I want to start by wishing everyone a Happy New Year. As we navigate this latest surge of the Omicron variant and return to school and work, I want to especially thank our neighbors for the myriad ways we have stepped up to support each other over these last months. Please check on each other and help out where you can, whether that’s picking up some groceries for your neighbor concerned about exposure, helping to shovel a walk for someone recovering from COVID, or just being a little extra gracious to essential workers facing new mitigation enforcement.
The House and Senate are scheduled to return to session this week. We were originally scheduled to be in session Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week, but have shortened the schedule to minimize the risk of spreading the Omicron variant. We will have one day of session this week on Wednesday, allowing time for members to be tested on Tuesday evening before convening. We anticipate that our actions will be fairly limited this week: renewing the House rule to allow for remote voting, finalizing the judicial sub-circuit maps which are expected to be released later today and will be available at this link, and cleaning up language related to the changed election date to allow petitions to move forward as planned in January. The full legislative schedule is here.
I expect that we will likely spend a few weeks doing our Committee work remotely, which worked well last year and allowed us to utilize in-person session time more efficiently while simultaneously granting greater access to witnesses to participate without having to take a day off to travel to Springfield. The early weeks of session have traditionally consisted of minimal floor time with so many bills needing to move through committees first, so working remotely shouldn’t hamper our schedule too much. We have also been told to expect a lighter legislative load this session given the truncated schedule imposed by the shifted election calendar and our early adjournment date in April. We have been working with advocates on bills for this session and expect to have a full agenda of progressive legislation to present covering issues such as HIV/AIDS prevention, gender-based violence, lakefront safety, and others. Watch our upcoming newsletters for details on my legislative agenda as well as interesting bills my colleagues are presenting.
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Starting January 3rd, the City of Chicago will require patrons of certain indoor spaces to be vaccinated against COVID-19. We are in the midst of a major COVID surge with many of our hospitals facing capacity shortages.
Boosters have recently been shown to offer significant protection against the Omicron variant. Please continue protecting yourself and limiting the spread as much as possible.
Get vaccinated. Get a booster. Get tested. Wear a mask indoors.
As many of you have seen or experienced the "pop-up" testing sites that have been riddled with issues of poor protocols, delayed results, etc. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) unfortunately does not have oversight over these facilities. However, IDPH does regulate labs that partner with these sites to perform the tests. The labs are required to meet Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) standards. Each pop-up facility should have a CLIA number so please ask for that number if you do use those facilities.
Please call the CLIA hotline at 1-800-252-4343 to report any bad practices and conditions
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To find a vaccine clinic within the City of Chicago click here.
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COVID-19 Count as of Monday, January 3rd:
Statewide Totals: 2,238,743 confirmed cases, 27,821 deaths and 45,179,593 tests performed
If you have questions related to COVID-19 you can contact the
Illinois Department of Public Health:
Hotline: 800-889-3931
Email: dph.sick@illinois.gov
City of Chicago's Department of Public Health:
Hotline: 312-746-4835
Email: coronavirus@chicago.gov
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IDES Stops Issuing Unemployment Benefits on Debit Cards |
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Starting December 27, 2021, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) will stop sending payments via KeyBank debit cards to unemployment insurance claimants. Claimants who don’t select direct deposit as their payment method will receive their benefits by paper check. All claimants are encouraged to select direct deposit as their payment method. Direct deposit is free, easy, fast, and can be updated at any time. For more information, visit ides.illinois.gov/payment.
Paper checks take longer to arrive, can sometimes be lost or stolen, and typically require a fee to be cashed. Would you like to receive your unemployment insurance payment more quickly, securely and for free? Consider opening a Bank On certified account in order to receive direct deposit. Bank On certified accounts are safe, affordable & convenient. They allow you to receive your money faster, have NO overdraft fees, and low minimum balance requirements. There are over 30 certified, no overdraft Bank On account options in Illinois. To view the list of all the Bank On partners and each bank product’s specific details, visit the Bank On Illinois site at https://illinoiscomptroller.gov/about/bank-on/. If you live in Chicago, you can visit Bank On Chicago’s site at https://bankonchicago.com/accounts/. Please make sure to review the account name and ask for the specific product by name when opening your account. Some account products can even be opened online.
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Driver's License and ID Extension Extended |
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Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White announced that expiration dates for driver’s licenses and ID cards have been extended an additional three months – from Jan. 1, 2022, to March 31, 2022. This extension does not apply to commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) and CDL learner’s permits. White noted this will be the final extension. |
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This year's coat drive was a tremendous success! We collected over 200 coats to distribute to local schools, social service agencies, and residents of the 14th District. We are so thankful for the outpouring of support from the community. The continued generosity of our neighbors and partners continues to astound me and all that I love about my community We are asking anyone who can donate to drop off at our district office next week. For details on drop-off or if you would like a pick-up arranged, please email wade.repcassidy@gmail.com.
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#ChildrenCarryOn Vaccine Event on January 7th |
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Alderman Harry Osterman and I have partnered with Senator Mike Simmons on this important vaccine event. The event will take place on January 7th at the Broadway Armory. Children are critical for our future and we must do all we can to provide them protection and opportunities. |
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Sincerely,
Kelly Cassidy
State Representative, 14th District
Office of State Representative Kelly Cassidy
5533 N Broadway
Chicago IL 60640
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773-784-2002(phone)
773-784-2060(fax)
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