Tuesday, April 18 - Abortion Rights Rally Wednesday / Witness Slip Roundup Part II
Action You Can Take Today
Action 1: TOMORROW - Abortion Rights Rally on Wednesday, April 19 from 5-6 p.m. at 219 N Dearborn
Action 2: Sign these progressive witness slips - see details on all the bills
Action 1: TOMORROW - Abortion Rights Protest
By 10:59 PM Wednesday, Supreme Court Judge Samuel Alito, author of the infamous 2022 decision overturning the nationwide legal right to abortion, will make a decision affecting millions of people's lives.
His decision will affect access to mifepristone, one part of the “gold standard” regimen of medication abortion, for millions of women and people who can get pregnant in nationwide. Medication abortions are over half of abortions performed in the United States.
Judge Alito will decide whether to uphold in whole or in part an anti-abortion Texas judge's order to ban mifepristone, a drug used for medication abortions and miscarriage management in the United States. Or he could defer that decision to the entire court.
Our access to safe, thoroughly tested medication should not be in the hands of the courts. Our ability to make decisions about when, how, and if to build our families should not be in the hands of the courts.
WE must control our own bodies, futures, and lives.
Action 2: Witness Slip Roundup
Illinois’ unique system of witness slips makes it easy for citizens to weigh in on important bills quickly using an online form. Before a bill is heard in the Illinois General Assembly, the chairperson will read who has submitted witness slips and whether they support or oppose the bill. This helps inform legislators as to where Illinoisans and organizations stand before voting. Witness slips are a great and relatively quick way to make your voice heard in state government.
Here are a few important bills collecting witness slips for hearings this week. See a description of the bills from She Vote IL.
NEW: Due TODAY - HB 1565 (proponent) - Insurance - Vaginal Estrogen Coverage, introduced by State Representative Katie Stuart with Chief Sponsor Senator Megan Loughran Cappel, provides insurance coverage for vaginal estrogen.
NEW: Due TODAY - HB 1633 (proponent) - Native American History, introduced by State Representative Maurice West with Chief Sponsor Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton, provides the inclusion of Native American history in the school curriculum.
NEW: Due TODAY - HB 3062 (proponent) - Landlord / Tenant Screening Report, introduced by State Representative Kevin Olickal with Chief Sponsor Senator Ram Villivalam, allows landlords to accept reusable tenant screening reports which helps reduce application fees incurred by a tenant.
NEW: Due TODAY - SB 2260 (proponent) - Justice for Survivors of Gender-Based Violence, introduced by Senator Robert Peters with Chief Sponsor Representative Kelly Cassidy, amends the Domestic Violence Resentencing Act to ensure the law works for survivors by amending time limits, ensuring that all evidence of gender-based violence is considered, and looking at the impacts of abuse.
Due TODAY: SB1230 (proponent) - Stop the Puppy Mill to Pet Store Pipeline in IL once and for all! Even if you have already completed a slip on this, we need you to submit another. The bill is now in the House, so new slips are needed.
NEW: Due Wednesday - HB 3055 (proponent) - Faith Behind Bars, introduced by State Representative Theresa Mah with Chief Sponsor Senator Elgie Sims, to ensure inmates in state corrections can practice their faith without harm - including access to faith texts, pastoral care, weekly faith gatherings, mental health, and other needs.
NEW: Due Wednesday - HB 2297 (proponent) - Gender Inclusive Data Reports, introduced by State Representative Kevin Olickal with Chief Sponsor Senator Mike Simmons, provides that State agencies, when collecting and reporting data on employment records, must include specified data to recognize non-binary and gender non conforming folks in the workplace.
Due Wednesday: HJR 1 (proponent) - HRJ1 urges the Administration of President Biden to publish without delay the Equal Rights Amendment as the Twenty-Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; urges Congress to pass a joint resolution affirming the Equal Rights Amendment as the Twenty-Eighth Amendment, and calls on other states to join in this action by passing the same or similar resolutions.
Due Wednesday: HB 1363 (proponent) - Amends the Gender Violence Act. Defines "employee", "employer", "work environment", and "workplace". Changes the definition of "gender-related violence" to include domestic violence.
Due Wednesday: SB 1456 (proponent) - The Illinois Senate Executive Committee is holding a hearing on the ranked choice voting bill, SB 1456, on April 19th, which would implement RCV for presidential primaries.
Witness Slip Instructions:
I. IDENTIFICATION: with your information. In the Firm/Business or Agency Box and in the Title Box, identify as "Self."
II. REPRESENTATION: as "Self" (unless you actually are representing an organization)
III. POSITION: select "PROPONENT" (for SB1456, select the bill name from the dropdown menu)
IV. TESTIMONY: select "Record of Appearance Only
Never miss another slip! Join The Witness Slip Project and make sure you turn your notification settings to All Posts.
Action via She Votes IL
While some of these Daily Actions come from our own work as Indivisible Chicago Alliance, others are from our many partners working to advance the progressive agenda. We invite you to join us in supporting their work. Postings from partners do not imply Indivisible Chicago Alliance endorsement of specific policies and positions.