NEWS

Summer is in full swing, and my team and I have been out across the 20th District listening to residents, connecting people with resources, and making sure our office is meeting people where they are.

That matters especially in this moment. Across our communities, families are worried about the rising cost of groceries, changes to accessing food stamps, finding immigrant support services, health care, housing, and whether the government will show up when they need help. Our job is to be present, accessible, and responsive.

My team and I have spent the last several weeks back in our neighborhoods, listening to your questions, concerns and ideas about Illinois' recently enacted Fiscal Year 2027 budget that was signed by the governor this week. Returning home has reinforced something I believed when I cast my vote on May 31.

This budget was necessary. It was not enough. Both things can be true.

I'm proud of what we accomplished as legislators, advocates and you all as community members that shared your feedback on issues, and I believe that even more today.

From the beginning of budget negotiations, my priorities were clear: help families make ends meet, strengthen food security, expand access to housing, protect health care and invest in the human services that families across Illinois rely on every day. In the face of unprecedented federal uncertainty, we protected critical investments in each of those areas while advancing innovative new revenue.

After a marathon 20 hour work day in the Senate on Sunday, Springfield passed a state spending plan. I want to be honest with you about where I landed.

There are real wins in this budget, and they matter. We reversed several harmful cuts from the governor’s proposed budget. We secured support for emergency food assistance through FRESH, and saw other investments for local community organizations, immigrant services, welcoming centers, and small business development. These are investments our communities fought for, and they will make a difference for families across Illinois.

We also made progress on progressive revenue. We passed the Digital Advertising Tax Act, which asks massive tech corporations to pay back into the communities they profit from while raking in billions off our data and attention. We passed some decoupling from federal corporate tax rules so Illinois can keep more control over our own revenue instead of automatically following an anti-worker federal budget bill. We also moved forward on taxing prediction markets and bringing them more in line with traditional gambling taxation.

Food insecurity

• Visit the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s website at ChicagosFoodBank.org to access their network of Cook County food pantries and other helpful support services.
• Connect with your neighborhood’s mutual aid organization. Groups like Logan Square Mutual Aid and Albany Park Mutual Aid are coalitions of neighbors pitching in to help each other through difficult times, and offer access to food, toiletries, and more that organize online and through social media.
• Check out my team's spreadsheet of local food pantries organized by zip code here.
• Apply for cash assistance with the Illinois Department of Human Services. Visit their website here for information on the several programs IDHS offers folks in need of support.

Health care

• Check out Chicago Department of Public Health’s database of Community Health Centers—clinics that provide comprehensive primary and preventive care to everyone, regardless of a person’s ability to pay. Services offered include prenatal care, pediatric care, help managing chronic diseases, including high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, behavioral health, and more.
•  Visit Erie Family Health Center, which offers a wide variety of services for adults and children, including primary care, women’s health care, prenatal care, pediatric care and behavioral healthcare, to the Albany Park community. Call to schedule an appointment at (312) 666-3494.
• Connect with PrimeCare Health Community Health Centers in Belmont Cragin. This organization offers eight neighborhood locations throughout the Chicago area and provides thousands of people with quality affordable healthcare. Connect with them on their website, org.