Simmons pushes to require air conditioning and heating for older residents

SPRINGFIELD – To ensure property owners who limit rental, ownership or occupancy to people ages 55 and up have ample heating and cooling, State Senator Mike Simmons advanced a House bill out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

“Senior residents are at a higher risk for heat stroke during summer months,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “This bill will hold landlords, condominium associations and other property owners accountable in ensuring our older resident neighbors, both in the 7th District and across the state, live in safe and humane housing conditions.”

House Bill 2562 changes the Common Interest Community Association Act, the Condominium Property Act and the Landlord and Tenant Act to provide heating and cooling standards for properties that limit their ownership, rental and occupancy to people 55 years old or older. Between June 1 and Sept. 30, cooling systems must operate when the heat exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Between Oct. 1 and May 31 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., heat must register at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit when the outside temperature falls below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., heat must register at least 62 degrees Fahrenheit. If the property does not have a building-wide cooling system for individual units, then at least one indoor common gathering space with a cooling system must be provided.

“No one should live in a residence that is too cold in the winter and sweltering in the summer, especially those at a higher health risk,” Simmons said. “Safe, accessible and operational housing is a basic human right.”

This bill is correlated with Simmons’ Senate Bill 2013, which requires any residential building that is state-funded to meet minimum standard of living conditions to continue receiving funding from the program and was inspired when three residents of a Rogers Park senior living complex tragically died of suspected heat exhaustion.

House Bill 2562 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. 

Simmons invites local residents to join him at an Earth Day Celebration

CHICAGO – To celebrate Earth Day, share information on reducing our carbon footprint and promote cleaning up our planet, State Senator Mike Simmons is inviting community members to join him at the Institute of Cultural Affairs’ Earth Day Celebration. 

The celebration will take place on Saturday, April 22 from noon to 2:30 p.m. at the Winthrop Family Historical 4628 N. Winthrop Ave., Chicago. The ICA is hosting the event with Wards 46 and 48, along with the Uptown Chamber of Commerce.

“Our planet deserves love and care, and as someone who is constantly riding my bike or taking a stroll outside, I am excited to participate in this Earth Day Celebration to do my part in helping our environment,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “I invite everyone to attend this event to learn more about caring for the Earth, while also enjoying the beautiful outdoors.”

The event will include live music, rhythm movement, conversation tables, prizes and food. Senator Simmons will speak at 1 p.m.

In addition to the Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, the ICA will offer Sunrise Yoga along the Lake at 8 a.m. at Lawrence and Lake Michigan, as well as Clean & Green Community Cleanup events at Brenneman Elementary School, Buttercup Park and Lake Michigan.

For more information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call Simmons’ district office at 773-769-1717.

 

Senator Simmons passes 9 bills out of the Senate, attends White House convening, and Back to Business Grants re-opened April 5

General Updates from Senator Mike Simmons

Dear Neighbor,

I hope this newsletter finds you well! I am proud to share that I have passed 9 bills out of the State Senate - bills that came directly from the advocacy and lived experiences of constituents like you. The bills cover a broad scope of issue areas including providing new protections for residents of affordable housing, new insurance benefits for preventative health screening for liver disease, new requirements for bike and pedestrian safety infrastructure improvements on state routes, and a one year pause on court-assessed fees, fines, and taxes for returning citizens. For full details on each of my 9 bills, please see Legislative Updates below. 

In addition to moving these bills, I toured a CTA bus garage on Chicago’s west side to see for myself the current storage and electric charging facilities used for buses. I have brought forth legislation, SB1864, that would accelerate the timeline for CTA and other Illinois transit agencies to bring online a fully electric bus fleet so we reduce harmful emissions and make our transit systems more sustainable. 

I also witnessed the signing of the Paid Leave for All Workers Act into law, joined a virtual White House Convening on Child Care Access and Affordability, actively participated in several legislative committee meetings, hosted refugee youth in the REACH program at our district office, honored International Trans Day of Visibility, and held a monthly virtual townhall this week. 

I also want to take a moment to lift up a key resource for our district. The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is now accepting applications for the Back to Business Grant. If you own a small business and have not received any pandemic-related funding previously, be sure to see if your small business is eligible and apply!

Stay tuned for more updates, and you can always follow along and track my bills (and other bills I’ve co-sponsored), at ILGA.gov.

Sincerely,

Mike Simmons

State Senator | 7th District

Legislative Updates

Read more …

Simmons passes initiative to prioritize driver, pedestrian safety

SPRINGFIELD – To ensure local governments do not compromise driver or pedestrian safety in order to accommodate large trucks on non-designated highways, State Senator Mike Simmons passed a measure out of the Senate on Friday.

“Construction on highways can be time consuming, dangerous and can significantly impact traffic flow,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “This legislation will allow local governments to avoid such a big undertaking by not requiring them to change their non-designated highways to accommodate larger trucks and vehicles.”

Senate Bill 2278 provides that an agency or local government will not be required to design, construct, widen or alter a non-designated highway to accommodate trucks between 55 and 65 feet in length. Additionally, a local government will be required to report to the Illinois Department of Transportation any limitations that prohibit the operation of vehicles on non-designated highways and any non-designated highway that is not designed or constructed after Jan. 1, 2023 to accommodate trucks between 55 and 65 feet in length.

“Widening intersections to accommodate these larger trucks takes away space that can be used for bike lanes, pedestrian walkways and green space,” Simmons said. “This is an unnecessary undertaking for what is, on many roads, only an occasional need.”

Senate Bill 2278 now heads to the House for consideration.