Hunter receives TASC Legislative Champion Award

CHICAGO – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) received TASC’s 2019 Legislative Champion Award at the agency’s annual Leadership Awards Luncheon on Tuesday for her efforts to improve opportunities for substance-use disorder treatment, recovery, and community engagement, especially such opportunities for individuals who have had contact with the criminal legal system.

“Working to create a healthier, more equitable, more just society has been the bedrock of my career. I’m so honored to be recognized for these efforts by an organization equally committed to those values,” Hunter said. “I look forward to continuing this mission alongside groups like TASC to identify and implement new, innovative, and more holistic ways to address health inequities and stop the cycles of substance abuse and drug-related crime in Chicago and communities statewide.”

Senator Hunter, who serves as Majority Caucus Chair of the Illinois Senate Democrats, was one of four Illinois lawmakers to receive the award in its inaugural year.

“We have known Senator Hunter for many years, first as a fellow addiction-recovery services provider, and then more deeply through an array of initiatives that she has led to support alternatives to incarceration, and to address racial and ethnic disparities in the justice system,” said TASC President Pam Rodriguez. “Recognizing her tireless commitment to these issues, we presented Senator Hunter with our Justice Leadership Award in 2014, and since then she has continued to be a leading advocate for people affected by substance use, justice-system involvement, and poverty.”

Rodriguez also presented the agency’s 2019 Justice Leadership Award to Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, and the agency’s Public Voice Leadership Award to the U.S. State Department’s Brian Morales, branch chief within the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

TASC (Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities) is a statewide, nonprofit organization in Illinois that advocates for diversion, alternatives to incarceration, and reentry services for people who come in contact with the justice system and child-welfare system, specializing in case management for adults and youth who have substance use disorders.

City of Chicago to host Community Cannabis Meetings

CHICAGO - To ensure legalized cannabis is implemented in a safe, fair, and equitable manner for all communities, City of Chicago will host community information sessions this week to provide community members with opportunities to submit questions, provide public input, and learn more about the upcoming legalization of recreational cannabis in Chicago and statewide starting on Jan. 1, 2020.

These meetings build on continued engagement the City has undertaken to ensure community perspectives are considered as new cannabis regulations are developed. Earlier this year, the City partnered with aldermen and zoning administrators to gain input on zoning regulations, which have been approved by City Council. Approvals on zoning for new cannabis dispensaries and businesses will be taken up only after community meetings are held, starting in 2020.

Dates and locations are as follows. More information can be found at the links below.

• Dec. 5: Malcolm X College
• Dec. 6: Chicago State University

Hunter leads the fight against kidney disease in Illinois

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Senate today approved a resolution introduced by State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) to create the Kidney Disease Prevention and Education Task Force to raise awareness and reduce the burden of kidney disease throughout Illinois.

The task force, established under Senate Joint Resolution 49, will work with the National Kidney Foundation of Illinois and leading educational institutions to create health education programs to increase awareness of and examine chronic kidney disease, transplants and kidney donations, and the greater rates of diagnosis in minority groups. This will include a statewide public awareness campaign consisting of health education workshops, seminars, and social media, TV, and radio outreach.

“Lack of awareness and access to treatment is costing us lives. Far too many Illinoisans are falling victim to a disease that is largely preventable,” Hunter said. “On this World Diabetes Day, we’re taking action to creating a healthier Illinois. This is the first step toward reducing the burden of kidney disease and the racial disparities in kidney health and treatment.”

If chronic kidney disease is detected early and managed correctly, swift treatment can slow and even stop kidney deterioration.

Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease. Roughly 1 in 4 adults with diabetes has kidney disease.

Thirty-one million Americans, including 1.12 million Illinois residents, are living with chronic kidney disease.

African-Americans are four times as likely to develop kidney failure as Caucasians, while Hispanics are twice as likely.

Kidney disease is the ninth leading cause of death in the United States.

The task force will consist of legislators, doctors, non-profit leaders, and officials from the Department of Public Health and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services.

Hunter: We need answers on the effectiveness of red light cameras

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) convened the Senate Transportation Committee today for the first time as chair to consider legislation to study the use of red light cameras in Illinois.

The Senate Transportation Committee approved Senate Bill 1297, which orders the Illinois Department of Transportation to conduct a study to evaluate the use and effectiveness of automated traffic law enforcement systems, or red light cameras.

“I still have a lot of unanswered questions about the effectiveness of red light cameras and whether or not they make our roadways safer,” Hunter said. “This legislation gives us the answers we need to move forward.”

Red light cameras have been a source of frustration, and even anxiety, for Illinois motorists since they were first legalized in 2006.

Studies aimed at measuring the effectiveness of red light cameras in making intersections safer have produced mixed results.

According to reports in the press, red light cameras have generated over $1 billion in revenue for local governments in Illinois over the past decade.