Summer Events Recap!

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Dear Neighbors,

Happy September! My team and I have been busy this summer throughout the 85th District. We attended a lot of great events, hosted 2 Back to School Fairs, and had many meetings with stakeholders.

In addition to the events and panels, in July and August my team and I had meetings with:

Stakeholders to discuss local policy
Nonprofits that do work in the district
Housing stakeholders and policymakers
Business groups
Constituents
Healthcare professionals and policymakers
Transit groups and subject matter professionals
Education leaders

I’m looking forward to continuing meetings and events through the end of the year while I’m still in district. If you would like to schedule a meeting with me please reach out to info@repdagmara.

Sincerely,

REP. AVELAR IN THE NEWS

Governor Pritzker hosted a reproductive rights package bill signing, where he signed my EMTALA bill into law!

Highlight: One federal law Illinois lawmakers sought to codify in case it is struck down is the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, or EMTALA, which allows practitioners to perform abortions in medical emergencies. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case against EMTALA in June, although it could come back before the high court once it advances further in the lower courts.

Pritzker Signs Multiple Bills Further Expanding Reproductive Health Care Protections in Illinois

SUMMER EVENTS

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 Senator Cappel and Representative Manley at our Shred Event in Romeoville to kick off a busy July! We helped over 100 people safely shred their documents!

Briana attend the quarterly Superintendent Sit Down, hosted by Senator Cappel to hear from our local superintendents before they started their school year. They had a great discussion about funding, the successful ThriveWorks program in Joliet, and much more!

I met with Senator Cappel, Tom- the owner of the Crafty Bean Coffee Studio, Melissa from the Bolingbrook Chamber, and Sheldon Watts to discuss the importance of small businesses in our communities, violence prevention, and workforce development.

I spoke at 2 events regarding the proposed water rate increase by American Water in Bolingbrook. The first was a press conference hosted by the Citizens Utility Board and the second was the Illinois Commerce Commission Hearing. I am opposed to these increases, and have legislation that would slow down rate increases by utility companies.

My constituents in Bolingbrook have made clear to me that the cost of water from American Water has become too much for many of them to afford.

I attended a subject matter hearing for the Health Care Licenses Committee regarding legislation on the scope of practice for pharmacists and dental therapist licenses.

This summer was all about insurance and healthcare!

I attended the 2nd Annual Illinois Life Sciences Academy, which is an educational program on the bio pharmaceutical industry. We heard from industry leaders on PBMs, new innovations in cancer, vaccines and more. It was a great program and I learned a lot!

I also attended the Illinois Insurance Conference where we discussed all things insurance policy, changing technology, and more!

I attended the Latine Economic Summit hosted by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. It was a great event where attendees were able to network, learn about grant opportunities, and more!

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights had their Member Celebration to celebrate their vital stakeholders that uplift pro-immigrant policies in Illinois. I was happy to join them in their celebration and honor the important work they do in the community.

I spoke at the Lockport Township TRIAD meeting to let residents know what services my office can help with. We stuck around after to answer questions from residents and handed out information!

I attended the annual Illinois Educators Association event in Bloomington. It was great to hear from educators from my district and connect with stakeholders in the education world.

My team and I attended the Will County Senior Services Senior Expo at the newly opened Ovation Center. The event was incredibly well attended and we got to talk to seniors about the services and programs the state has.

We hosted our 3rd Annual Fairmont Back to School Fair at the end of July. We had around 300 people attend - they were able to get school supplies, food, connect with organizations, and even had a visit from Brookfield Zoo!

I attended a press conference with Governor Pritzker and members of the General Assembly to celebrate the approval of the 1115 waiver! Illinois received approval for its Healthcare Transformation 1115 Demonstration Waiver from the federal government. This is a significant step in expanding Medicaid coverage and addressing root causes of health disparities like housing and food insecurity.

I hosted our 2nd Higher Education Roundtable with Representative Manley and Senators Cappel and Ventura. Representatives from Will County higher education institutes met with us to discuss higher education legislation, budget, and programming.

