SPRINGFIELD —Following the passage of Senate Bill 2111, a bicameral transit reform package, State Senator Graciela Guzmán released the following statement:

“This is a package with a lot of shared sacrifice to avoid the most regressive thing we could have done in the moment: not funding transit, losing jobs, losing routes, and losing ways to get to school, work, doctors and more essential services.

“I want to thank our transit champion, Senator Villivalam, for leading these negotiations. I also want to thanks the other leaders in the Senate, House, and governor’s office for coming together to get this across the finish line. I am also grateful for the coalition of stakeholders, including grassroots organizers and labor advocates, for their input to the final agreement and for elevating the needs of working Illinoisans.

“Most importantly, I want to thank my community members for the thousands of calls, emails, letters, and hours of work on this matter. After holding several town halls on this issue and speaking with folks outside your homes, in grocery stores, and on the train, it is clear how essential our transit system is to our neighbors and how much we love this system connecting all of us together. I want you all to know how your advocacy made a difference, and how proud I am to represent this district.

“We still have a lot of work to do to ensure progressive revenue is available—not just to fund transit, but also other funding needs our state has. As we celebrate what was passed, I’ll begin work to ensure the RAP program is funded to support our community with disabilities, and to build a world-class transit system that builds the $1.5 billion intergenerational investment we are making.”

SPRINGFIELD —As an advocate for clean energy and a sustainable future, State Senator Graciela Guzmán celebrated the passage of Senate Bill 25 while calling for additional legislation to address rising costs of energy for consumers.

“If we sit idly as Wall Street lets big energy companies raise electricity prices, we will be left to foot the bill of a broken system and risk people losing access to power entirely,” said Guzmán (D-Chicago). “This measure will invest in our clean energy future and help transition Illinois to a cleaner, more reliable grid while supporting workers and families.”

SPRINGFIELD — During the few days in the past months when State Senator Graciela Guzmán has not been on the front lines responding to ICE agents in her community, she helped to pass a measure expanding protections for immigrant Illinoisans from being detained at several sensitive locations, including hospitals, courthouses, daycares, and higher education institutions.

“Past federal administrations have respected that a person’s immigration status is not more significant than their ability to receive life-saving medical care from a hospital,” said Guzmán (D-Chicago). “Unfortunately, as our community members have experienced firsthand, this administration does not have the same morality. Their targeting of individuals in some of their most vulnerable moments, like going to court to testify on domestic violence cases or receive essential health care, is deplorable and should concern all Americans, not just those who are being profiled currently.”

House Bill 1312 would allow Illinois residents to bring civil actions against any person who deprives them of their constitutional rights under the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution, or Section 2 or Section 6 of Article 1 of the Illinois Constitution.

CHICAGO — An outspoken advocate for addressing food insecurity among Illinoisans, State Senator Graciela Guzmán is deeply concerned at the possible cessation of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits, on Nov. 1. because of the federal government shutdown. If left unaddressed, nearly 2 million Illinois residents may go hungry because of lack of access to basic nutrients. 

“As a former SNAP recipient whose family relied on this program to put food on the table, I am sick at the thought of thousands of children just like me going hungry because of individuals’ egos and partisan loyalties,” said Guzmán. “Politics should not take precedent over human lives, which is what is at risk when we cut off access to food for millions of vulnerable people, many of them children.” 

SNAP provides critical support for children, seniors, veterans and individuals with disabilities, offering the nutrition they need to live healthy, productive lives. The federal government shutdown threatens to halt these benefits immediately, putting millions at risk of food insecurity—including the 26,793 people in the district Guzmán represents who rely on SNAP benefits.