CHICAGO – State Rep. Yehiel “Mark” Kalish, D-Chicago, continued his efforts to pass lifesaving, commonsense gun reforms at the first meeting of the newly created bipartisan Firearm Public Awareness Task Force. 

“There are real, tangible, commonsense steps that we can take to protect our and families from gun violence that has impacted so many communities in Illinois and across the nation,” Kalish said. “This task force will help us put everything on the table and build consensus for lifesaving reforms that will keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals.”

Kalish was appointed last month to the bipartisan Firearm Public Awareness Task Force comprised of 10 members of the House Democratic Caucus and 10 members of the House Republican Caucus. The task force will review gun violence data throughout the state and submit a report with gun safety recommendations to the General Assembly. Experts from various non-profits, government agencies, academia and families affected by gun violence provided testimony to legislators during the meeting.

Over the coming months, the task force will continue to meet to outline reforms aimed at protecting communities in Illinois from senseless gun violence.

CHICAGO – State Rep. Yehiel “Mark” Kalish, D-Chicago, issued the following statement:

“As a strong advocate for education, I stand in solidarity with our hardworking teachers and staff, as they fight for better schools and educational opportunities for Chicago students.

“The status quo is not acceptable, children in Chicago deserve better. They deserve a nurse and counselor in each and every school; they deserve libraries and librarians in every school; they deserve smaller class sizes; they deserve more special education teachers; and they deserve more bilingual teachers and classrooms.

“Our teachers and staff deserve a fair contract, with guarantees to improve our neighborhood schools clearly written out. We owe it to the children of this city to come together and reach a solution that creates better educational opportunities for each and every student at CPS.”

CHICAGO – As Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins this October, state Rep. Yehiel “Mark” Kalish, D-Chicago, is highlighting the Illinois Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP), which provides free screenings to Illinois women who lack access to health care coverage.  

“One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, we need to make sure that eight in eight women have access to health screenings that can save their lives,” Kalish said. “These procedures have literally saved the lives of thousands of Illinois women. No woman should have to put her life on the line because she is struggling to afford treatment.”

Kalish is encouraging women in need to participate in the Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP). The program is operated by Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), and provides eligible women free breast exams and mammograms, as well as Pap tests and pelvic exams. Women are eligible for these services if they are an uninsured Illinois resident between the ages of 35 and 64. Additionally, if someone who is enrolled in the IBCCP is diagnosed with cancer through the program’s screenings and tests, they would be eligible to receive treatment benefits. For more information, please visit www.dph.illinois.gov or call the Illinois Women’s Health-Line at 1-888-522-1282.

This spring, Kalish backed a bipartisan, balanced budget that provided $14.5 million for these potentially lifesaving services for Illinois women, as well as legislation to mandate that insure companies cover diagnostic mammograms as part of preventative care.

“Early detection is critical in combating breast cancer, that’s what makes these screenings so vital,” Kalish said. “While we have made progress, we need to continue to fight for reforms that improve health care access and affordability for every family in Illinois.”

CHICAGO – In the wake of the tragic mass shootings in Dayton and El Paso, state Rep. Yehiel “Mark” Kalish, D-Chicago, is leading the fight to pass gun control legislation, launching a petition drive to build support for a series of gun law reforms including stronger background checks, fingerprinting for all gun owners and revoking firearm privileges from dangerous individuals.

“The senseless violence that has devastated communities across the country and touches countless Illinois families must end—we need to act now,” Kalish said. “There is a commonsense reform that is pending in the legislature that will save lives, the time to act is now.”

Kalish is leading a petition drive in support of the Fix the FOID Act, Senate Bill 1966, a proposal that is backed by gun-control advocates and law enforcement groups. The measure will prevent irresponsible gun sales and protect Illinoisans from future tragedies by:

• Instituting universal background checks
• Requiring all firearms sales to take place through licensed dealers
• Requiring mandatory fingerprinting for all gun owner applications and renewals
• Keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals by working with law enforcement to create a database of prohibited, dangerous individuals
• Strengthening enforcement of gun revocations performed by the Illinois State Police and requiring any gun revocations for felony indictments
• Modernizing the gun owner licensing system by increasing the period for approving or denying an application to 90 days and allowing for cancellations

Kalish helped pass the legislation out of the House during the spring legislative session, however, it did not receive a vote in the Senate. Kalish is launching a petition drive to help build support to pass the lifesaving reform.

“I refuse to stand by while gun violence threatens our families,” Kalish said. “We need to work together to get this proposal passed and reverse the alarming increased trend of tragic mass shootings.”

Kalish is urging residents to contact request a petition, sign the petitions over the phone, or to sign his petition online at bit.ly/KalishEndGunViolencePetition. For more information or to sign Kalish’s petition to combat senseless gun violence contact his office at 847-673-1131.

CHICAGO – A reform spearheaded by state Rep. Yehiel “Mark” Kalish, D-Chicago, that helps victims of sexual assault to come forward with confidence by prohibiting law enforcement from arresting survivors that report their abuse for an outstanding warrant for a low level crime was recently signed into law.

“Our number one priority should be standing with survivors of sexual assault,” Kalish said. “Survivors should feel comfortable reporting their abusers to law enforcement without fear of being arrested for a minor offense.”

Under current law, law enforcement must arrest survivors who have an outstanding warrant in their name, even if it is a low level offense. Instead of arrest, Kalish’s proposal, House Bill 92, would focus law enforcement’s efforts on addressing the sexual assault by simply issuing a notice to the survivor to appear in court for their previous offense. The measure clarifies to survivors of sexual assault that law enforcement prioritizes bringing sexual abusers to justice. Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the legislation into law last week.

