DES PLAINES, Ill. – State Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, recently backed legislation to expand health care coverage for diabetes testing as part of his efforts to keep healthcare and lifesaving medical treatment affordable.

“Access to critical healthcare coverage should not depend on one’s financial standing, and the COVID-19 public health crisis has made it more important than ever to keep healthcare affordable,” Moylan said. “Illinois residents should never have to choose between delaying their medical treatment or face financial ruin. Early detection and treatment are absolutely critical and can save lives, and this bill will help more people have access to it.”

The Moylan-supported Senate Bill 1854 requires medical insurance companies to cover the cost of diabetes testing for high risk individuals. The bill passed both the House and Senate without opposition. This marks a continuation of his advocacy toward diabetes patients, as in the previous 101st General Assembly Moylan supported Senate Bill 667, which capped the monthly co-pay for insulin at $100 and is now law.

“I was happy with the progress we made last session capping the cost of insulin, and this bill marks further progress to make crucial medical care affordable, but there is still a long road ahead of us,” Moylan said. “I will continue working with my colleagues in the General Assembly to make healthcare more affordable and accessible in Illinois. I urge Governor Pritzker to sign this bill into law without delay.”

For questions concerning Senate Bill 1854, state issues, other legislation or district matters, please contact Moylan’s full-time constituent office at 847-635-6821 or email StateRepMoylan@gmail.com.

DES PLAINES, Ill. – Leading the charge to keep taxes in check and provide financial relief for Illinois’ seniors, state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, recently backed legislation which expands the qualifications for seniors eligible to defer their property taxes and increases the amount they are able to defer.

“Property tax reform is something that Illinois has been in need of for many years, and the COVID-19 crisis has only made the issue more urgent,” Moylan said. “Many of the seniors in our state do not have much financial flexibility, and the high property taxes that have been levied upon them makes their fixed income even more rigid. Illinoisans are in serious need of some breathing room to get their finances in order, and expanding the eligibility for the tax deferral program will help provide that much-needed relief to Illinois seniors.”

Moylan co-sponsored Senate Bill 2244 which passed the House and the Senate with widespread bipartisan support. The bill would increase the maximum yearly income seniors can earn to qualify for the Senior Citizens Real Estate Property Tax Deferral Program from $55,000 to $65,000. The bill would also increase the amount of taxes which can be deferred under the program from $5,000 to $7,500.

“Illinois seniors worked many years and earned their retirement, and we need to work together to protect their financial well-being, especially in this economic climate,” Moylan said. “There is much more work to be done to achieve meaningful and long-lasting property tax reform, but I am determined to reach that goal. The widespread and bipartisan support for property tax reform makes me feel optimistic that we can make substantial progress to keep taxes in check.”

For questions concerning Senate Bill 2244, state issues, other legislation or district matters, please contact Moylan’s full-time constituent office at 847-635-6821 or email StateRepMoylan@gmail.com.

DES PLAINES, Ill. – State Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, recently helped lead a successful bipartisan effort to lower the cost for vehicle trailer registration, saving Illinois drivers money and demonstrating his responsiveness toward community concerns.

“In the 2019 capital plan, there was a dramatic hike on vehicular trailer registration fees that was simply unfair to Illinois drivers, and after hearing from many residents in my community and around the state, it became clear that we needed to lower those fees back to a reasonable level,” Moylan said. “In this current economic climate with so many experiencing financial difficulties we should not be finding ways to squeeze more tax dollars from our working class, but finding more ways to save them money.”

Moylan made lowering fees on vehicle trailers a priority in this legislative session after hearing from scores of residents in the 55th district. He sponsored and helped pass Senate Bill 58, which would lower the trailer registration fees from $118 to $36. The measure has been sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker for approval.

“It is good to show the people of Illinois that when they speak, their legislators listen,” Moylan said. “We need to continue building bipartisan coalitions that are able to pass simple pieces of legislation to help get Illinois back on track. Repealing this arbitrary hike for trailer registration fees had widespread support in our communities and in Springfield, and I hope to see this bill signed into law quickly.”

For questions concerning these bills, state issues, other legislation or district matters, please contact Moylan’s full-time constituent office at 847-635-6821 or email StateRepMoylan@gmail.com.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Furthering his efforts to rid state government of corruption and political favoritism, state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, is backing an effort which would prevent the spouses of General Assembly members from being appointed to compensated roles in state government.

“Lawmakers should not be able to use their position to gain an advantage in awarding their spouse a taxpayer-funded appointment,” Moylan said. “We need to make sure that appointments go to those who are qualified, not these favored because of family connections.”

