CHICAGO – State Senator Elgie R. Sims Jr. (D-Chicago) released the following statement after the nation’s top court overturned Roe v. Wade, stripping millions of women across the nation from their right to choose:

“Today is a devastating day for our country. Our worst fears are coming to pass as we see continued assaults on of our fundamental rights, all in an effort to forward a political agenda rooted in fear and opposed to progress. Although I’m not surprised by the ruling, I am speechless by the brazen way in which a fundamental right, the right to make one’s health care decisions, have been stripped away from women across our nation in support of a political agenda.

“While women in Illinois can take solace in knowing that our state respects their right to choose and has stood with them to protect this right, millions across our nation don’t have that same peace of mind. As a husband, father and community leader, this reality breaks my heart.

“We cannot and will not allow the assault on our fundamental rights to continue. Our very future is at stake. Let’s continue to uplift our voices, organizing and advocating to turn pain into progress.

“Our fight continues to ensure women’s rights and all of our fundamental rights are protected.” 

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 102^nd and Corliss. The event can be found on 103^rd 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.