In This Issue:
2024 Legislative Agenda
Open Position in District Office
Summer Internships
Public Safety Panel
Coffee & Conversation
Dear Friends,
I was in Springfield last week laying the groundwork for what I think will be a very productive and meaningful 2024 legislative year. My office and I have so far introduced 10 bills in the last few months and are putting the finishing touches on a few more. You can track all of these on my State of Illinois legislative page, and I’ve highlighted a few of them in more detail below.
In addition to legislation, some of my most important work as your representative involves negotiating on our community’s behalf when it comes to budget and state agency priorities. Recently, many families in our district alerted me to the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Division of Developmental Disabilities’ plan to eliminate almost 10% of the support hours used to help individuals with developmental disabilities that live in group homes. Your voice helped my General Assembly colleagues and I to advocate to the Governor’s office on your behalf, and I’m glad to be able to say that those plans have now been indefinitely postponed. I hope all our community members see this as a strong example of the power of your voice in changing things for the better.
One way you can make your voice known is by joining me at one of our monthly community coffees—the next one is this Saturday at 10 am. If you’re looking to get even more involved, we have a district staff opening and are currently taking applications for our paid 2024 summer internship program—scroll down for the particulars.
As always, please never hesitate to contact me if my office or I can be of service to you or your family.
Stay healthy and warm,
Janet
2024 Legislative Agenda
In 2024, I expect to work through over a dozen bills that my office and I have introduced and have been working on with constituents throughout the last few months. Some of these bills will be subsumed into larger omnibus bills while others may require extended negotiations. I’ve divided a representative sample of the bills into the below groups so that you can have an overall view of where our 41st district office focuses our efforts.
Health & Wellness
Dangers of Fentanyl Education, HB4219. Extends the recently passed HB3924 to include teaching the dangers of fentanyl and opioids to junior high-age students.
Pharmacy Standing Orders in Schools, HB4294. Allows schools to more easily access medications to treat emergency allergy, asthma, diabetes, and opioid overdose situations.
Breast Cancer 3D Mammogram Coverage, HB4421. Removes barriers for women to receive physician-ordered 3D mammograms.
Government Agencies and Opioid Antagonists, to be filed. Requires government agencies to have opioid overdose medications available; sets a framework to encourage private sector firms to have overdose medications available.
Art Therapy Licensure, to be filed. Established an art therapy license, setting the stage for art therapy insurance coverage.
Student Athlete Practice Limits, to be filed. Limits student athlete practice to no more than four hours per day, matching NCAA college standards.
Environment
Navigable Waters, currently HB1568, new version to be filed. Protects the public’s access to water recreation in public waters.
Muni Co-Op Transparency, currently HB3560, new version to be filed. Requires increased transparency from municipal power co-op groups, which provide electric power to communities like Naperville.
Waterway Cleanup Month, HB4130. Designates September of each year as Waterway Cleanup Month.
Climate Change Education, to be filed. Requires public school students to receive instruction on climate change in science and social studies classes.
Housing
Continuing Care Communities Disclosures, HB4276. Requires additional transparency and disclosures from senior citizen-based life care facilities.
Community-Integrated Living Arrangement Property Tax Exemption, HB4470. Provides resident-based property tax relief to CILAs,which are group home settings for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Education
College/Career Pathways Endorsement, HB4218. Requires public universities to ask for students’ career pathways and seals on enrollment applications.
American Sign Language Professional Educators’ License, HB4277. Requires American Sign Language to be included as a world language endorsement for professional educator licenses.
School Late Start Grant, HB4273. Creates a grant program to help school districts offset the additional costs of implementing late start school days.
The Illinois Capitol in mid-January 2024 at five degrees Fahrenheit, roughly 15 degrees warmer than the 41st District's temp on the same day:
Open Position in District Office
Constituent services are the core of our work in the 41st district, and we’re currently looking to fill an open constituent services role in our Naperville office. If you or someone you know is interested in serving the community, please let us know by sending a cover letter and resume to careers@repyangrohr.com.
Here’s a note from our previous constituent services coordinator about her experience in the office:
Summer Internships
Each summer, my office hosts a paid, part-time summer internship program for high school and college students, and we’re currently accepting applications for the 2024 summer class. Interns gain deep experience working in teams to research constituent and legislative issues, plan events, and engage with the community.
Our goal is to provide interns with a safe and supportive environment that allows them to apply their initiative, creative and critical thinking, and communication skills, all while serving their community and learning if a job related to government and policy is right for them. If you or someone you know is interested, send a note to info@repyangrohr.com
Below are a few pictures with 2023’s summer intern class.
Public Safety Panel
Join Senator Laura Ellman, Naperville Chief of Police Jason Arres, and me on February 15 for an in-person panel addressing public safety. We’ll cover updated information on current crime statistics in Naperville, recent legislation and funding to support local law enforcement, and how we all work together to keep our community safe.
What: Community Public Safety Panel
When: February 15, 7:00 pm
Where: 95th Street Library, 3015 Cedar Glade Dr., Naperville
Coffee & Conversation
For a general overview of Springfield and 41st District activities, please join us at one of our monthly coffee and conversations. These generally occur on the last Saturday of the month, and in January, we’ll meet this Saturday at our district office. Come and join other constituents from across Naperville, Warrenville and Bolingbrook for informal catching-up and conversation.
What: Coffee & Conversation with me and your neighbors
When: Saturday, January 27, 2024 from 10:00 to 11:00 am
Where: District 41 Office, 475 River Bend Rd., Suite 500, Naperville
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