CHICAGO – To ensure that all students have the resources they need to be successful, state Rep. Cyril Nichols, D-Chicago, introduced legislation that would increase the amount of facetime that students have with their counselors.                                                                       

“School counselors are an essential part of ensuring all students have a successful academic career,” said Nichols. “Unfortunately, many schools do not have enough counselors to adequately provide their services to students. This legislation will ensure that no student is left behind when it comes to receiving counseling.”

Currently, Illinois school districts must have at least one counselor for every 250 students. In order to ensure that counselors have the time to properly help students, Nichols introduced House Bill 4208, which directs school districts to have at least one counselor for every 150 students. In addition, the bill requires that counselors meet at least once a month with each student to make sure that all students are getting the support they need.

“With the many difficulties that our students have had to face over the past year and a half, it is more important than ever that we are giving them the tools they need to succeed,” said Nichols. “Whether through schools employing additional counselors or through other means, I am committed to ensuring our education system has the necessary resources in place for our students to help them achieve their academic and extracurricular goals.”

CHICAGO – To ensure that residents are able to get the support they need, state Rep. Cyril Nichols, D-Chicago, is highlighting the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), which can help households afford energy costs and other household expenses.                                               

“With many residents struggling financially, we must ensure that everyone is able to pay for essential services, such as heat,” said Nichols. “We cannot allow people to go without basic necessities, especially during the winter months. I highly encourage residents to take a few moments and see if they are eligible for assistance.”                                                                 

To ensure that his constituents are receiving the resources they are entitled to, Nichols is promoting the LIHEAP and CSBG programs. LIHEAP, which Nichols voted to expand eligibility for, can help low-income households pay for heating, gas, propane and electricity costs. The CSBG program can assist residents cover the cost of a variety of different essential services, such as rent, food, temporary shelter, medicine and more. Both of these programs are open for applications. For more information or to apply, please visit the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s website at www2.illinois.gov/dceo/CommunityServices/HomeWeatherization/CommunityActionAgencies/Pages/HelpIllinoisFamilies.aspx.                    

“With many residents facing financial difficulties due to the hardships of the past year, it is critical that we are getting relief to as many people as possible,” said Nichols. “No one should have to struggle without any support, and I will continue to work to ensure that residents get the resources they need to access basic necessities.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In order to help individuals dealing with severe mental illness and addiction, state Rep. Cyril Nichols, D-Chicago, helped pass legislation that creates a program providing stable housing for residents at-risk of overdosing or being unnecessarily institutionalized.

“Addiction and severe mental illness takes an enormous toll on individuals and are difficult to manage, which is why it is critical that we are supporting the members of our community who are dealing with these issues,” said Nichols. “The path to recovery starts with having access to housing, and this program will ensure individuals have stable housing and access to the support they need.”

Nichols voted in favor of House Bill 449, a bipartisan bill which was recently signed into law. The bill creates the Housing is Recovery Pilot Program, which helps residents with serious mental health issues, such as schizophrenia and substance use disorders, by providing them with affordable housing and support services. The program aims to help reduce the number of incarcerations, overdoses and institutionalizations caused due to a lack of housing.

“The stability that comes with having a home is key to overcoming the many difficulties that come with addiction and mental illness,” said Nichols. “We cannot allow residents dealing with these issues to struggle without any support, and I will continue to work in Springfield and at home to provide critical resources to those who need them most.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – As part of his commitment to improving the way the criminal justice system interacts with communities, state Rep. Cyril Nichols, D-Chicago, backed legislation recently signed into law that bans police from lying to minors in order to extract a confession or information from them during an interrogation.

“Children cannot be expected to fully understand what is at stake when they are in an interrogation, which can lead to outcomes such as minors confessing to crimes they didn’t commit,” said Nichols. “Lying or deceiving children is not the right way to pursue justice, and I am proud to help make Illinois the first state in the country to pass legislation banning these practices.”

According to the Innocence Project, minors are two to three times more likely than adults to falsely confess to a crime. To ensure that minors are not being deceived into making a statement that can land them years in prison for something they did not do, Nichols voted in favor of Senate Bill 2122 which will bar interrogators from using deceptive tactics against juveniles.

“There are no words to express how terrible it is that children were deceived into signing their own prison sentences for crimes they did not commit,” said Nichols. “While this legislation is a historic step in the right direction, more work remains in creating a better justice system for our state.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – To ensure that workers are not being taken advantage of by employers, state Rep. Cyril Nichols, D-Chicago, backed legislation that was recently signed into law that increases penalties against employers who underpay their employees.

“With so many residents just beginning to recover from the financial difficulties of the past year, the last thing they need is to have their employers steal their hard-earned wages,” said Nichols. “Not paying employees what they are owed is theft, and this legislation will ensure that employers are severely punished when they decide to steal from their workers.”

According to the Chicago Mayor’s Office, $400 million a year is stolen from Chicago workers due to wage theft. To ensure that workers are being given what they are owed, Nichols voted in favor of House Bill 118, raising the monthly interest rate from 2% to 5% on unpaid wages that employees can recover from their employers in a wage claim or lawsuit, ensuring the longer that wages are stolen from an employee, the more compensation they may receive.

“Not only will this legislation discourage employers from committing wage theft, it will also ensure that employees who are stolen from are given the compensation they need after going potentially months without their expected wages,” said Nichols. “No one deserves to be stolen from, and I look forward to continuing to work to ensure nobody is taken advantage of in their place of work.”

