Dear Friends,

It has been a very busy first month in office. Below, you will find some updates on my work in Springfield and here at home. I look forward to sending weekly updates as we continue the legislative session.

Legislative Update

On Thursday, I was proud to support SB1 which will increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour over a period of 6 years. Working families have seen costs increase as their wages have stagnated. The legislation also provides tax credits to small businesses. You can read more about SB1 here.

So far, I have the privilege of being the primary sponsor of 18 bills and a co-sponsor of 15 bills this session. You can read the details on all of the legislation here. I’ve also highlighted some of the key pieces of legislation below:

HB815– The FAIIR Act
This bill creates an independent health insurance rate review board that will have the ability to reject unreasonable rate hikes. This legislation was featured in Health News Illinois, check it out!

HB2028– Increase State Police Burial Reimbursement
HB2028 is a bipartisan bill that will increase the burial benefit for the families of fallen State Police Troopers from $10,000 to $20,000. When an officer loses their life serving our state, the last thing their family should be worried about is burial costs.

HB2095– Environmental Impact Note Act
Requires that every proposed bill that may impact the environment or natural resources have an explanatory note that estimates the environmental impact of the legislation.

District Update

I would like to thank everyone who stopped by my district office opening a few weeks ago. We look forward to hosting more open houses in the future.

I also recently had the opportunity to tour the North Suburban YMCA with my legislative colleagues and stop by the West Deerfield Township Food Pantry to learn more about the vital services they offer.

Save the Date
My first town hall will be March 2nd at the Deerfield Public Library at 2pm. More details to follow.

Here to Help

My district office in Highwood will be open Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm but my staff will also be holding community office hours throughout the district. If you are having any state issues, don’t hesitate to reach out.