Simmons Attends Gun Safety Event with Vice President Kamala Harris as Illinois Supreme Court Upholds Assault Weapon Ban

CHICAGO – As a tireless advocate in the fight against gun violence, State Senator Mike Simmons attended the annual Everytown for Gun Safety gathering in Chicago on Friday, August 11 where Vice President Kamala Harris spoke about the urgency of the fight for stronger gun laws; the same day the Illinois Supreme Court decided to uphold the assault weapon ban.

“Today is a historic day - the Illinois Supreme Court has upheld the Protect Illinois Communities Act which bans the sale and manufacturing of assault weapons and high capacity magazines, a law I strongly supported and helped pass in January. Coinciding with Vice President Harris’ visit to address the epidemic of gun violence, today we have made progress in making our communities safer.” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “Gun violence has left us all traumatized from neighborhoods in Chicago to suburbs and small towns. Collectively we must step up our efforts to advocate for and pass stronger legislation to get weapons of war off our streets and impose enforcement mechanisms that will help us make our communities safer. We also have to step up our investments in community-based programming that we know helps our neighbors recover from the emotional trauma that grips communities hit by the gun violence epidemic.”

Alongside thousands of activists, volunteers and survivors of gun violence, Simmons listened to Vice President Harris discuss the commitment of The Biden Administration to reduce gun violence during a moderated conversation with Moms Demand Action’s Executive Director Angela Ferrell-Zabala.

The gun safety legislation upheld Friday bans the sale and manufacturing of assault weapons and high capacity magazines, and places a ban on rapid-fire devices and increases the duration of a Firearm Restraining Order from six months to up to one year.

Studies show that approximately one-third of public mass shooting events include the use of an assault weapon, and nearly 40% involve a high-capacity magazine.

“I will continue to be aggressive in supporting stronger gun control legislation. I want our children to be able to walk to school and feel safe, moms and dads to see their children grow up and become adults, and for our schools, places of worship, public transit, and nightclubs to be places where we can live and gather in peace,” said Simmons. "Thank you to so many of my constituents whose lives have been directly impacted by gun violence who have partnered with my office to make our advocacy efforts on gun control more robust and directly responsive to the lived experiences of 7th District residents and people all across Illinois.”

Simmons celebrates signage of comprehensive public transit bill

CHICAGO – State Senator Mike Simmons served as chief co-sponsor and led passage of a newly signed law, House Bill 1342, which will accelerate the rollout of electric buses under the Regional Transportation Authority, Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace. This law will also boost accessibility to public transportation through reduced ride fares for young people and survivors of domestic violence and their dependents. The new law also will review extending these same benefits year-round to returning citizens and veterans by July 1, 2024.

“As a lifelong user of Chicago public transit, and as a Chicagoan who believes deeply in public transit, I am happy to see this package become law,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “It simultaneously addresses many issues in our public transit system. It requires all buses purchased by CTA, and all RTA systems including Metra and PACE, to be electric by 2026. Transportation remains our largest sector for carbon emissions. This is a huge step forward for sustainability. This new law will also help improve accessibility, reliability, and ridership of our cherished transit systems at a time when it is desperately needed.”

The measure – House Bill 1342 – includes many positive initiatives including reduced ride fares for young people and survivors of domestic violence. It requires the RTA to distribute preloaded fare cards to service providers of survivors of domestic violence and their dependents, as well as requires the CTA to provide reduced fares for youth-involved jobs programs. It also requires PACE and Metra to create or participate in a youth jobs or internship program. The law further initiates a study looking into reduced ride fares for returning citizens and veterans. Lastly, it provides the CTA with flexibility on the farebox recovery ratio to help the agency recover and regain ridership to pre-pandemic levels.

“So many people rely on public transportation,” said Simmons. “This law not only helps everyday people like the communities I fight for everyday, but also puts us on the path toward clean energy. I am proud to have helped lead and secure its passage.”

House Bill 1342 was signed into law Friday, July 28, 2023.

###

State agencies to support gender inclusivity under Simmons law

SPRINGFIELD – To increase gender inclusivity across the state of Illinois and within state agencies, State Senator Mike Simmons championed a new law that will support state employees who identify as non-binary or gender non-conforming by integrating them into the state's diverse workforce initiatives.

“This law will ensure our state’s workforce reflects the diversity of our population,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “Recognizing and respecting every identity in the workforce is basic common decency, and everyone deserves to feel seen and supported by the field they want to enter.”

The new law adds state employees who identify as non-binary or gender non-conforming to the list of women, minorities and persons with physical disabilities in regards to agencies tracking this information to help guide efforts to achieve a more diversified state workforce.

“Recognizing gender non-conforming and non-binary people in our state government and state agencies is the first step to promoting inclusivity and bringing different perspectives to the table,” Simmons said.

House Bill 2297 was signed into law on Friday and goes into effect on July 1, 2025.

###

Simmons laws to make crossings safer for pedestrians and cyclists

SPRINGFIELD – To increase the safety of pedestrians and cyclists, State Senator Mike Simmons successfully championed a set of new laws to require permanent vehicle crossing signs to be added to bike trails and created a task force to monitor the impact of local bicycle and pedestrian plans.

“Last summer we lost the lives of two children, on two separate occasions, to cyclists’ accidents in our community,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “We want our residents to feel safe by providing them with the security of increased protections for pedestrians and cyclists to prevent heartbreaking tragedies like we experienced last year.”

Senate Bill 1710 requires bike trails to have warning signs along the path warning pedestrians and cyclists of a vehicle crossing at least 150 feet in advance. The new law ensures cyclists on a trail have ample warning to know when to slow down and stop before a busy intersection. Permanent signage on state roadways warning vehicles of bicycle trail crossings also must be added within 150 feet of a trail crossing so vehicles can yield. Signs to warn cyclists of other trail hazards, damage to the trail, and maintenance of the trail will be installed.

Additionally, House Bill 2131 creates the Zero Traffic Fatalities Task Force to help reduce bicycle accidents on roads by reporting detailed analysis of existing practices around speed limits, the reduction of speed limits, the steps to eliminate vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle fatalities on roads, and their lasting impact.
“We can prevent bicycle injuries and accidents by following the rules of the road and watching out for each other,” Simmons said. “I am happy to see these initiatives go into effect to make roadways and bike trails safer for everyone.”

Senate Bill 1710 and House Bill 2131 were signed into law on Friday and go into effect Jan. 1, 2024.

###