SPRINGFIELD – To protect the over one third of all Illinoisans who are renters, State Senator Mike Simmons passed legislation through the Senate that bans excessive junk fees and requires lease transparency.

“When a tenant signs a lease, they shouldn’t be surprised by charges included in their rent, especially for things like after-hours service requests, modifying or renewing a lease, or routine maintenance and upkeep of the rental unit. And yet, apartment fees are rising. House Bill 3564 protects renters from 11 excessive fees and ensures the renting process is transparent and fair, while maintaining landlords' access to the most common tenant screening tools,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “HB3564 provides tenants with the right to know what fees they might expect, how much they cost, and how they will be charged on the first page of a lease.”

Under House Bill 3564, landlords and renters would have an outline of which types of fees can be charged to a tenant, how those fees must be disclosed and the manner in which they can be charged. This legislation would require all other fees connected to a tenant’s lease to be disclosed on the first page of the lease agreement along with a description of each fee, including a statement on whether utilities are covered within the rent. Tenants would not be responsible for paying any fee not disclosed within the lease.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mike Simmons held a press conference Tuesday alongside his colleagues to highlight ongoing work to provide safe, reliable, accessible public transit across every corner of Illinois.

“Delays, ghost buses, lack of service, paying multiple fares to get to one destination — I hear these complaints time and time again,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “To combat these issues, I joined my colleagues in passing House Bill 3438 through the Senate – a comprehensive package of robust reforms and transformational $1.7 billion investment to provide a world-class public transit system for Illinois residents.”

House Bill 3438 is a comprehensive plan that looks to strengthen and stabilize public transit in Northeastern Illinois through the creation of the Northern Illinois Transit Authority, or NITA. This would strengthen the ability to make transit safer, more accountable, sustainable, enforce a unified regional fare system, and focus on public engagement on how to better access and coordinate transit.

CHICAGO – State Senator Mike Simmons is demanding that federal lawmakers resolve the ongoing government shutdown and prevent the unnecessary stoppage of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits, come Nov. 1. With nearly two million Illinois residents relying on SNAP, immediate action is needed to provide access to basic nutrition for families across Illinois.

“In the 7th District, which includes the far north side of Chicago, 25,869 residents depend on SNAP. 7,086 of these residents ARE CHILDREN,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “I know what it feels like to go to bed hungry, and as their state senator, I cannot stand idly by and allow any child, any senior, or any family to needlessly go hungry in my district. The United States is the richest nation in the world and allowing for SNAP assistance to cease is cruel, unacceptable, and inexcusable.”

SNAP provides critical support for children, seniors, veterans and individuals with disabilities, offering the nutrition they need to live healthy, productive lives. The federal government shutdown threatens to halt SNAP benefits beginning November 1, putting millions at risk of hunger – including the 25,869 residents of the 7^th District, of whom 7,086 are children and more than 8,000 are seniors.

CHICAGO – State Senator Mike Simmons held a town hall Thursday evening at the Swedish American Museum in Andersonville to share information on immigration rights, resources, and advocacy in light of ICE presence in Illinois, and also addressed the ongoing housing crisis, double-digit rent increases, and challenges to homeownership.

“We are living in a time that is not normal. There is so much that people are worried about right now, so it is incredibly important to me to communicate people’s rights when it comes to immigration and the presence of ICE in our communities,” said Simmons (D-Chicago). “As the son of an asylum seeker from Ethiopia, I want to affirm that as state senator of the 7th District, I am here to fight for my community and their right to pursue peace and prosperity here in Illinois and across the nation.”

7th District constituents came to the Swedish American Museum on Thursday to discuss recent federal actions, including concerns about ongoing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and what their authority to conduct enforcement looks like in Illinois.