“We need to prioritize protecting survivors of sexual assault and bringing the perpetrators of such a heinous crime to justice,” Kalish said. “I would like to thank my colleagues in the legislature and the governor for their assistance in creating this law.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In response to the February mass shooting in Aurora, Illinois that resulted in the tragic loss of five lives and injuries that responding police officers and civilians are still recovering from, state Rep. Yehiel “Mark” Kalish, D-Chicago, is working to pass bipartisan comprehensive gun licensing reform supported by the law enforcement community.

“The weapon used in Aurora was legally purchased through existing loopholes that my bill aims to close,” said Kalish. “Even though the Illinois State Police were notified that the assailant purchased a gun, there was no plan of action in place for authorities to ensure that the illegally purchased weapon was turned into the authorities. This basic breakdown in procedure has resulted in several families being torn apart and we now owe it to the victims and their families to ensure that a tragedy like this never happens in Illinois again.”
Kalish is supporting the ‘Fix the FOID’Act, also known as Senate Bill 1966, which bolsters Illinois gun safety laws to prevent violent criminals from obtaining a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card. The changes include closing the gun show loophole which allows people to bypass background checks and requiring fingerprint submissions to get a FOID card. Kalish’s measure also streamlines the process of allowing law enforcement to seize the weapons of individuals whose FOID cards have been revoked.

Workplace homicides have grown rapidly in the last ten years, and almost 80% were committed with a gun, often more than one-at-a-time. The Aurora shooting is one of the deadliest mass shootings of 2019, but there have been over 100 other similar incidents this year.

“The safety of our families should be a priority for all legislators, no matter party affiliation,” said Kalish. “I worked with my colleagues across the aisle to ensure that a portion of new funds raised from FOID card applications are dedicated to school-based mental health centers. As a state we must understand that complex issues require complex solutions, with mental health education being one of them. Mental wellbeing will be a priority moving forward by providing the financial resources schools need to eliminate the stigma associated with mental health and serve our young people who might be struggling.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Yehiel “Mark” Kalish, D-Chicago, is joining the efforts of the Pritzker administration to enact a fair tax for Illinois, making the wealthy pay their fair share in order to stabilize state finances and provide tax relief to the middle class.

“Under our current tax structure, we simply do not have the resources to get the state’s fiscal house in order,” Kalish said. “The fair tax puts Illinois on stronger fiscal ground without raising taxes on middle-class families and ensures that our local schools and critical services are fully funded.”

Kalish is backing Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposal to amend the Illinois state constitution to allow for a fair tax. A fair tax system Illinois would join the federal government as well as 33 other states, including neighboring Wisconsin, Missouri, and Kentucky, in asking the wealthy to pay their fair share.

The plan Kalish supports provides tax relief for 97 percent of Illinois. Without a fair tax, the state would have to either slash funding across the board by 15 percent or enact a 20 percent income tax hike on every taxpayer, including middle-class families.

“The alternatives to a fair tax would decimate the middle class,” Kalish said. “I am proud to stand with Governor Pritzker and many of my colleagues in the House and Senate as we continue our efforts to pass a fair tax, lift up the middle class and move our state forward.”

CHICAGO – State Rep. Yehiel “Mark” Kalish, D-Chicago, met with students from Jordan Elementary Community School earlier this week. Kalish discussed what he does as a state Representative, the legislative process and asked students what issues that they were most concerned about.

“It was great to visit with the bright students at Jordan Elementary,” Kalish said. “As a strong advocate for education and quality schools, I am fighting every day in Springfield to ensure that our schools have the resources they need to give students the educational opportunities that will help them thrive.”

CHICAGO – State Rep. Yehiel “Mark” Kalish, D-Chicago, released the following statement after the right-wing lobbying group Illinois Family Action distributed multiple anti-Semitic and hateful posts on their official social media page:

“The hateful rhetoric of Illinois Family Action is inexcusable and reflects a trend of hate speech and anti-Semitism that has become alarmingly common in public discourse.

“Our legislative body must rise together against this language; collectively, we have failed if we accept it as the new norm. That is why the Jewish Caucus is introducing a resolution to condemn this speech, call for a formal investigation into the threatening rhetoric of Illinois Family Action and ask that the Secretary of State’s office suspend the lobbying registration of any individual working on the group’s behalf until an investigation is complete.

“We sincerely urge every one of our colleagues to reject hate and stand for decent, respectful debate—especially when we disagree.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A proposal backed by state Rep. Yehiel “Mark” Kalish, D-Chicago, that will bring greater pay equity for women to Illinois sponsored overwhelmingly passed the Illinois House last week. Kalish’s measure bans a discriminatory practice used to lock women into a lifetime of unfair pay.

“As a father, I want to make sure that all of our daughters are given the same career opportunities that are afforded to their male counterparts,” Kalish said. “While this bill is a step in the right direction, we must remain committed and focused on continuing to fight to end the wage gap and ensure that women are treated equally under the law.”

The Kalish-backed House Bill 834 would prohibit potential employers from screening candidates based on their current wage or their salary history. Given wage discrimination based on gender and race that occurred in the past, banning this unfair practice will prevent a history of unfair pay 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.

“Prohibiting businesses from inquiring about past wages will help reduce the role that past pay inequity plays moving forward,” Kalish said. “This is about ensuring that women are not locked into a lifetime of unfair, unequal pay. It’s about taking meaningful steps to ensure women are treated equally and I strongly encourage my colleagues in the Senate to support this proposal.”

House Bill 834 is currently awaiting action in the Senate.