NEWS

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Graciela Guzmán’s resolution to explore introduction of Arabic as a foreign language option in school has been adopted by the Senate.

“Arabic is spoken in the homes of hundreds of thousands of Illinois families,” said Guzmán (D-Chicago). “These students deserve the opportunity to develop and formalize their heritage language in our public schools.”

According to the United Nations, Arabic is one of the  most widely spoken languages in the world, spoken by more than 400 million people and is one of the UN’s six official languages. According to Bloomberg Business, Arabic is one of the most useful languages for business in the world, potentially opening opportunities for students who learn to speak it.

SPRINGFIELD – With health care costs skyrocketing and drug manufacturers making billions in profit, State Senator Graciela Guzmán is carrying key legislation to create price caps for drugs in Illinois.

“Price should never be an obstacle to health care,” said Guzmán (D-Chicago). “Taking advantage of sick people who are in need of medication for profit is condemnable and we must put a stop to this practice.”

Senate Bill 3496 is an initiative to create a Prescription Drug Affordability Board in Illinois. This group would be tasked with identifying high cost drugs for consumers, conduct affordability reviews on said drugs and decide whether to limit the price of those drugs for the consumer.

According to Citizen Action Illinois, Illinois could be saving $190 million dollars on prescription drugs if the PDAB were to adopt current Federal price caps. Under federal law, the government can set and negotiate Medicare Maximum Fair Prices for certain drugs. Eleven states including Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Ohio and Washington have adopted their own PDABs.

SPRINGFIELD – In the midst of deep economic uncertainty and historic wealth inequality , State Senator Graciela Guzmán is calling for progressive revenue reform to fill the budget gap for families in Illinois.

“If we are serious about affordability, then we have to be serious about tax justice,” said Guzmán. “We cannot solve an affordability crisis by handing our communities too little and telling them to make it work. That is what austerity does. It gives people less than what they need, then blames them when they cannot make it work.”

Guzmán spoke on the need for revenue reform in a press conference at the State Capitol on Wednesday. There are several bills she is pushing for, including:

•         Senate Bill 3376, which would apply Illinois’ personal income tax rate to the appreciation of assets for residents with a net worth of $1 billion or more.
•         Senate Bill 3486, a measure that would strengthen corporate tax accountability by addressing how large, multinational corporations report income.
•         Senate Bill 3353, which would apply a 10% tax on a digital advertisers’ annual revenue if the revenue earned exceeds $150 million.
•         Senate Bill 3796, a proposal that would decouple Illinois from federal tax changes, end high-impact business credits and require a cost-benefit analysis of corporate tax incentives.

SPRINGFIELD – In the fight for affordable housing for all people in Illinois, State Senator Graciela Guzmán’s bill to provide human rights protections to prospective tenants who are survivors of gender-based violence passed the Senate Executive Committee.

“When we talk about housing, we are not just talking about buildings or leases,” said Guzmán (D-Chicago). “We are talking about safety. We are talking about dignity. We are talking about whether people have a real chance to rebuild their lives.”

Senate Bill 330 would provide that it is a civil rights violation to unlawfully discriminate against a prospective tenant because of a person's history of experiencing domestic or sexual violence. According to Illinois Legal Aid, people who have survived domestic violence, stalking or sexual assault might also face barriers to their housing because of these abuses. People who rent their homes are three times more likely to face violence than people who own their homes.