Legislative update
At long last, the state portion of the long-term fix for Illinois transit has now been completed with the passage of HB656, and the acceptance by both the House and Senate of the governor’s amendatory veto.  There are, however, still several actions that must be taken by other entities before this issue is finally and completely finished, assuming that the governor certifies the AV acceptance.

First, the Chicago City Council must—within 6 months—enact the real estate transfer tax component to service the debt for the pension obligation bonds, which are an integral part of the solution to the problems of CTA retiree benefit funds.  Should the City Council not approve the tax, this will leave a substantial gap that will have to be filled from CTA operating funds, and thus immediate shortfalls will plunge the CTA back into financial difficulties.

 Second, the various transit agencies must promulgate rules and issue passes for eligible seniors for the free rides.  While many Illinois seniors are covered by the governor’s amendatory veto, there are many who are not and some who may or may not be eligible in different circumstances.  For instance, there are over a dozen transit agencies in downstate Illinois that will not be covered by the veto. As well, seniors served by one transit agency and eligible for free rides in their own home area may not be eligible for free rides in other areas. Lastly, CTA, Metra and PACE are not bound by a common set of rules for senior eligibility and identification although hopefully they will make this process seamless and convenient for seniors in the RTA region.

 Wrapping up this issue would be incomplete without offering sincere thanks to all those who have continually written, called and kept the pressure on all involved, and also offering apologies for the length of time it has taken to resolve it and for the anguish this uncertainty has caused.  In addition, many, many thanks are due to the transit unions for the concessions they made in collective bargaining, and to the transit agencies for their flexibility in adapting to the ever-changing scenarios.

One of my priorities in the General Assembly is addressing the issues of Illinois youth, coordinating and streamlining youth services across agencies and addressing the needs of at-risk youth.  Last year, I was House sponsor of SB108, which provides reconciliation between families and youth who have been thrown out by their families, and provides that if the family situation cannot be reconciled that these locked-out youth are given protection and services by DCFS. In addition, I was House Sponsor of SB1625, which made it illegal to market “alcopop” beverages to underage youth. Young women in particular were shown by research to be targets of this advertising.

This year, I am working on both legislative initiatives and public-private partnerships to serve Illinois youth.

Research released last year by the University of Illinois at Chicago reports annually that approximately 25,000 youth are homeless in Illinois. Shocking as these figures are, they are consistent with other studies. Approximately 40 percent of these youth are in Cook County, 14 percent in the collar counties, 26 percent in central Illinois and 20 percent in southern Illinois. It is truly a statewide problem that cries out for resources and attention.

According to a survey of homeless youth sponsored by the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless and released last month, 30 percent of these youth are under 18; 62 percent had been somehow victimized in the prior year; 38 percent were neglected or abused by a parent; and nearly 62 percent had a parent with a substance abuse problem.  You can see the full report at chicagohomeless.org.

I have introduced HB4455, which you can view at ilga.gov/legislation, to raise the funding level for housing, services and workforce preparedness to meet the current needs of all existing providers of services to homeless youth, and to further expand the network of providers and services, particular in central and southern Illinois. I am proud to be working with a broad-based coalition of providers, researchers and legislative colleagues on this issue and would welcome your support.

Also, the state provides a wide variety of services, education, healthcare and other supports to all Illinois youth from numerous agencies and dozens of programs. Currently, there are no comprehensive strategic planning, service coordination and statewide policy-making entities to unify, streamline and coordinate these various efforts. To begin to work on this issue, in conjunction with youth service providers, legislative colleagues and the governor’s office, I have introduced HB4456, which creates the Illinois Youth Commission.

I am also pleased to say that, to address the issue of providing transitional job training and experience to at-risk youth, an ad-hoc group of youth service providers, in conjunction with the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the Illinois Restaurant Association and the governor’s office, has begun meeting to develop public/private partnerships. If you would like to join us in developing strategies for providing opportunities to these vulnerable young people, please let me know.

Rep. Greg Harris
Illinois House of Representatives
Chicago

Marking roe v. wade
On Jan. 22 the National Organization for Women held its annual vigil at the U.S. Supreme Court, commemorating the 35th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision affirming women’s constitutional right to abortion.

Though we are celebrating 35 years of constitutional protection of a woman’s right to abortion, we cannot let our guard down. With so many limitations and roadblocks, the promise of Roe is already denied to many women and access to birth control is under increasing attack. This year we have the chance to elect a new administration and send new members to Congress who will help protect and expand our reproductive freedom. Come November we must elect a president who will be vigilant in upholding a woman’s right to make her own childbearing decisions, including access to birth control and abortion.

Kim Gandy
President, NOW
Washington, D.C.