To file a wage complaint, please visit Illinois Department of Labor’s website at www2.illinois.gov/idol/pages/complaints.aspx.

CHICAGO – State Rep. Cyril Nichols, D-Chicago, is highlighting recent updates to the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) aimed at making child care more affordable for low-income residents.

“As many residents are returning to working in-person, it is essential to families in our community as well as our local economy to ensure that residents have access to affordable child care,” said Nichols. “The recent expansion to the Child Care Assistance Program will ensure that everyone will be able to afford quality child care regardless of their economic situation.”

With the recent changes to CCAP, many working families will see a reduction in their monthly child care costs. These changes include reducing monthly co-pays for child care to $1 per month for families at or below the Federal Poverty Limit, capping co-pays at 7% of family income, and increasing the number of families eligible for the program, among other changes. The expansion will also provide support to child care providers, with changes being made to provide more consistent payments to providers.

“As we continue to rebuild from the previous year, we must ensure that residents have the resources they need to return to normal life,” said Nichols. “I applaud the expansion of the CCAP, and I look forward to continuing my efforts to get support to those who need it most to ensure no one is left behind.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – As part of his efforts to support Illinois students, state Rep. Cyril Nichols, D-Chicago, backed legislation that was recently signed into law that gives college student-athletes the ability to receive compensation from endorsement deals.

“As the Director of Athletics for one of the largest community college systems in the country, I understand the work that student-athletes put into their craft and the value they bring to their institutions,” said Nichols. “To prohibit them from reaping the rewards of their hard work and talent for no reason is disrespectful towards these students.”

Before the passage of this legislation, student-athletes were prohibited from making money off of the use of their name, image, likeness, or voice despite a study from the National College Players Association showing over 80% of college athletes living below the poverty line. To ensure that these students are able to receive payment for their hard work, Nichols voted in favor of Senate Bill 2338, allowing college student-athletes to receive monetary compensation from endorsement deals and hire agents.

“It is immoral to actively allow these students to struggle to get by financially while they are generating millions of dollars per year,” said Nichols. “No one gains from blocking student-athletes from being compensated from endorsement deals, and I am glad that this commonsense legislation to improve the lives of these talented athletes is now law.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In order to give all residents a voice when it comes to how their local schools are run, state Rep. Cyril Nichols, D-Chicago, helped pass legislation that will transition the Chicago Board of Education into an elected body.

“With the rest of Illinois residents being able to vote for those who run their schools, it is far past time that those who live in Chicago are given the same ability to choose their school board representatives,” said Nichols. “Allowing voters to have more of a say in how the local government is run is always a positive, and this legislation will ensure that those in Chicago will be properly represented.”

For almost 30 years, the Chicago Board of Education has been the only non-elected school board in the state of Illinois, with the mayor of Chicago appointing the members. To ensure that the needs of the community are being represented on the board, Nichols voted in favor of House Bill 2908, which transitions the Chicago Board of Education into a partially-elected body in 2025 and a fully-elected body in 2027. The bill also increases the number of members on the school board from seven to twenty-one to ensure all residents have proper representation on the board.

“Given the importance that school boards play in ensuring our students are receiving a quality education, residents deserve to be able to pick who represents them,” said Nichols. “The education of our students is too important to be left in the hands of people unaccountable to voters.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – As part of his efforts to ensure state government is working for Illinoisans, state Rep. Cyril Nichols, D-Chicago, backed legislation that would create stronger ethics laws for state elected officials.

“Our constituents send us to Springfield to work on their behalf, not to try and enrich ourselves,” said Nichols. “After years of corruption and mismanagement, it is past time that we work on ethics reform and ensure officials are doing the jobs they are elected to do.”

Nichols voted for Senate Bill 539, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. The bill creates a number of restrictions on state elected officials, ending the practice of politicians receiving a full-month salary for less than a full-month’s work, prohibiting officials from becoming lobbyists until 6 months after their term ends, and banning political fundraisers on legislative session days. The bill also strengthens the Inspector General’s investigative powers and requires additional transparency from lobbyists.

“After a year in which many are struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the last thing residents need to worry about is that their elected representatives are ignoring their needs,” said Nichols. “After years of high-profile politicians being imprisoned for corruption, it is clear that there is a great deal of work that needs to be done to ensure politicians aren’t using their office for personal gain. While this legislation is a step in the right direction, I will continue to work to make our laws as strong as possible and help restore trust in Illinois government.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In order to ensure a safe learning environment for all students, state Rep. Cyril Nichols, D-Chicago, helped pass legislation that will prevent schools from prohibiting hairstyles that are historically associated with race or ethnicity.

“Schools need to be a space that is safe for students of all backgrounds to ensure they have the best learning environment possible,” said Nichols. “To prohibit certain hairstyles that are typically associated with one race as inappropriate or unacceptable while allowing other hairstyles associated with a different race is discriminatory and a terrible lesson to teach our students.”

Nichols voted in favor of Senate Bill 817, which passed both the House and Senate with bipartisan support. The bill requires all non-public elementary and secondary schools registering with the Illinois State Board of Elections to prohibit discrimination based on hairstyles associated with race, ethnicity, or hair texture, including protective styles such as locks and braids. The bill also requires these schools to not include hairstyle requirements in their school uniform or dress code.

“With students facing a number of challenges in school, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the normal school environment, we should be working to make students as comfortable in their classroom as possible,” said Nichols. “Singling out hairstyles can cause unnecessary stress and ostracization for students, which is counter to our goals of giving students the best opportunity to learn and succeed as possible in the classroom.”