I joined the Bolingbrook Chamber for a tax assessment event. Residents heard from DuPage Township Assessor Ken Harris, on how to appeal their tax bill and what specific items on their bills mean.

We hosted our 2nd Annual Valley View School District Back to School Fair to kick off August! Over 450 people attended to talk to community organizations, get free school supplies, and more fun.

I stopped by Romeoville’s National Night Out hosted by the Romeoville Police Department! There were games, free goodies, and clowns on unicycles!

I was selected to be part an Executive Fellow with the Erikson Institute! The program’s intent is to elevate the science of early childhood development to policymakers, determine resource allocations, and more. We wrapped up the first half of the fellowship, where I was able to teach in a toddler classroom!

While I was at the Erikson Institute, my team attended two community back to school bashes! The first was at Fairmont for their meet the teachers night, where we had information about our free museum card program. The second was the Romeoville Opportunity Matters picnic where we gave out extra school supplies!

I was honored to be part of the Shine Magazine panel! The purpose of Shine Magazine is to provide women empowerment, resources, and support to facilitate personal and professional growth. I was featured in their magazine - read more here!

I joined staff from the Will County Center for Economic Development, Senator Durbin’s office, and Treasurer Frerich’s office for a tour of the Mycocycle facility. Mycocycle developed a patent-pending process to improve the natural process of fungi to transform construction waste into low-carbon raw materials. In short - they use mushrooms to breakdown things like carpet, rubber, and gypsum!

My team and I joined the Lewis University Community Schools Consortium for their presentation to the Fairmont teachers. We provided supplies for teachers, which is a perfect example of how Community Schools operate!

I was excited to welcome FOCUOS to Springfield for the second summer in a row! The group toured the Capitol, went to the Abraham Lincoln Museum, and enjoyed the State Fair!

Our annual Mobile Secretary of State and ICash event was a big success! Over 40 people were able to access services in their community. We even had a constituent find over $30,000 of unclaimed property from the Treasurer’s Office!

I was honored to speak at the Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program graduation at Lewis University! Lewis received a $550,000 grant from DCEO to help fund this program and create talented trades workers.

I was so excited to join Mayor Noak and other elected officials from Romeoville for the opening of the Wiggly Field Dog Park! Not only is this site home to a brand new dog park for large and small dogs, but there will also be a miracle field, which is a park specially designed for children with special needs.

The Will County Regional Office of Education hosted a legislator panel for Will County superintendents. We discussed the need for Evidence Based Funding in our schools, the importance of funding the School Construction Grant, and staffing shortages. Thank you to ROE for hosting this informative event!

My team and I ended the month at the Fairmont Partnership Group Violence Prevention event! It was a beautiful day with live music, a line dance performance, inflatables for the kids, and great food!

UPCOMING EVENTS

INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES IN THE 85TH

The Illinois Department of Transportation announced that major projects in the Will County area are planned or underway, fueled by Gov. JB Pritzker’s historic, bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital program. Ten projects combined represent a total investment of $118 million, improving safety and mobility while sustaining and creating good-paying jobs throughout the region.

“These projects are necessary as they improve road conditions to prevent confusion and accidents, they make the roads smoother and more visible resulting in less car damage caused by rough roads, and maintain the structures of bridges and decks so they don’t collapse or cause a major safety issue. Please help us by obeying all traffic signs and speed limits during these work zones to enforce and promote safety for all.” said state Rep. Dagmara Avelar (D-Romeoville). Read more here.

Illinois 7 (Renwick Road) at Illinois 53 (Independence Boulevard) traffic signal installation, new pavement markers and new turn lanes. Lane reductions will be required to complete construction. The project is estimated to begin spring 2025 and is anticipated to be completed by fall 2025.
Illinois 7 (Renwick Road) at Des Plaines River and Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal bridge replacement. A detour will be required to complete construction. The project is estimated to begin early 2029 and is anticipated to be completed by late 2030.