State Senator Mattie Hunter (D - Chicago) sat in the chamber of the Illinois House of Representatives yesterday alongside her fellow legislators taking in Governor Quinn’s State of the State Address.

There were key issues Illinois’ chief executive touched upon in his message that particularly commanded Majority Caucus Whip Hunter’s attention. Per Hunter, “As a longtime advocate for the poor, the governor’s mention of Illinois’ poverty crisis was something that caught my eye. However, we’ve got to do a lot more than just talk about it – we have to take action.”

Hunter took great note of Governor Quinn’s treatment in his address of the current issues of concealed carry and banning assault weapons in Illinois.

“It was nice to hear Governor Quinn elaborate on these important topics that are going to provide us some of greatest challenges this legislative session,” said Hunter. “Being one of the first legislators to host a town hall on concealed carry and assault weapons in order to make the public’s voice on these subjects heard, I recognize the gravity of these issues and am serious about making sure the General Assembly does what’s best for Illinois citizens.”

Also, in light of the pressing issue of gun violence, particularly rampant throughout the 3rd district the senator represents, the governor’s remarks on the recently fallen 15-year-old honor student Hadiya Pendleton struck a chord with Hunter.

“I feel the governor’s mentioning of my constituent Hadiya in his speech was a great, very necessary gesture,” Hunter was adamant. “Unfortunately, it has taken the loss of this promising young lady to finally get the state to pay attention to the violence epidemic in my district I have been fighting to turn around. This is nothing new. There have already been too many Hadiyas. This is just what the media has capitalized on and the vehicle that’s been used to bring this problem to the forefront. However, now that this problem is finally getting the respect it deserves, change can begin and the death of this child whose funeral I’m attending Saturday will not be in vain.”