CHICAGO – Beethoven Elementary School was a recipient of the Illinois Biodiversity Field Trip Grant Program, and State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) is announcing her congratulations.

“I am proud to announce that the school I went to as a child and that I now represent as a state senator has been chosen to receive an Illinois Biodiversity Field Trip Grant,’ Hunter said. “As schools reopen, it will be important for students to take field trips and learn about the biodiversity throughout our state.”

Beethoven Elementary was awarded nearly $1,700 to take children from pre-kindergarten to second grade to the William Powers State Recreation Area in Chicago. Funding covers expenses such as the costs of transportation and substitute teachers.

CHICAGO – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) supported a new law that will radically transform the state’s education system, starting with a more inclusive history curriculum.

“I am happy that yet another piece of the Black Caucus agenda has been signed into law,” Hunter said. “My colleagues worked long and hard to come up with a plan that would help dismantle the institutional racism in our state – and education will be a large component of that.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) introduced legislation that would require the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services to establish a Medicaid Technical Assistance Center.

“Billing and insurance isn’t always a simple process, but it should be,” Hunter said. “The state could benefit from a more established system, so that Medicaid and other managed care organizations are billing properly.”

CHICAGO – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) is mourning the death of Rev. Otis Anderson of the Cathedral Missionary Baptist Church, who passed away late last month at the age of 87.

“Rev. Anderson was a strong tower of God and a blessing to all who knew him,” Hunter said. “He always had a strong, abiding faith in God, and that faith was demonstrated in the way he seized each day and lived life to its fullest. He loved his church and church community more than life itself. Even during times of physical difficulty, Rev. Anderson kept his focus and did not complain.”