General Updates from Senator Mike Simmons
Dear Neighbor,
I hope you enjoy these recent updates from me and our district team. August was a remarkable month where I joined Vice President Kamala Harris in Chicago with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense, Students Demand Action and hundreds of organizers from around the country who are fighting for sensible gun laws. This rally was held on the same day that the Illinois Supreme Court narrowly voted to uphold the assault weapons ban I strongly supported and helped to pass in January.
I also am proud that my team and I organized and held a Back to School Bash at Sullivan High School where hundreds of people from across our district showed up to get colorful backpacks, supplies, local food, and connected with me and other folks from the neighborhood. We also connected attendees with state services.
During last week’s heatwave, we visited senior buildings across the district to do wellness checks and make sure folks know we’re here for them. Remember, if you or your neighbor is experiencing difficulty during a weather event, feel free to call me and my staff at 773-769-1717 and we will try to connect you with the right assistance.
This weekend I’ll be hosting our second annual “Chalk It Up” event at Whyte Park on Howard Street in Rogers Park, where community members can come and enjoy food, music, and draw a flag (or flags) on the ground that represent who they are as we celebrate the multiculturalism and diversity of the far north side. This is a unique, feel good community-building event and I hope you will stop by and say hi.
Read on for legislative updates and more community updates. See you soon!
Sincerely,
Mike Simmons
State Senator | 7th District
Legislative Updates
Caption: Senator Mike Simmons joins gun violence prevention advocates at an event with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Caption: Senator Mike Simmons and Moms Demand Action join Vice President Kamala Harris for gun violence prevention advocacy.
To continue building safer communities and promoting gun-violence prevention, I attended a gun safety event with Vice President Kamala Harris in Chicago in tandem with the Illinois Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold the Assault Weapon Ban.
Earlier this year, I co-sponsored and helped pass the Protect Illinois Communities Act, which outlaws assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in Illinois.
As Vice President Harris said during our afternoon of advocacy, “We don’t have another moment or life to spare.”
Joined by colleagues across many states, I also spoke with White House and Department of Justice officials about the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
In other news, I secured over $2 million for pedestrian infrastructure projects in the 7th District.
Finally, public schools in our district will receive allocations from $23 million in evidence-based funding.
Senator Mike Simmons In the News
- Crain’s Chicago Business: “Towns could opt out of Illinois rent control ban under proposed law”
- State Journal-Register: “Thousands of jobs, pennies on the dollar: Illinois prison labor”
- The Daily Line: “Lawmakers pushing legislation to give convicted prisoners voting rights”
- Chicago Tribune: “Transit permits for seniors and people with disabilities drop sharply”
- BollyInside: “Proposed law allows towns to opt out of Illinois rent control ban”
Back to School Bash at Sullivan High School
My staff and I kicked off the school year with a Back to School Bash, where we passed out over 250 backpacks filled with school supplies at Sullivan High School.
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