents Chicago’s West Side, Oak Park, River Grove, Elmwood Park, Franklin Park and Melrose Park. Join her weekly newsletter to stay up to date with events and news from the 78th District.