2016 ILBC Newsletter | Page 2

Illinois Legislative Priorities Representative Carol Ammons – 103rd House District House Bill 6200 Rep. Ammons believes that when a person has been incarcerated, the connections to their family and support system are some of the greatest tools to recovery. It is for this reason that Ammons sponsored legislation that would cap the amount that a person can be charged for a prison phone call. This would eliminate kickbacks to the state that come from taking advantage of some of the poorest residents. Representative John Anthony – 75th House District Senate Bill 2947 The proposal creates uniform sentence minimums and maximums for crimes committed against emergency medical services personnel, no matter who they are employed by, and clarifies that the definition of “emergency medical services personnel” includes all levels of emergency medical Majority Leader Senator James F. Clayborne - 57th Senate District Senate Bill 1334 Each state agency and public institution of higher education is required to adopt policies for increasing minority participation in professional services contracts to a 20 percent minimum. Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins - 16th Senate District Senate Bill 3005 Senator Collins passed legislation allowing foreign-born victims of torture or human trafficking to become eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and food stamps while waiting on the federal government to process their asylum applications. Representative Monique Davis – 27th House District House Bill 2543 The legislation clarifies that the Department of Children and Family Services is supposed to check with adult relatives before placing a child with an unrelated foster parent. This measure allows the child to stay in a familiar setting while away from their parents. Representative Will Davis – 30th House District House Bill 4370 The legislation requires hospitals with capital expenditures above a certain level to report those expenditures and meet minority-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned, and small business requirements. Representative Ken Dunkin – 5th House District House Bill 141 Rep. Dunkin introduced legislation to eliminate red-light cameras and speed cameras in Illinois, pointing to the recent federal bribery conviction of a former Chicago official who helped establish the city’s red-light camera program. Red-light and speed cameras have been an issue of public scrutiny, and residents say the cameras don’t have their due process rights and are strategically placed in minority communities. Representative Marcus Evans – 33r d House District House Bill 5973 Evans’ proposal would remove significant occupational licensing barriers, thereby making it easier for former offenders to support themselves and their families as well as making it less likely ex-offenders will commit crimes in the future. The measure addresses licensing in seven fields: barbering, cosmetology, esthetics, hair braiding, nail technology, roofing and funeral services. Representative Mary Flowers – 31st House District House Bill 163 Prohibits the Illinois State Board of Education from having separate performance standards for students based on race or ethnicity. Representative LaShawn Ford – 8th House District House Bill 6266 In light of recent reports of law enforcement agencies shredding documents, Rep. Ford filed legislation to prevent any overlap with the Local Records Act. All documentation related to allegations of police misconduct shall be permanently retained and may not be destroyed.