CHICAGO – State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D-Chicago) supported a newly signed law to prohibit colleges for withholding transcripts from students as a means of debt collection.
“Imagine spending years getting your college degree only to be told you can’t access your transcript because your debt isn’t paid off,” Sims said. “How are we supposed to encourage people to attend college if they’re penalized for not being privileged enough to afford it out-of-pocket?”
Under the law, universities will be prohibited from withholding transcripts as a means of debt collection. It also requires colleges to institute a hardship policy to ensure students that have to withdraw due to significant financial or physical hardship leave school with as little debt as possible.
Additionally, the legislation prevents student debt that gets sent to a collection’s agency from being used against a student’s credit score.
“Student debt is burdensome enough – people don’t need the added stress of not being able to receive their transcript,” Sims said.
Senate Bill 3032 was signed into law and took immediate effect.
CHICAGO – To provide residents with a secure option for shredding documents containing personal information, State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. is hosting an event in Chicago offering free, safe discarding services.
The free shred day will take place Saturday, June 11 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the Gately Stadium parking lot, located at 102nd and Corliss. The event can be found on 103rd St. – the furthest south end of the parking lot, east of Smith School and just west of the Stadium.
A limit of two boxes of documents per car will be encouraged but electronic recycling will not be available.
“Securely discarding vulnerable documents is a strong effort to protect yourself and your family from identity fraud,” said Sims (D-Chicago). “Many of us have piles of old, unnecessary documents cluttering our homes, and I encourage families to take advantage of this free community event to safely dispose unwanted papers containing personal information.”
Examples of documents with personally identifiable information that should be safely discarded include bank statements, outdated medical records, tax returns, utility bills, junk mail, credit card applications and receipts.
For more information, call Sims’ office at 773-933-7715.
SPRINGFIELD — When Illinois State University student Jelani Day went missing, it took two weeks to find his body and another three weeks to identify his remains. This led State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D-Chicago) to champion a law signed Friday to allow county coroners and medical examiners to receive federal assistance in identifying missing persons.
“When we hear pleas from a family for help, we should be using all the tools at our disposal to bring them the support that they need to help find or identify their loved ones,” Sims said. “Unfortunately, some smaller counties and police departments do not have access to the same technology and resources as larger cities, and this law will address that.”
The new law, formerly known as Senate Bill 3932, will require a coroner or medical examiner with custody of human remains that are not identified within 72 hours of discovery to immediately notify the Federal Bureau of Investigation for assistance in identification.
The measure was filed to address the death of Jelani Day, a 25-year-old graduate student at Illinois State University. Day was reported missing on Aug. 24, 2021, discovered on Sept. 4, 2021 and wasn’t identified by the LaSalle County coroner until Sept. 24, 2021.
“When you look at missing person cases, typically the first 72 hours are extremely important," Sims said. “Getting those resources in place can be critical to overall success in solving cases and getting families the help that they need.”
Senate Bill 3932 was signed into law Friday.
CHICAGO – To give people the opportunity to ask questions, interact with their neighbors and get updates about what’s going on in the community, State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. is inviting residents to attend one of his virtual Coffee and Conversation events.
“This Town Hall series provides my neighbors and to engage in a discussion about how we can work together to make our community even stronger,” said Sims (D-Chicago). “I encourage people to join me to talk about the issues facing our community and to hear updates from what we accomplished in Springfield.”
The first event will be held Tuesday, May 24 from 6-7 p.m. virtually to allow people more access to participate from the comfort of their home. Chicago residents interested in attending should register by clicking here.
Each Coffee and Conversation event serves as an open forum for community members to engage in conversations with Senator Sims and each other about issues facing the region and the state. Senator Sims will give updates from Springfield and be available to discuss questions and concerns of residents.
The event is free and open to area residents and any resident of the 17th District is invited to attend any of the scheduled meetings. People with questions regarding the event are encouraged to contact Senator Sims’ office at 773-933-7715 or
Senator Sims will also host Coffee and Conversation events for South Suburban Cook County residents and Will and Kankakee County residents next month.
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Chicago Office:
8233 S. Princeton
Chicago, IL 60620
PHONE: 773.933.7715
TEXT: 773.839.4737
Springfield Office:
218 Capitol Building
Springfield, IL 62706
PHONE: 217.782.3201
