In This Issue:
Gun Violence Prevention Legislation
Disaster and Emergency Response Capital Funding
Turning Pointe Autism Foundation Donation Drive
Upcoming Events
Citizen Advisory Panels
Heroes and Helicopters
Coffee & Conversation
Dear Friends, Much has happened over the last month. We began July celebrating Independence Day for our country, but that quickly turned into grief as we learned about the heartbreaking tragedy in Highland Park. Our office has been hearing from you demanding that something be done, and I’ve shared some of those next steps in this newsletter. In addition, the tornado that moved through Naperville early Saturday morning left many of us shaken, coming on the heels of last year’s tornado. I’ve been working with the Naperville Fire Department on capital funding for a central disaster and emergency response center to help our first responders and community better respond to natural disasters like these, and I have provided more details below. Meanwhile, each month we are working to connect you to an organization in our community to share the work they are doing and to create an opportunity for you to assist a variety of nonprofit organizations. July 26th is National Disabilities Independence Day, and we are highlighting Turning Pointe Autism Foundation with a supplies and materials drive to support their students. As always, please never hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, questions, or concerns. Best, Janet
Gun Violence Prevention Legislation The July 4 tragedy in Highland Park serves as a stark reminder that no community is immune from gun violence. While the Illinois General Assembly has passed legislation in the past year to strengthen firearm owner vetting and the licensing process, I’m committed to continue doing more. I’m proud to co-sponsor House Bill 5522, which creates a state-wide ban on the delivery, sale, and purchase of assault weapons and large capacity magazines. Its companion bill, House Bill 3222, requires those that currently posses such weapons to register them with the Illinois State Police. As a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Caucus, I’ll continue to prioritize similar commonsense legislation for Illinois.
Disaster and Emergency Response Capital Funding While Saturday’s EF-0 tornado was less severe compared with the June 2021 EF-3 tornado that also affected Naperville, it still resulted in notable damage to businesses, schools, and homes, primarily in the southern part of Naperville. To better respond to natural disasters and other similar large-scale emergencies, I’ve been working with community officials over the past year to understand our community’s needs. Working with the Naperville Fire Department, one area we identified was the need for a central emergency response center to better coordinate efforts and resources from the many entities that play important roles in these responses. As a result, effective July 1, 2022 with the new fiscal year and budget enacted this year, I secured $400,000 in capital funds (starting on page 1,387) to help construct an emergency management deployment facility. My office and I will be working closely with city and state officials to ensure the timely execution of this project. Turning Pointe Autism Foundation Donation Drive Each year on July 26, we celebrate National Disability Independence Day, which also marks the 1990 signing of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA). Because of ADA, the nearly 50 million people in the U.S. with a disability have strong protections against discrimination, as well as rights to services and other accommodations to support their full involvement in the community. In the 41st District of Naperville and Warrenville, we’re fortunate to have several organizations that serve some of our most vulnerable--students and young adults--to not only navigate through their challenges, but to also thrive. I invite our community to join me in supporting one of those organizations, Naperville-based Turning Pointe Autism Foundation, in a supply drive to help them carry out its mission. Similar to the goals of National Disability Independence Day, Turning Pointe seeks to create opportunities for those with autism to increase independence, encourage meaningful lifelong pursuits, and enrich the community. We’re collecting items through the end of this month to show our support for these important endeavors. You can participate in our drive by purchasing something off of the Turning Pointe gift registry and either ship it direct or make an appointment to drop items off at our office. Please visit www.RepYangRohr.com/events for more information.
Upcoming Events My office is hosting a number of events for you and your family and friends. I hope you’ll join me at an upcoming one, and please done hesitate to let me know what else you’d like to see.
Citizen Advisory Panels We’ve been holding Citizen Advisory Panels throughout July, and you can help shape future legislation by joining one of our remaining panels. This is an opportunity to focus on a specific topic with a review of legislation that has passed over the session, bills that are still pending, and ideas for our district moving into the next session. These are held at our office and more information can be found through the links to our website.
Seniors’ Issues: July 26, 6:00 pm
Veterans’ Issues: July 26, 7:00 pm
Heroes and Helicopters - Save the Date! Join Senator Laura Ellman and me, along with local law enforcement, first responder agencies, and other community groups for a hands-on event that will allow kids (and the kids in all of us!) to see emergency vehicles up close, including a helicopter landing! When: August 20 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm Where: Frontier Park, 3380 Cedar Glade Dr., Naperville
Coffee & Conversation Join me and your neighbors and friends each month for coffee and conversation on Springfield and district happenings. These are informal and welcoming chats--please always feel free to bring your questions and concerns or just come and listen.