Illinois State Senator Sue Rezin: Breath of Fresh Air

Local Park Districts throughout Illinois Receive Grants.

Illinois State Senator Sue Rezin would like you to know, last week, IDNR announced nearly $60 million in state grants being awarded to park districts across Illinois. The Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grants are awarded to qualified recipients to help communities acquire land and further develop recreational, outdoor opportunities.

State Senator Sue Rezin says investing in outdoor spaces is critical to the health and well-being of a community’s residents.

Breathe of fresh air       Park Districts within the 38th Senate District received a total of just over $2.8 million. The recipients of the grants include: Kendall County Forest Preserve District – Kendall County – $600,000, DeKalb Park District – DeKalb County – $507,000, City of Marseilles – LaSalle County – $600,000, City of Morris – Grundy County – $600,000, City of Ottawa – LaSalle County – $506,000. Deadline quickly approaching       Committee Deadline for Senate Bills Approaches. The Senate is expected to return to session this week ahead of a March 10 deadline that requires all Senate Bills to be heard in Committee. Several bills filed by Senate Republican members have been posted for the upcoming week and are expected to be heard in their respective Senate Committees. Recently, State Senator Sue Rezin’s Senate Bill 1460 made its way out of the Senate Judiciary Committee with a 9-0 vote. SB 1460 provides that a highway commissioner may contract with a common interest association, if the association makes up 75 percent of the township’s population or greater, to provide the association with materials related to the maintenance or repair of roads. To find the Senate Committee schedule for next week and a list of bills to be heard, click here.     Important update for Medicaid members     Medicaid Members Must Update Home Address to Avoid Risk of Coverage. Medicaid members are encouraged to update their contact information, specifically their home mailing address, with the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Service (IDHFS) or they may risk losing their health insurance coverage. On March 31, the protections put in place to maintain continuous enrollment in Medicaid will lapse. Prior to the pandemic, Illinois residents were required to annually renew their health insurance coverage to prove they still qualified for the program; however, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government began to provide extra funding to states who did not disqualify any residents from Medicaid. Illinois Medicaid members were automatically re-enrolled during this period. Now, this protection has come to an end. Some Illinois residents may still automatically renew; however, most will have to fill out paperwork to maintain their coverage. It is critical that participants focus on verifying their current address with the HFS. Those who have moved addresses recently can update their information on the HFS website. Residents should keep in mind that it may take some time for contact information to update in the government’s systems and should verify their information before May. Furthermore, residents can check renewal dates online on the Application for Benefits Eligibility website.   Benefits snapping back       SNAP Benefits Reduced to Pre-Pandemic Levels. Last week, under direction from the federal government, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) has returned SNAP benefits to pre-pandemic levels. Since April 2020, an emergency SNAP allotment was added to the regular monthly benefits in order to address the worsening food insecurity challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act gave households who participate in SNAP an additional $95 to $340 per month. In an effort to reduce strain on households, IDHS has put together a resource page for constituents who may need assistance in managing this reduction in funds. Furthermore, IDHS has said that it will be working closely with various communities and organizations to develop additional support and resources for families struggling with this reduction.