Senator Harmon News:
WEDNESDAY, MAY 2, 2007
HARMON EMPHASIZES EQUAL RIGHTS FOR ALL ILLINOISANS
Springfield, IL- After a break from the Spring Legislative Session, the
General Assembly has returned to the Capitol in Springfield. During
these past two weeks, State Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) urged his
fellow colleagues to pass two important bills that will strengthen civil
rights protection in Illinois.
Senator Harmon sponsored Senate Bills 20 and 1467 to continue his
commitment to ensure that all Illinoisans are treated fairly, regardless
of race, class, and gender. Both bills have passed the Senate with
bipartisan support and now move on to the House.
Senate Bill 20 will significantly improve the jury selection process in
county courts. This bill will expand the pool of people eligible to
serve on juries in Cook County to include individuals who claim the
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) on their Illinois income tax return.
The EITC is a refundable federal tax credit for eligible individuals who
work and have earned income under $12,120 and families with children
who work and have an earned income under $36,348.
"It is important for the court to select a jury from a group of
prospective jurors that reflects the population of Cook County. In
order for the court to achieve this goal, it is important that Cook
County expands the universe of eligible jurors," Harmon said.
Currently, the list used to select individuals for jury duty includes
citizens who have an Illinois driver's license, an Illinois
identification card, or an Illinois disabled person identification card,
as well as registered voters. Senator Harmon noted that the current
method of identifying eligible jurors tends to skew the jury pool toward
a higher-income population.
"Senate Bill 20 is necessary because the current method of determining
jury pools does not identify many otherwise-eligible jurors who do not
vote or drive, and tends to leave out those with lower incomes," added
Harmon. "Individuals on trial have the right to have their case heard
by a jury of their peers," continued Harmon. "Senate Bill 20 is about
fundamental fairness-it's about justice for all people in Illinois."
Senator Harmon is a longtime advocate for civil rights in Illinois. In
2003, he passed the Illinois Civil Rights Act to protect Illinois
citizens from discrimination based on race, color, or national origin.
Harmon sponsored the bill in response to U.S. Supreme Court decisions
that eroded long-standing federal protection from discrimination.
Now, Senator Harmon has sponsored Senate Bill 1467 to strengthen civil
rights protection even more in Illinois. This bill amends the Illinois
Civil Rights Act to add protection against discrimination based on
gender. "Discrimination based on gender is a real and unfortunate fact
of life in our society, and Senate Bill 1467 aims to eradicate it," said
Harmon.
Harmon concluded that "I intend to keep fighting for civil rights for
all Illinoisans. It is the responsibility of the General Assembly to
protect all Illinoisans against violations of their civil rights and
provide access to justice for those suffering the consequences of
discrimination."
Senator Harmon
News:
HARMON PARTNERS WITH TREASURER GIANNOULIOUS TO MAKE STATE
INVESTMENTS
TRANSPARENT
Springfield, IL- State Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) recently passed
Senate Bill 321 with overwhelmingly bipartisan support. Senator
Harmon
and Treasurer Alexi Giannoulious collaborated on a new initiative
requires the posting of information on the State Treasurer's website
about Illinois' investment of public funds.
"As members of the General Assembly, it is our responsibility to make
sure that the citizens of Illinois are informed and knowledgeable about
how their hard-earned tax dollars are invested. Senate Bill 321
holds
the state accountable for wisely investing tax dollars and allows
citizens to see how the State has invested their money," says
Harmon.
Senate Bill 321 requires the
State Treasurer to post the following
information concerning the
investment of public funds on the State
Treasurer's official website:
* Asset allocation for the investments made by the State
Treasurer;
* Benchmarks established by the State Treasurer;
* Current and historic return information; and
* Detailed listing of the time deposited balances, including
each deposit, the name of the financial institution, and
deposit rate.
"Senate Bill 321 marks the first initiative in which I have collaborated
with Treasurer Giannoulious and I intend to work closely with the
Treasurer in the future on other initiatives that are in the best
interest of our constituents."
"Informed citizens are proactive and productive citizens. By
making
this information transparent, citizens can hold their State Treasurer to
be more accountable and to invest wisely their tax dollars to ensure a
bright and financially stable future for the Illinois," Harmon added.
