Legislative Accomplishments This Spring Session

Rep. Greg Harris • 13th District Springfield Update • June 8, 2021 Legislative Accomplishments This Spring Session The backlog legislation delayed by COVID and the continuing need to address disparities exposed by the pandemic guaranteed a busy and productive session down in Springfield this year. In addition to passing a balanced, responsible budget, the Illinois […]

Critical Senior Services Bill Vetoed by Governor Rauner

AARP IL Urges General Assembly to Override Veto SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Aug. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Over 40,000 Illinois vulnerable seniors will face reduced services and potentially daunting waitlists in obtaining in-home care due to Governor Rauner’s veto of the Community Care Program Protection bill.  Last Friday, the Governor vetoed a measure which safeguards in-home and […]

Illinois moving forward with changes to program for elderly

Dan Petrella Times Bureau SPRINGFIELD — Despite a bill on Gov. Bruce Rauner’s desk that would block its plans, the Illinois Department on Aging is moving forward with proposed changes to a program that provides care to elderly Illinoisans so they can remain in their homes. The department’s community care program is designed to keep people […]

Providers back plan to block changes to home care program

Dan Petrella Lee Springfield Bureau Chief SPRINGFIELD – A big part of Diane Drew’s job is helping make sure hundreds of elderly Macon County residents receive the services they need to be able to stay in their homes. Drew is executive director of the Community Home Environmental Learning Project, a Decatur-based nonprofit organization that serves […]

AARP, Advocates and Legislators Team Up to Protect Thousands of Illinois Seniors

SPRINGFIELD, Ill, April 7, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Illinois’ ongoing budgetary and partisan differences are threatening the life and well-being of thousands of the state’s most vulnerable citizens who may be left without critical services should Governor Rauner’s proposed cuts to the Community Care Program (CCP) go through. Taking swift action, AARP, SEIU, the Alzheimer’s Association, […]

Home Care Funding Discussion

New legislation may bring back last year’s battle between Democratic legislators and Gov. Bruce Rauner over requirements to receive state-funded home care assistance. Rauner had proposed raising what’s called the Determination of Need, or DON score, in his first budget address. The score decides how much state aid a person with disabilities or a senior […]

Advocates Push For State Legislation To Protect Home Services Eligibility

by Ellyn Fortino Progress Illinois U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL,9), state Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago) and other advocates for seniors and people with disabilities sought to rally support Wednesday for proposed state legislation aimed at preventing the governor from making eligibility requirements tougher for home services programs. Harris is spearheading the bill, HB 4351, in the […]

House Passes Bill To Preserve Home Services Eligibility Requirements

From Progress Illinois The Illinois House on Wednesday approved legislation aimed at blocking the Rauner administration’s proposal to make it harder for seniors and people with disabilities to qualify for home services programs. Rauner has proposed raising the minimum eligibility, or “Determination of Need,” score from 29 to 37 for the Home Services Program for people with disabilities […]

Seniors Protest over Cuts

Protesters angry over cuts to home care assistance for seniors temporarily stopped cars along one of Chicago’s busiest streets. 22 protesters blocked off traffic on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue for a few minutes, with hundreds more cheering them on from the sidewalk. That crowd included legislators entangled in the budget fight, like State Rep. Greg Harris […]

Nursing home room monitoring cameras would be allowed under Illinois bill

By Wes Venteicher Chicago Tribune FEBRUARY 13, 2015, 5:40 PM C amera monitoring would be allowed in Illinois nursing homes under a bill introduced Friday, reopening a debate over whether the potential safety benefits outweigh privacy concerns. The bill, drafted by the office of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and introduced by Rep. Greg Harris, […]