Seniors, the disabled and low-income families are at risk for Republican Governor Rauner’s plan to suspend the State Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program which ensures vulnerable citizens have access to affordable energy. In response, Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee Chair Mattie Hunter is holding a hearing at 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 11, in Chicago to address these cuts.

“In the harshest winters and most grueling summers, our most vulnerable families rely upon energy assistance. This is a matter of life or death for some people,” Hunter said.

In 2011, wrongful convictions cost Illinois taxpayers $214 million and the falsely accused a combined 926 years in prison. The Illinois Senate approved a good government measure to create transparency in the grand jury process.

“Wrongful convictions erode the public’s trust in our criminal justice system. Transparency is the only way to restore faith in this process,” said State Senator Mattie Hunter, the plan’s sponsor.

In 2011, Illinois had the third largest number of youth in the U.S. who aged out of foster care at 21 percent, according to Northwestern University. The same year, University of Chicago reported that those young people face challenges including unemployment, homelessness and incarceration.

A plan from State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) to create internship opportunities for youth who have aged out of Illinois’ foster care system has passed the Illinois Senate and House.

A new measure that could help protect children’s rights during guardianship battles passed the Illinois General Assembly.

“Children need stable households while growing up. Constant relocation within and outside of the state disrupts the child’s life,” said State Senator Mattie Hunter, sponsor of the bill.