By Doug Finke GateHouse Media Illinois Posted Nov 29, 2017 at 7:04 PM Updated Nov 29, 2017 at 7:54 PM SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Democrats want answers from Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration about why the four-year cost of managed care contracts for the Medicaid program jumped by more than $20 billion from earlier estimates. However, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services defended the contracts, saying […]
Illinois Moving To Kill Credit Freeze Fees
November 14, 2017 By
llinois lawmakers are working to end the $10 fee for freezing consumer credit data. It comes months after Equifax, Inc. exposed the sensitive personal information of tens of millions of Americans. The cost to freeze credit is $10. Add another $10 to unfreeze it, like if you want to apply for a car loan. And […]
Lincoln Square Rallies to Support Gay Couples Affected by Hate Graffiti
October 4, 2017 By
by Liz Baudler 2017-10-01 About 150 community members, many families with young children gathered Oct. 1 to protest against hate graffiti spray painted in the Lincoln Square area of Chicago’s Northwest Side.Community members met at Waters Elementary School, 4540 N. Campbell Ave., in front of a map of the Lincoln Square area. They were there […]
All Are Welcome Here Unity Rally
September 28, 2017 By
Over the last couple of months multiple residents in our Lincoln Square neighborhood have been the victims of hate crimes and vandalism to their property. Just this weekend not one but two Lincoln Square couples had their “Black Lives Matter” and “Hate Has No Home Here” signs vandalized overnight. “Anti-white cuck” was additionally painted on […]
Urgent Property Tax Sale and Legislative Updates
August 31, 2017 By
Rep. Greg Harris • 13th District Springfield Update • August 31, 2017 Urgent Property Tax Sale and Legislative Updates When property taxes are not paid by the deadline, a series of legal steps are initiated that eventually results in people’s homes and properties being auctioned off to the highest bidder willing to pay […]
Bills on birth certificates and LGBT “panic” defense signed in Illinois
August 29, 2017 By
From Equality Illinois and ACLU: CHICAGO — Legislative sponsors, Equality Illinois and ACLU of Illinois celebrated the signing of House Bill 1785 today, modernizing the Illinois Vital Records Act and allowing transgender and intersex individuals to change the gender marker on their birth certificates without undergoing gender reassignment surgery. Illinois now joins 14 additional states, […]
School Funding Reform
July 27, 2017 By
One of the most important issues that the General Assembly dealt with this year was a plan to reform and modernize the system by which the state distributes billions of dollars per year to local school districts. New funding formulas were created to consider per-pupil spending levels taking into account many factors including […]
Illinois Balanced Budget Details
July 7, 2017 By
Yesterday, the House overrode the total veto of the Governor and passed the first balanced budget for Illinois in 3 years. This was despite of the continual efforts of Gov. Rauner, his cronies and their dark money Super-PACs from trying to derail all progress in the House and Senate to reach agreement. The volume […]
May Springfield Update
June 2, 2017 By
My Legislative Agenda I am very proud to have supported several measures that have passed the House and now await the Governor’s signature or final Senate action. These include: Modernizing the standards by which transgender and intersex people can correct the gender marker on their birth certificates. HB1785 awaits Governor’s action. Establishing network […]
Illinois House Passes Bill to Modernize State’s Birth Certificate Law
May 26, 2017 By
SPRINGFIELD — A measure to modernize Illinois law allowing people to change the gender marker on their birth certificate, House Bill 1785, passed the House by a vote of 63 to 43 on Thursday and was sent to the Senate. If the bill is signed into law, Illinois would join fourteen other states and the […]