Advocacy Team
Final Week of Illinois Legislative Session!
Spring Session Ends April 8, 2022
Access Living friends and allies,
This week is the final week of the Illinois state legislature’s spring session, and a lot is happening! We’re thankful to everyone who has helped to support our legislative efforts thus far. We’d like to share key updates and action requests as follows:
- [Quick links to take action / Jump to action items]
- Support SB 180, the Legislative Accessibility Act by emailing your state reps
- Support the IL Home Mods Program – Ask legislators to include home mod funding in budget implementation.
- Support HB 2775, the Source of Income bill, to protect against income discrimination in housing.
Success! SB 3132, the Spousal IP Bill, Passes Both Chambers:
SB 3132 is the bill that will allow spouses to become Individual Providers (also known as personal assistants or personal care workers) under the Home Services Program run by the Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Services. This is a major opportunity to recognize and pay spouses for the critical care work they do every day. The bill will be sent to the Governor for his signature.
Action Still Needed:
HB 2775, the Source of Income Bill
HB 2775, the bill to end source of income discrimination and to provide others supports for renters, needs to pass the House of Representatives this week. We need as many people as possible to make as many calls as possible to key State Reps we have identified. Their YES vote can help this bill get to the Governor’s desk and help make Illinois the 20th state with Source of Income protections. A contact list and sample script is available for your convenience.
SB 180, the Legislative Accessibility Act
SB 180, the Legislative Accessibility Act, has passed the full Senate and House committee. We hope that it will be called for a floor vote this week for final passage.
Support SB 180 by emailing your state reps at this link!
Statewide Home Mods Program:
As many of you know, Access Living and our disability/veterans colleagues have been working to ask for $7.5 million in funding for a home modifications program to address gaps in services across the state. Our primary method of action has been through HB 1587. The process has shifted and we are now asking for the funds to be included in budget implementation (known to legislative wonks as the BIMP).
Send an email to your legislators asking them to include home mod funding in budget implementation.
Continuing Advocacy Items
HB 5096, Keeping Kids in Schools Act
We have worked hard to push HB 5096, which would require schools statewide to begin actually documenting informal suspensions, also known as school removals. While this bill has made good progress in the House, we will continue to work on this over the summer. If your family has been affected by repeated informal removals of your child with a disability, please contact Frank Lally, our Education Policy Analyst, at flally@accessliving.org.
Please share this info with fellow Illinois disability advocates and allies. Thank you to all the great legislators who have fought for us this year so far!