Access Living friends and allies,
Thank you to everyone who submitted Illinois witness slips today! We’d like to update you on what happened with each of the three bills.
SB 1524, the Eddie Thomas Act. The Eddie Thomas Act would require the Illinois Department of Corrections to track and report on hospice and palliative care provided to people incarcerated in Illinois state prisons. The hope is to establish a baseline for improving this kind of important disability support for incarcerated people. This bill passed out of the Restorative Justice and Public Safety Committee to the tune of a 9-1 vote.
Although our work is not done, this is a significant step in the right direction. The Eddie Thomas Act must pass a second and third reading in the Illinois House, before being sent to the Governor to sign into law. We will keep people informed on the progress of this significant piece of legislation.
HB 2364, Funding for Illinois Centers for Independent Living (CILs). This bill would increase state funding for CILs by $10 million next year. CILs are the ONLY disability-led community nonprofits in Illinois, serving our fellow disabled folks in all 102 of Illinois’s counties. Note: CILs are NOT CILAs (the acronym for Illinois group homes). Illinois CIL advocates were on hand to testify at the hearing this morning, which was subject matter only. This gave legislators a chance to hear why these funds should be in the final budget for next year.
HB 3076, Funding for Home Modifications. This bill would ensure the continuation of funding for home modifications to be provided to community members by CILs. Home mods can make a huge difference in being able to stay in your own home. Again, Illinois CIL advocates were on hand to testify at the hearing, which was subject matter only. As with the previous bill, legislators had a chance to hear why these funds should be in the final budget for next year.
Access Living staff have been working hard this week in Springfield on all our Illinois bills. We are now in crunch time, because our spring legislative session will wrap up at the end of May. We will keep you posted with more action alerts. Thank you for your advocacy!