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MAY NEWSLETTER

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Dear Neighbors,

We are nearing the end of session, and I have been diligently working in Springfield to advocate for funding in the 85th District, while also passing legislation to better the lives of all Illinoisans. See below for the bills I have picked up bills that passed the senate and now require passage in the house before heading to Governor Pritzker.

We are continuing to work on a budget that works for all Illinois families, puts people above corporations, and invests in important services for our constituents.

Stay tuned on my social media (@repdagmara) to see all the bills that pass at the end of the session this month. If you see any legislation you have questions or concerns about, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office at info@repdagmara.org or 815-372-0085.

As we welcome the warmth of spring, I wish you and your loved ones a season filled with happiness and safety.

Sincerely,

IN THE NEWS

Advocates are Pushing for Cultural Competency in Healthcare in Illinois

Illinois General Assembly Introduces Bill to Ease Access to Healthcare Benefits

Avelar Led Bill to Prevent Human Pesticide Exposure Passes House Committee

OUT AND ABOUT

If you would like to invite me to an event, meeting, or tour of your facility, please reach out to my office at info@repdagmara.org.

I joined the Village of Woodridge and colleagues in the House and Senate to tour the Woodridge Country Club condos that were devastated by a tornado 2 years ago. There are people that are still displaced from their homes after the tornado, and we all must continue to work together to ensure these residents are able to return to their homes. I look forward to continuing to advocate for my constituents with my colleagues.

I met with Congresswoman Underwood to discuss how our offices can work together to serve our constituents in the most effective way possible. We talked about events to partner on and ways to bring funding to the area. I’m glad to welcome her to the 85th District and know she will continue to be a great representative in congress for us!

Abin from World Business Chicago joined me at my district office to discuss the Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership. The goal of this program is to develop a regional strategy which highlights the talent, entrepreneurs, and business ecosystem that makes the Chicagoland area great!

My staff joined Congressman Bill Foster at his Aurora office Grand Opening! If you live in the 11th Congressional District, Congressman Foster and his team are ready to serve you at 2000 W. Galena Blvd. Suite 303 in Aurora. I’m looking forward to the continued partnership with Congressman Foster as he represents parts of the 85th District in DC.

My team and I joined Will County Center for Economic Development at their Elected Official Incentives Training. We talked about economic development in Will County, community grants, and other incentives from ComEd and Nicor!

I hosted a Shred Event at Carillon! We safely shredded over 1500lbs of paper with American Mobile Shredding. Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant and Will County Sheriff’s Office assisted with medication disposal; we disposed of many boxes full of expired medication and gave out DeTerra Pouches for people to safely dispose of their medication at home!

I spoke at the Equality IL LGBTQ+ Advocacy Day press conference to reaffirm my promise to continue to make Illinois a welcoming state for ALL. We have done great work to make sure Illinois is a safe haven for LGBTQ+ individuals, but we have more to do, and I promise to always be an ally to the community and Equality IL.

We joined Brooks Middle School at their Career Fair to teach 6th, 7th, and 8th graders about a career in government! Students were tasked with asking pre-written questions about the training, day in the life, and more about each career to get an understanding of different options post school. My staff had Illinois Legislative Trivia for the students to test their knowledge of Illinois Government!

Lewis University Nursing Students were in Springfield for Student Nurse Political Action Day! We talked about investments in education and the importance of community members engaging their elected officials.

I joined Community Health and some of my colleagues in the house and senate on a tour of their clinic. They are part of the free and charitable clinics, which just received a grant from the state of Illinois so they can continue to serve underinsured and uninsured Illinois residents. If you’re interested in learning more about Illinois Free and Charitable Clinics, click here.

My staff attended the Wilco Area Career Center for the Career Fair for high school students in Law Enforcement, Nursing, Education, and Culinary Arts. Wilco is a career center for high school students to learn and develop skills to provide a pathway to college and career readiness.

