Illinois State House District 17 issued the following announcement on June 23.
Because of you, Illinois is moving forward. Even as some states move backward in their reopening plans, all four of Illinois’ health regions have now steadily improved health metrics to allow the state to move to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan by the end of this week, on June 26th. This is great news for all of us.
I am filled with optimism and gratitude because we have risen to this challenge together. Like you, my spirits have been lifted by the sights of our favorite restaurants opening for outdoor dining in reimagined ways that demonstrate the resilience of our community. Many of us have gotten our first haircut since March 20. We are not out of the woods, of course. Our continued success will depend upon a shared commitment to following public health guidelines for public gatherings and activities. Please review the information on Restore Illinois Phase 4 below to learn more, and remember to wear your masks and maintain social distancing to limit the spread of COVID-19.
As we transition to summer, our communities and our state are beginning the recovery process at a time when we must also reckon with the systemic inequalities laid bare not only by this pandemic but also by public outrage sparked by the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Many of you have reached out to share your outrage at these injustices – I hear you, and I am with you. We have a moral obligation to rebuild Illinois through an equity lens.
Now is the time to listen and learn how to be an ally in the fight against racial inequality. I released a statement with the House Democratic Women’s Caucus that you can read on my Facebook page @GongGershowitz along with links to online events that I have joined to discuss race and related issues with the Asian American Caucus and leaders in the Illinois Black Legislative Caucus. I also joined Senator Laura Fine and Representative Robyn Gabel for an end of session recap. In case you missed it, you can view our video on my website.
As you would expect, the majority of my time in the last few months has been and continues to be dedicated to helping families, individuals, community-based organizations and small businesses understand and access services to cope with the dual health and economic impacts of COVID-19. On Wednesday, I joined Governor Pritzker and my colleagues in the Black and Latino caucuses to announce a $900 million support package utilizing federal CARES Act funds and Rebuild Illinois capital funds appropriated by the General Assembly during our Special Session to lift up small businesses, working families and communities hardest hit by COVID-19. Please read below for a summary of programs to help individuals and families that also includes links to applications for new small business grants available through DCEO starting now.
Usually summer allows me to see and talk with many of you as I attend the many events typically planned for summer holidays and festivals. While many of these may not be possible this year, please know that I miss our face-to-face conversations and look forward to resuming them as soon as we can safely do so.
Despite necessary modifications to public events due to the ongoing pandemic, there are opportunities to see each other in the coming weeks.
I will be at both the Evanston Juneteenth Car Parade June 27th and the Glenview Reverse Parade on July 4th. Shout out a hello if you’re there too!
We are convening several citizen Advisory Councils on topics that are important to our district, from the environment, to mental health to racial justice. Please read more about these below and consider applying.
Original source can be found here.
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