Moylan has introduced and supported a slew of ethics reforms in the 102nd General Assembly and has expressed that such reforms are a top priority for him. The Moylan-supported House Bill 105 would prohibit any spouse of a General Assembly member from being appointed to a board, commission, authority, task force or any other similar body if such an appointment offers compensation for that role.   

“It is extremely unfortunate that Illinois residents have seen so many public officials abuse their offices, so we need to earn back their trust by passing significant ethical reforms and raising the level of oversight and accountability of elected officials in our state,” Moylan said. “We owe it to the residents of Illinois to make sure that their government is truly working on behalf of Illinoisans. We have to make the days of Illinois politicians serving themselves history and strive toward creating an honest, transparent and ethically responsible government.”

For more information about House Bill 105, state issues, other legislation or district matters, please contact Moylan’s full-time constituent office at 847-635-6821 or email StateRepMoylan@gmail.com.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Working to ensure that community members have a voice in who represents them on Chicago’s school board, state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, recently passed legislation which would create an elected school board for Chicago Public Schools (CPS), conforming to the standard in school boards across Illinois.

“Bringing CPS in line with every other school district in Illinois by establishing an elected school board will not only allow families’ voices to be heard, but will also prioritize what is best for Chicago students,” Moylan said. “We should always be working to make sure that positions of influence are held by the most qualified individuals, and not just the politically connected.”

The Moylan-backed House Bill 2908 would replace Chicago’s current eight member school board appointed by the mayor with a 21 member elected school board. The bill would split the city into 20 districts, with each member representing one district along with a school board president chosen in a city-wide election. The City of Chicago is currently the only school district in Illinois with a school board selected by mayoral-appointment. The legislation passed the House and currently resides in the Senate Executive Committee awaiting consideration.

“Political appointments should have no place in education, the only thing that should be relevant in deciding who should represent CPS is their qualifications and their ideas to improve the education of students,” Moylan said. “This bill will eliminate political favoritism and make sure that communities are heard when it comes to who represents them. I will continue working with my colleagues in the General Assembly to accomplish additional education reforms moving forward, but passing this bill will make good progress.”

For questions concerning House Bill 2908, state issues, other legislation or district matters, please contact Moylan’s full-time constituent office at 847-635-6821 or email StateRepMoylan@gmail.com.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Addressing the rising rates of youth suicide and mental health disorders across the United States, state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, recently backed legislation to  enhance mental health guidelines for Illinois schools and increase support for youth mental wellness.

“Mental health is extremely important to the well-being of every individual, and we need to do more to provide resources and strengthen our support for mental wellness, especially after the past year,” Moylan said. “Over the past couple decades, we have seen a significant rise in youth suicides and mental health issues. We need to be doing much more to address this growing problem. Identifying those at risk for suicide and being able to provide support services to them could very well be the difference between life and death.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide rates have risen by 35% over the past 20 years, and is the second leading cause of death for individuals between the ages of 10 and 34. The Moylan-supported House Bill 576 and House Bill 577 aim to address this growing concern for youth in schools. House Bill 576 would recognize the mental or behavioral health of a student as a legitimate reason for taking a sick day from school, allowing students to address their health issues. House Bill 577 enhances the methods of suicide prevention in schools by identifying students at an increased risk of suicide, allowing schools to deploy methods of intervention sooner and more easily.

Both pieces of legislation passed the House and their respective Senate committees without opposition and currently reside on the Senate floor.

“Discussions about mental health can be quite difficult to have, but they are critically important in order to prevent these tragic deaths,” Moylan said. “We cannot afford to remain silent any longer. These deaths can all be prevented and we should be doing all we can to save these young lives. I believe these bills are a good start to address this silent epidemic, but these efforts are only the beginning.”

For questions concerning House Bill 576, House Bill 577, state issues, other legislation or district matters, please contact Moylan’s full-time constituent office at 847-635-6821 or email StateRepMoylan@gmail.com.

DES PLAINES, Ill. – In an effort to help seniors in the district, Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, encourages seniors and vulnerable residents to take advantage of nearby “warming centers.”

“These warming centers have been designated to help those in our community on fixed incomes to save on utilities and give them the opportunity to stay warm outside of their house,” Moylan said. “I encourage those with rising utility costs or broken heating units to take advantage of these warming centers when you can.”

Warming Centers are public buildings that have been assigned for seniors and vulnerable residents to be able to stop in for a quick warm up. They are open to the public and mostly open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on the weekdays. They are closed on weekends and holidays.

A couple of the nearby warming centers in the area are the Department of Human Services Building located at 8001 N. Lincoln Avenue in Skokie and the Department of Human Services Department in Rolling Meadows located at 3501 Algonquin Road, on the 4^th floor. Residents can also visit www2.illinois.gov/sites/KeepWarm/SitePages/WarmingCenters to enter their zip codes to see which warming center location is closest to them.

