Feminine hygiene products will now be free and accessible for students grades 6-12 in public and charter schools thanks to legislation backed by State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago).

“This is not only about personal hygiene but about dignity as well,” said Hunter. “One of the reasons girls miss many days of school is because they do not have access to these products. We as women know that a menstrual cycle is something we don’t plan, it just happens, so it’s an absolute necessity to supply our younger women with the resources they need.”

House Bill 3215 is an initiative of “Illinois Moving Women Forward,” a group that aims to remove gender inequalities in order to enable women to achieve their full potential. Of their three principles, the group’s main focus is to protect and improve access to affordable healthcare for women.

“Our younger women deserve to be taken care of and we as a state can do so at a small expense,” Hunter said.

The legislation will make the products available, at no cost to students, in the bathroom of school buildings.

The legislation becomes effective Jan. 1, 2018.

 In response to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto to House Bill 3143, a plan that would expand the Prompt Payment Act to ensure all human service contractors and vendors receive payments on time, State Senator Mattie Hunter (D- Chicago) released the following statement:

“We should treat the people that care for our most vulnerable citizens fairly. Human services have suffered tremendously for the almost two years we’ve gone without a budget. Programs like Redeploy Illinois, homeless youth services and many others have been bearing the financial burden of the state of Illinois.

The governor’s veto will further delay funds to our most vulnerable citizens. It’s time we prioritized the payments human service providers need but also compensate organizations for delayed payments.”

 With risk factors increasing and disease rates rising, State Senator Mattie Hunter (D- Chicago) has increased efforts to research asthma, which is one of the most common chronic disorders in children. Senate Bill 1846 will require, the Department of Public health to collect data about asthma rates and risk factors in school children.

“Asthma is a serious lung disease that can be life-threatening if not properly treated,” said Hunter. “Many children are missing school each day due to severe sicknesses from asthma. The state of Illinois needs to allocate additional resources to research asthma and prevention mechanisms. Though there is not a cure for asthma, my colleagues and I have been working to get in front of the problem.”

Under the Illinois Health Statistics Act, data are collected and maintained on obesity and disability, but not asthma. Senate Bill 1846 will assist researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, and parents in developing effective education, prevention, and treatment options.

According to the American Lung Association, asthma is the third leading cause of hospitalization among youth and affects 7 million American children. Asthma affects ethnic minorities and individuals in lower socioeconomic statuses at a higher rate, an issue that is over-looked.

The legislation becomes effective Jan. 1, 2018.

 State Senator Mattie Hunter (D- Chicago) released the following statement after moving to override the governor’s amendatory veto to Senate Bill 1, a widely supported school funding reform measure:

“Today I moved to override the governor’s amendatory veto. For the first time in decades my colleagues and had a chance to do the right thing for schools and students across the state.

Many children have suffered at the hand of a broken system for far too long. Senate Bill 1 not only provides adequate dollars to the states most vulnerable students, but provides equality and parity for our school districts moving forward.

I came to this chamber in 2003, and since then our state’s school funding system, has maintained the status quo of unfairly pitting school districts against one another.

The override was necessary. This is about providing adequate dollars for all schools and future generations.  We need to save our schools and our students.”