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SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago, 3rd) issued the following statement after the Senate passed a budget package that invests in vital health and human service programs:
“I am proud to support a budget plan that reflects our commitment to safeguarding the programs and services that make a tremendous difference in the day-to-day lives of Illinoisans.
“Under this budget, we are investing in our communities by fully funding community mental health centers, youth employment services, addiction treatment and prevention services, and the child care assistance program.
“I am also encouraged to see more investments in the programs our older population needs to continue to enjoy their communities and age comfortably and with dignity. I fought to ensure that those who care for seniors and individuals with disabilities receive a wage boost. Home health workers play a critical role in caring for our state’s most vulnerable individuals and deserve our support through fair and competitive salaries. Our budget includes much needed additional to funding to increase wages for these workers.”
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SPRINGFIELD – To help McCormick Place stay competitive in the convention industry and facilitate an expansion that would create thousands of jobs and generate millions in spending, State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago, 3rd) advanced legislation through the Senate Wednesday.
“The conventions, conferences, meetings and events held at McCormick Place every year drive a significant amount of economic activity for Chicago and the state,” Hunter said. “With its vast footprint and capacity, it attracts millions of visitors each year and generates millions of dollars in spending.”
Governed by the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), McCormick Place is the largest meeting facility in North America and is composed of four convention centers in downtown Chicago that includes the Lakeside Center and the North, South and West Buildings.
Hunter sponsored Senate Bill 485 to allow the MPEA to borrow an additional $600 million, increasing its bond limit to $3.45 billion, to finance renovations and new construction projects. The authority intends to tear down the above-ground portion of the Lakeside Center and build a new convention hall over King Drive.
The project would be paid for by expanding the restaurant tax zone within which the MPEA collects a 1% tax on food, beverages and alcohol sold.
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SPRINGFIELD – Federal tax credits that aid in construction or renovation of affordable housing will flow to a project totaling 400 units in the north side of Chicago, State Senator Mattie Hunter announced today.
“As more Illinoisans become rent burdened, meaning they pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing, this award is an important step toward tackling the growing affordability problem for Chicago’s renter households,” said Hunter(D-Chicago), who chairs the Senate Special Committee on Housing.
Lawson House in Chicago is one of 25 Affordable Housing Developments receiving the federal tax incentive. With this award, Holsten Real Estate Development will undertake a comprehensive rehabilitation of the historic building, resulting in 400 units, the majority targeted to those at or below Area Media Income (AMI). After the completion, Lawson House will still offer office and programming spaces for the various social service providers who currently work with tenants.
The Low-Income Housing Tax credit provides a tax incentive to construct or rehabilitate affordable rental housing for low-income households. It has created more than 90,970 units in the state, generating $4.9 billion in private capital for affordable housing.
In total, $28 million in federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits will be awarded to 16 different counties across Illinois.
“I am thrilled that Lawson House is going to get the necessary funding it needs to rehabilitate and create more affordable housing units for the community,” Hunter said, “but I remain committed to finding more comprehensive and innovative solutions to the affordable housing crisis in our state.”
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SPRINGFIELD – Speaking at an SEIU Healthcare Home Care Lobby Day rally, State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago, 3rd) once again stressed the importance of giving a raise to care workers who provide in-home services for seniors in Illinois.
“Right now, home care agencies are struggling to recruit and retain caregivers in every corner of the state,” Hunter said. “Why? Because the average Illinois home care worker’s hourly wage is only $11.08.”
Hunter is the chief co-sponsor of Senate Bill 2019, which would provide agencies a rate increase to ensure that every home care aide working through the Illinois Department on Aging’s Community Care Programs earns at least $13 per hour by July 1, 2019.
For years, funding for programs under the Community Care Program have gone unchanged, which leaves care providers unable to raise workers’ wages and has left Illinois unprepared to deal with workforce shortages. Projections also show that the population of Illinoisans over the age of 65 will grow by one-third by 2025, ballooning to 2.5 million people. Currently, the state needs 19,500 more workers to meet demand, but will also need another 12,000 workers annually to account for high turnover rates as caregivers are pushed out of the industry in search of better-paying jobs.