Simmons joins U.S. Surgeon General for mental health panel

CHICAGO – State Senator Mike Simmons joined U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, Dr. Allison Arwady, Dr. Colleen Cicchetti, Chicago youth, and local leaders Thursday to speak on the mental health crisis faced by children in Illinois and what can be done to provide support and eliminate stigma.

“The mental health of our young people is paramount to our society. It is my goal to elevate their voices and center their experiences in my legislative work,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “To establish this goal, I launched the People’s Legislative Council Initiative to give our youth the opportunity to speak and help shape policy, while also passing key legislation to remove barriers preventing our youth from accessing mental health care.”

The event consisted of two panels, one where Dr. Murthy was interviewed by local youth leaders, and one where Dr. Murthy interviewed Simmons, Dr. Arwady and Dr. Cicchetti. During this second panel, the leaders were asked about their contributions to support efforts to improve mental health.

Simmons passed a law this year that requires all Illinois K-12 schools to instruct how and where to access mental health resources. Additionally, it creates a Student Mental Health Council comprised of young people who will directly advise policymakers on mental health. The council will include a diverse array of youth as part of these councils, including different racial backgrounds, and sexual orientations and gender identities.

According to Dr. Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, in 2019 just over 3,600 people were being seen in Chicago clinics to address their health, of those none were children. In 2022, the city is on track to care for 60,000 people, with an estimated 15,000 being children. Efforts are being put forward to establish clinics in every community regardless of insurance or of a patient’s ability to pay.

Asked by the Surgeon General what gives him hope, Senator Simmons replied, “Mothers still have the nerve to fight for their Black children. Immigrants and refugees still get out of bed every morning and go to jobs that under pay them and won’t give health insurance. It’s these constituents of mine that continue to valiantly struggle to survive that give me hope.”

Simmons will continue to dedicate himself to bettering mental health resources for Illinoisans in all corners of the state.

Simmons announces $1 million in state funding for lead pipe replacement

EVANSTON – To address ongoing issues concerning public health inequities in disenfranchised communities, State Senator Mike Simmons announced that he has secured $1 million in state funding for the replacement of lead pipes in South Evanston.

“For too long, lead in our drinking water has exposed our neighbors to adverse health effects, further building on the inequities our communities face. We have to get focused on this, we can’t make any excuses when it comes to lead pipes,” said Simmons (D-Chicago).  “This funding provides long overdue resources to address a problem that is systemic in nature, is decades in the making, and often does the most damage to Black and Brown communities like those who call South Evanston home.”

Simmons was joined by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and Evanston’s 8th Ward Alderman Devon Reid for the announcement. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health there were almost 680,000 reported community lead service lines in the Illinois water systems in 2019. In Evanston there are almost 11,500 which need to be addressed.

The City of Evanston Lead Service Line Replacement program was created to remove lead contaminated water service lines with prioritization in low-to-moderate income areas. Beginning in 2022, the pilot project replaced the private side of the contaminated service line that already had the public side of the contaminated service line replaced. Currently, priority is focused on the completion of the partial lead service line replacements due to the increased likelihood of lead exposure.

“Public health issues are among my highest priorities -- both in terms of access to health care, but also that the environments that surround our households and communities are safe,” said Simmons. “I am happy we are able to take this step forward with a significant amount of resources, and multiple elected officials prioritizing this for south Evanston.”

Senator Simmons statement in memory of Senator Scott Bennett

Following the sudden passing of State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign), Senator Simmons released the following statement:

"I am stunned and deeply saddened by the passing of our colleague, Senator Scott Bennett. In the short time that I served with him, I appreciated the humanity, class, and collegiality he brought to the Senate and to our state at a time when it is needed. 

 

I’ll never forget shortly after I had my first bill heard in committee, Senator Bennett surprised me by taking a newspaper clip of me presenting the bill in committee from his hometown newspaper and had it laminated for me to have as a keepsake. I have it displayed on the wall in my district office and will never forget his generosity and thoughtfulness the day he walked over to my desk and unceremoniously presented it to me as a freshman just a couple months into my tenure in the Senate. 

Recently, I had sat down with Senator Bennett at a caucus dinner and we chatted about many things including how to balance demands on elected officials so we can spend time with our families and I appreciated his advice from his experience. 

 

And just last week, during the veto session, I sat with him at his desk in the Senate chamber and thanked him for the hard work he put into the SAFE-T Act negotiations. I knew he genuinely cared about our state, and I will truly miss serving with him. 

 

My heart goes out to his family, his community, and to all those whose lives he touched. I will always remember Senator Bennett, his sense of humor, and his thoughtfulness. I will do my best to keep his memory alive in the Senate."

Simmons introduces legislation to make Illinois a sanctuary state for transgender families seeking gender-affirming health care

SPRINGFIELD – In an effort to protect the transgender and nonbinary community from criminal prosecution for seeking out gender-affirming health care, State Senator Mike Simmons initiated a new measure protecting families who seek out gender-affirming health care from criminal and civil prosecution.

“We are witnessing almost weekly attacks around the country on the rights and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ communities including roughly 300 repressive, anti-LGBTQ+ pieces of legislation introduced by state legislatures, and more pointed attacks including the Colorado Springs nightclub shooting last week at Club Q,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “It’s time to push back and introduce sweeping protections for LGBTQ+ communities, and especially trans youth who have been subject to mean-spirited and relentless attacks on their rights.”

Senate Bill 4245, also known as the Gender-Affirming Health Care Protection Act, would prohibit the State of Illinois, Illinois law enforcement, and the governor from pursuing criminal or civil prosecution in regard to the laws of another state that forbids gender-affirming care for children.

Additionally the measure would prohibit the release of medical information based on the laws of another state.

“Access to health care is a basic human right, and access to gender-affirming care ought to be a protected right for communities that need it,” Simmons said.

The measure is similar to a California law which protects health care providers from being forced to release the medical records of a person suspected of receiving gender-affirming health care. California’s law also prevents the enforcement of other states laws against gender-affirming health care.

The measure awaits a committee hearing.

###