Congresswoman Lauren Underwood hosted a Grand Opening of her Joliet office! Her and her team are ready to serve Illinois’ 14th District in a brand new office. If you need to find them, their address is 116 N. Chicago St Suite 201 in Joliet.

While I was in Springfield, my staff attended the Joliet Junior College State of the College where they learned about a $2.5million grant from Will County, the 12x12x12 program to allow high school students to earn college credits for $12/credit, and more of their upcoming programs!

I joined the Special Olympics at Lewis University for their 3rd Annual Plane Pull fundraiser where teams of 10 compete to see who can pull a real United Airlines plane 12ft in the fastest time! My team got 3rd place in the open division!

Joliet Junior College hosted a Latinx Empowerment Conference for high school students. I spoke to the group about my immigration story and my path to becoming a state representative.

EVENTS AND RESOURCES

Got Medicaid? Get ready to renew! Manage your case at abe.illinois.gov. 

Illinois is checking to see if you are still eligible for Medicaid. Here's what you need to do now: 

Click Manage My Case at abe.illinois.gov to:

  • Verify your mailing address under "contact us."

  • Find your due date (also called redetermination date) in your "benefit details".

Watch your mail and complete your renewal right away. 

If you are no longer eligible for Medicaid, connect to coverage at work or through the official Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace for Illinois, GetCoveredIllinois.gov. 

I encourage people to take advantage of the 211 line and website. 211 is powered by real people — trained specialists who work to identify and address the root causes of a client’s problem. That means from the first hello, someone in crisis is reaching a real person who can provide a connection to help.

Food Pantries

  • Bolingbrook

    • Bolingbrook SDA Church Food Pantry- 301 E. Boughton Rd. Bolingbrook

    • First Baptist Church Bolingbrook- 314 E. Briarcliff Rd. Bolingbrook

    • The Compass Church Bolingbrook- 151 E. Briarcliff Rd. Bolingbrook

    • 4 K.I.D.S Sake- 192 Lily Cache Ave. Bolingbrook

  • Woodridge

    • West Suburban Food Pantry- 6809 Hobson Valley. Dr Ste 118 Woodridge

  • Romeoville

    • Love Fellowship Baptist Church- 730 N. Independence Blvd. Romeoville

    • DuPage Township Food Pantry- 719 Parkwood Ave. Romeoville

      • Must live in DuPage Township

    • Good Shepherd Pantry- 25 Alexander Cir. Romeoville

    • Romeoville Community Pantry- 2 Belmont Dr. Romeoville

    • St. Andrew the Apostle We Care Pantry- 219 Arlington Dr. Romeoville

  • Lockport

    • First Baptist Church Food Pantry- 800 Thornton St. Lockport

    • Lockport FISH Food Pantry- 1463 Farrell Rd. Lockport

    • Fairmont Food Pantry- 525 Barry Ave. Lockport

    • Shiloh Baptist Church Food Pantry- 18101 W. Oak Ave. Lockport

  • Will County Micro Pantries

    • Micro Pantries are designed to allow anonymous food pick-up for those in need, and a drop-off point for those who wish to help. Micro pantries are accessible 24 hours a day.

Will County is investing $10 million of American Rescue Plan Act dollars to ignite the next generation of heroes in nursing and teaching. The Will County Heroes Nursing & Teaching Scholarship, which formally launched today, encourages students to pursue degrees in these high-demand professions and incentivizes them to work in Will County after graduation.

Eligible students can receive $2,500 per semester to support their pursuit of a nursing or teaching degree. Students can apply for the scholarship grant through the participating Will County higher education partners: Governors State University, Joliet Junior College, Lewis University, and University of St. Francis.

Learn more about the program at www.willcountyillinois.org/heroes.

Gov. Pritzker and DCEO announced $175M in grant funding through the ILB2B program for hard-hit industries including:

  • Restaurants

  • Hotels

  • Creative Arts

Applications are open NOW until MAY 10– learn more here!

Illinois House District 85
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1050 W. Romeo Rd, Romeoville, IL 60446, United States

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