Senator Harmon News:
HARMON'S LEGISLATION
PROTECTS
THE ILLINOIS NATIONAL GUARD
TROOPS
Springfield, IL-Harmon overwhelmingly passed SB 597 last week with
bipartisan support. Harmon's initiative requires that the Illinois
Adjutant General to provide assistance to eligible members and veterans
of the Illinois National Guard in obtaining federal testing for depleted
uranium exposure. Harmon also requires that the Adjutant General
submit
a report to the General Assembly on the adequacy of the uranium
detection training program for the Illinois National Guard.
Additionally, SB 597 establishes a task force, including six appointed
members from both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly, to study
the health effects of exposure to hazardous materials, including, but
not limited to, depleted uranium, as they relate to military services.
"It is critical that the State of Illinois protects our troops," says
Harmon. "Approximately 300 tons of uranium was used in Iraq during the
Gulf War and many veterans experienced terrible chronic illnesses and
health challenges as a consequence of uranium exposure."
Depleted uranium is a highly toxic and radioactive byproduct of a
uranium enrichment process. It is widely used in United States weapons
systems because of its ability to penetrate steel and its low cost.
When depleted uranium explodes, soldiers are exposed to depleted uranium
in the form of alpha-emitting airborne particles that are inhaled.
Soldiers are also exposed through unprotected contact with
equipment.
"Currently the men and women serving this country in combat are fighting
on battlefields where they are regularly exposed to high levels of
uranium. Some of the problems linked to depleted uranium exposure
are
increased rates of cancer and leukemia," added
Harmon.
SB 597 will assist Illinois National Guard troops receive exceptional
federal screening test for depleted uranium. "Now is the time for
Illinois to protect our troops. States such as Connecticut and
Louisiana have passed similar legislation to protect their
troops. We
have a moral obligation to add Illinois to this list of states that are
concerned about the well-being of all its citizens."
The Veterans of Foreign
Wars is a proponent of this legislation.
Senator Harmon
News:
Springfield,
IL- State Senator Don Harmon (D - Oak Park) receives a Legislator of
the Year Award from the Illinois Primary Health Care Association.
Pictured
are (L to R): Robert Urso (President & CEO of PCC Community
Wellness Center), Senator Harmon, Philippe Largent (Vice President of
Governmental Affairs, Illinois Primary Health Care Association), and
Lynn Hopkins (Director of Development and Outreach Services, PCC).
HARMON'S
CHILD SEX OFFENDER BILL PASSES IN SENATE
Springfield, IL- During his tenure in the Senate, State Senator Don
Harmon (D-Oak Park) has become a leading advocate for legislation
cracking down on sex offenders sponsoring numerous hard-hitting,
common-sense bills, making life tough on sex offenders. One such
bill
that tightens up registration requirements for sex offenders sponsored
by Harmon passed the Illinois Senate last week with unanimous,
bipartisan support.
Senate Bill 14 requires additional information be provided by registered
sex offenders, including all email addresses, instant messaging
identities, chat room identities, and other Internet communication
identities that registered sex offenders use or plan to use. This
bill
also mandates that registered sex offenders must provide all Uniform
Resource Locators ("URLs") registered or used by them and all blogs and
other Internet sites they maintain, or on which they have uploaded any
content or posted any messages or information.
"In recent years, the General Assembly has
recognized the
potential risks posed by convicted sex offenders and enacted legislation
prohibiting sex offenders from being in direct contact with our
children," Harmon said. "I want parents to know that their
children
will also be safe from criminals who might prowl over the
Internet."
Currently, sex offenders are required to provide
their names and
aliases, current photograph, current address, current places of
employment, current schools attended, county of conviction, and license
plates of any motor vehicles driven.
"Passing legislation is only half the battle.
Protecting
children from Internet predators is also the responsibility of parents
and care givers who monitor their children's computer use in the home,"
Harmon said.
Similar registration requirements are required by the Commonwealth of
Virginia. A supporter of Senate Bill 14 is the Illinois
Association of
Chiefs of Police.
Harmon added, "I am the father of three young children and an attorney.
As a father, I will always take precautionary measures to keep my kids
safe, and as a lawyer that I am well aware of the points of law
regarding sexual predators and violent offenders. I will continue
to
fight to protect all of our children, and to keep the public informed on
Senate Bill 14 and any future legislation I may sponsor that keeps the
true monsters of society at bay."
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