“Please take advantage of these warming centers,” Moylan said. “These facilities are a safe, warm place to go during the day while you turn your thermostat down to help with utility costs.”

For more information about these warming centers, or for any other state-related questions or concerns please call Moylan’s full-time constituent office at 847-635-6821 or email StateRepMoylan@gmail.com.

DES PLAINES, Ill. – State Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, is asking residents for their suggestions on on new legislative initiatives for early January of 2019. 

“I have heard many great ideas from residents while going door-to-door and on the phones this year about ways we can work towards solutions on the issues facing our state,” Moylan said. “With the start of the new general assembly and new legislative session approaching, I strongly encourage anyone with legislative ideas to give me a call so that we can discuss new ways to move the state forward.”

Moylan wants to encourage residents who are frustrated with a problem to submit their ideas and make their voices heard. Illinois faces many challenges that will have to be dealt with during the next 2 years, and Moylan wants to give residents an opportunity to suggest solutions to problems ranging from local issues to the state’s biggest problems.

This outreach has resulted in successful legislation in the past. Last year, after Moylan received a lot of feedback from residents shortly after the deadly attack in Las Vegas, all calling for more common-sense gun safety reforms and protection against assault rifles, Moylan took action and introduced legislation to address their growing concerns. Another bill was introduced and subsequently passed regarding airplane noise at O’Hare Airport, and many of the final proposals in the bill came from residents living near the airport.

“The legislative process can seem confusing and difficult to understand, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from taking part in helping shape our state’s policies,” Moylan said. “Residents are often surprised by how a simple idea at the local level can turn into actual legislation. This is an interactive government that relies on the residents to provide their thoughts on how we can fix problems through the legislative process.”

Residents should submit their ideas by calling Moylan’s constituent service office at 847-635-6821 or emailing staterepmoylan@gmail.com.

DES PLAINES, Ill. – Continuing his fight to pass commonsense gun reforms, state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, is calling on the governor to sign the Gun Dealer Licensing Act that passed both the House and Senate at the end of session last month.

“We cannot continue the status quo we see from Washington D.C, which is to remain idle on common sense gun reforms that will protect families,” Moylan said. “We have started the process to fight against the ‘do nothing’ of Washington politicians, and I am calling on the governor to help us protect Illinois families and sign the Gun Dealer Licensing Act.”

Moylan, along with other state legislators, started to work quickly this year to draft legislation in an effort to examine better business practices for gun dealers in the state of Illinois. Senate Bill 337, The Gun Dealer Licensing Act, establishes a certification requirement for gun dealers awarded by the Illinois State Police and makes it a criminal offense for any entity to sell, lease or transfer firearms in the state of Illinois without the proper license. The new legislation also creates the Gun Trafficking Information Act, helping the Illinois State Police to collect and study firearms trafficking data.

“Most industries are regulated by the state to protect consumers from bad business practices. This is the same concept, we are doing what we can to protect residents from bad business practices that can lead to guns ending up in the wrong hands,” Moylan said. “I am calling on the governor to stop delaying and sign Senate Bill 337 so we can protect the people in our communities as soon as possible.”

For more information about this legislation, or any other issue or concern, please contact Moylan’s full-time constituent office at 847-635-6821 or emailStateRepMoylan@gmail.com.

DES PLAINES, Ill. – A United States Constitutional measure sponsored by state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, granting equal rights for all United States citizens, regardless of gender, has been ratified by Illinois lawmakers. The Equal Rights Amendment passed the Illinois House of Representatives making Illinois the 37^th state to ratify the proposed amendment.

“Women have been fighting for equal rights for decades and now we are only one state away from that being guaranteed in our constitution,” Moylan said. “Women deserve to be protected by the constitution just the same as men.”

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) originally passed the United States Congress in 1972 and was sent to the states for ratification. Currently, there is no federal constitutional provision that specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender. By law, after the measure passed the U.S Congress, 38 of the 50 states need to ratify the ERA in order for the proposed amendment to be approved and added to the constitution.

This week, Illinois become the 37^th state to ratify the ERA, leaving only one more state needed in order for the purposed amendment to be added to our United States Constitution. This measure was approved by the Illinois House with bi-partisan support, 72 – 45 in the affirmative.

“After meeting with activists from my community about the issues concerning the ERA, and seeing how crucial it was to women in our country, it was a no-brainer, I had to support this effort.” Moylan said. “I would like to thank all the women and activists throughout the state who were advocating for the ERA. They did a great job.”

For more information about this issue, or any questions or concerns about any other issue, please contact Moylan’s full-time constituent office at 847-635-6821 or email StateRepMoylan@gmail.com.