SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Sam Yingling, D-Grayslake, is pushing to include gender equality in the United States Constitution by sponsoring legislation to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in Illinois.

“Full equality under our laws is decades overdue,” Yingling said. “We need two more states to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment before it can be implemented at the federal level of government. We are very close to finally making progress here at home and guaranteeing that women in our country finally receive equal treatment and protections not just under the law, but with full constitutional protection.”

Yingling is a sponsor of Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 4, which requires supermajority support in both the House and Senate and would ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in Illinois. The ERA was initially passed by Congress in 1972, but has yet to receive the necessary support from 38 states. Presently, 36 states have approved the amendment.

If ratified, the ERA would prohibit the denial of equal rights by the United States or by any state on account of sex. Additionally, Congress would have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of the amendment. The amendment would take effect two years after ratification by 38 states.

“Equal treatment under the law is not a partisan issue,” Yingling said. “It’s a human rights issue that knows no political, race, gender or class barriers. Our constitution is meant to protect all Americans and it’s time for Illinois to take action on this issue.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Sam Yingling, D-Grayslake, joined members of the House on Tuesday in taking first steps to combat sexual harassment in the state Capitol by approving legislation to mandate sexual harassment training for legislators, legislative staff, and lobbyists and adopting a resolution committing to working to change a culture of harassment and discrimination in government and politics.

“I’m deeply troubled by allegations of sexual harassment regardless of where or when that harassment takes place,” said Yingling. “There’s no doubt that we all can do better to address this issue and ensure that every person who walks through the Capitol doors feels safe and respected. Sexual harassment training is only a first step to tackle this issue head-on.”

Yingling voted to pass Senate Bill 402 require all legislators, staff and lobbyists to complete yearly sexual harassment training. Additionally, lobbyists will be required to submit and enforce their own sexual harassment policies, just as all legislators do currently. He is also sponsoring House Joint Resolution 83, which resolves to change the culture that promotes harassment in the Capitol.

“The last few weeks in particular have demonstrated that sexual harassment is present in all industries and all walks of life,” Yingling added. “It’s unacceptable for anyone to feel anything less but safe and protected, especially in the workplace.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In response to widespread reports of sexual harassment being committed against female lobbyists, staffers, and legislators, state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, supported a package of legislative measures to crack down on sexual harassment, ensure offenders are brought to justice, and that steps are taken to continue combating workplace discrimination and harassment in both the public and private sector.

“I am sickened by the disgusting acts of sexual harassment that have been brought to light by my female colleagues,” Moylan said. “No woman should ever be treated this way. We need to change the culture that has allowed unacceptable behavior to be accepted as commonplace; we need to show women that we hear them, believe them, and stand with them; and we need to show perpetrators that their actions have no place in our workplaces or in our community.”

Moylan voted to pass Senate Bill 402, which will require every legislator, staffer and lobbyist to complete an annual sexual harassment training program. Lobbyist businesses will also be required to create and enforce their own internal sexual harassment policies, similar to what legislative staffs are already required to have in place. Additionally, Moylan sponsored House Joint Resolution 83, which calls on individuals involved in Illinois politics to reject harassment and work to put an end to it.

Acting to empower the new legislative inspector general who will be charged with investigating allegations of harassment and other violations, Moylan stood with a bipartisan group of lawmakers to pass House Bill 137, which allows complete investigations of all complaints pending with the inspector general’s office, despite a one-year statute of limitations.

Moylan is also supporting efforts to create a task force to conduct a comprehensive review of the legal and social consequences of sexual discrimination and harassment in both the public and private sector and make recommendations to the General Assembly to combat this behavior.

“We have a duty to change our culture and to ensure women are treated with dignity and respect both in the public sector and private businesses, and it starts with us,” Moylan. “These measures represent the beginning of a conversation that will continue in the coming weeks, months, and years about the need to end sexual harassment and discrimination.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – To ensure that all women have access to vital healthcare coverage, state Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, is sponsoring legislation that would require insurance companies to cover breast cancer screenings done with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

“Far too many women throughout Illinois are not receiving appropriate healthcare due to the high costs,” said Andrade. “If a woman’s initial breast exam shows signs of potential cancer, all precautions should be made to diagnose it as early as possible to ensure that she can start to undergo treatment if she has this illness. No woman should have to put her life on the line because she cannot afford to pay for this diagnostic tool.”

Andrade is sponsoring Senate Bill 314, which would require insurance companies to cover an MRI breast exam if there are signs of cancer. The measure would provide doctors with more of an opportunity to detect cancer in the early stages, ultimately making it easier to treat and save a woman’s life. Andrade’s measure would allow all women to have access to this treatment, including state employees and Medicaid recipients.

“Regardless of income level, every woman should be able to access lifesaving healthcare tools like MRI breast exams,” Andrade said. “If the standard tests are not sufficient to detect cancer, insurance coverage should be available for any additional tests that are required to determine if someone has this life-threatening disease.”

CHICAGO – To proactively fight against attacks on women’s health issues, state Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago, is supporting legislation to ensure a women’s right to choose is protected in Illinois if the Supreme Court reverses nearly 50 years of legal precedent.

“Given the Trump administration’s record on women’s health issues, I think it’s important that we work now to ensure that women in Illinois are protected from changes in the law,” Andrade said. “When you look at the nominee that Trump has put forth for the Supreme Court, it’s clear that not only is women’s health not a priority, but that he is prioritizing the restriction of a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions.”

Illinois is currently one of four states with a “trigger” law that would make abortion in Illinois illegal if Roe v. Wade was overturned. In response, Andrade is supporting House Bill 40, which would change state law to ensure that if the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision is overturned, women would continue to have the right to choose in Illinois.

“Organizations like Planned Parenthood have been fighting for women’s rights to make their own health care decisions for decades, and we cannot let the progress they have made in Illinois be undone,” Andrade said. “This proposal protects the right to choose for women in Illinois, regardless of the anti-choice stances of judges being appointed by the Trump administration.”