CHICAGO— State Senator Mike Simmons issued the following statement after his experience participating in Communities in Action at the White House in Washington, D.C.:

“The need for local and federal participation is imperative to meet the unique challenges our communities face. The Communities in Action event amplified the historical impacts from Biden's Investing in America vision on local and national levels.

“I had the opportunity to meet with other elected officials, labor leaders, business owners, community organizers, and health care professionals from across the region to share in the success stories of those who work day in and day out to expand opportunities for the hard-working families of our communities.

“In particular, when discussing The Biden-Harris federal child tax credit expansion in 2021 and how it dramatically reduced child poverty giving a boost to working families, I was proud to share how this inspired me to introduce legislation in Illinois calling for a child tax credit at the state level, which we hope to enact soon.

“Taking the voices, lived experiences, needs, and triumphs of Illinois’ 7th District constituents to a national platform is a responsibility and privilege I do not take lightly. We advocated for further investments in housing across America in neighborhoods struggling with gentrification and astronomical cost increases. Further, we discussed my legislation for free and reduced public transit fares, and how we can implement transportation equity on a national level — specifically implementing free public transit for low income people.

“I am so proud to represent the northside of Chicago, and remain committed to working with state and local governments, leaders in nonprofits, education and health care to leverage these historic federal investments to create and expand opportunities for folks in our communities.”