Dear Stephanie,

I hope you and your family had an enjoyable 247th Independence Day on Tuesday. As with every year, I participated in the Aurora Independence Day Parade with the Roosevelt Aurora American Legion Post 84 and WWII Veteran Dick Miller (USN Veteran). I am always happy to spend time with fellow Veterans who have served to maintain the freedoms that our founding fathers envisioned for us.

July is a month of celebration, with Park and Recreation Month and Disability Pride Month taking center stage. Veterans are in for positive changes too, as they are set to receive a cost-of-living increase to their benefits. In other news, we explore affordable internet access options and the upcoming deadline for the Special PACT Act enrollment period for veterans.

In July, the Pensions and Personnel Committee will continue to work towards solving the pension situation in the State of Illinois by holding additional subject matter hearings in Chicago. Lots of work to be done!

Lastly, but certainly not least, CONGRATULATIONS to the East Aurora High School's Tomcat Regiment's Drill team on their outstanding achievements at the 2023 National High School Drill Team Championships.

Read more updates and news below.

Take Care,

P.S. Please reach out to our office if you need assistance at (630) 585-1308 or send me an email.

Joining Forces Aurora Regional Summit

Friday, July 28th | 1:00 – 4:00 PM

RSVP HERE

Military & Veterans Night Out at Blackberry Farm

Friday, July 28th | 5:00 – 8:00 PM

RSVP HERE

Illinois to Offer Credit Monitoring for Those Affected by Cyberattack

Illinois is moving to protect individuals' private data and assist those directly impacted when international hackers took Illinois files housed in by a third party company.

DoIT is establishing a dedicated call center and providing credit monitoring to approximately 390,000 impacted individuals.

Notices are starting to be mailed this week to all impacted individuals with information on registering for the credit monitoring.

MORE INFORMATION

Join me this July in celebrating the power of parks and recreation to build strong, vibrant and resilient communities!

I was excited to learn that the National Park Service has designated a new recreational water trail that travels through the Village of Oswego: The Fabulous Fox! Water Trail!

Oswego’s access points along the Fox River include Hudson Crossing Park, Saw-Wee-Kee Park and Violet Patch Park.

Celebrate this national distinction by going on an adventure along the Fabulous Fox! Water Trail this summer. See you on the river!

MORE INFORMATION

Disability Pride Month is celebrated every July and is an opportunity to honor the history, achievements, experiences, and struggles of the disability community.

Why July? On July 26th 1990 ,The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush! It was amended by the ADA Amendments Act in 2008.

What Does the Americans with Disabilities Act Protect?

Title I: Equal Employment Opportunity

Title II: Equal Access to State and Local Government Services

Title III: Nondiscrimination by Public Accommodations and in Commercial Facilities

Title IV: Equal Access to Telecommunications

How to Celebrate Disability Pride Month

Attend the Chicago Disability Pride Parade on Saturday, July 22 - info

Learn about the history of disability rights in America HERE

Share your disability story on social media using the hashtags #DisabilityPride and #DisabilityPrideMonth

Teach your kids to acknowledge and include disabled people (resources here)

Hire a disabled person!

Law signed by President Joe Biden guarantees Veterans receive a compensation adjustment next year.

Which VA Benefits will Increase?

Increases will include, but not be limited to: disability compensation, clothing allowance and dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) for spouses and children.

When can veterans expect to see the adjustment?

Expect an announcement early in the next fiscal year, which begins on Oct. 1. VA will then set its compensation payment rates to match and Veterans can expect to see the new amounts starting with their January 2024 payment.

MORE INFORMATION

3rd Annual Roosevelt-Aurora Post 84 of the American Legion Golf Outing

Join me and my fellow Veterans for the 3rd Annual Post 84 Golf Outing. It is a fun event and all the proceeds go to help area Veterans and Post 84.

Community Services

Provided By My District Office

Shred & Recycle Event

Saturday, July 22

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Constituent Education Card

Free Admission Across Chicago

Request the Card HERE

Governor J.B. Pritzker has signed HB 1364, the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Workgroup Act, into law. This measure rovides that the Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health, shall convene a working group to review the first year implementation of the 9-8-8 emergency response system, and develop an action plan with specified recommendations to be filed with the Governor and General Assembly. The law takes effect immediately.

Governor J.B. Pritzker has also signed into law a new state-based marketplace for Illinois. This law gives state agencies additional tools to create a more consumer-focused health insurance exchange and better identify traditionally uninsured communities. Additionally, the governor also signed legislation that will protect health care consumers from unfair rate hikes. The Illinois Department of Insurance and the Department of Healthcare and Family Services will work together to implement the new legislation and coordinate with all state medical assistance programs.

Watch the most recent Coffee Chat on Facebook!

Or, subscribe and listen wherever you get your podcasts 🎧!

I continue to host Monday Morning Coffee live via Facebook at 9:00am-10:00am where you can post your comments and questions.

I realize not everyone has Facebook. The good news is that you can still participate. If you would like to join us on Monday mornings, you can join in via ZOOM! Once connected via ZOOM, you'll be able to interact just as if you were on Facebook. Don't worry you will not be on live - your video feed and mic will be muted.

The ZOOM link will be emailed to everyone separately for Monday morning participation.

If you would like to join us, please email Michelle@ILDistrict84.com or call the

office at 630.585.1308.

Get Affordable Access to the Internet

MORE INFORMATION

Special PACT Act Enrollment Period for Veterans Ends in September

Post-9/11 combat veterans who served between 2001 and 2013 have until Sept. 30 to enroll in Department of Veterans Affairs health care. The date will conclude a one-year "special enrollment period" provided by the PACT Act.

This provision of the PACT Act took effect in 2022. The act’s full name is the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics. It gave the potential to receive compensation to millions of veterans or their survivors who were exposed to radiation and toxic chemicals while in uniform, going back to the 1960s.

MORE INFORMATION

Congratulations Tomcat Regiment Drill Team!

East Aurora High School's Tomcat Regiment's Drill team deserves immense praise for their exceptional accomplishments at the 2023 National High School Drill Team Championships! Among the impressive 30 teams and 2,500 Cadets who participated, the Tomcat Cadets emerged victorious and claimed the highly coveted title of National Champions in the Division 2 Unarmed Team Exhibition!