The Catholic Conference of Illinois Opposes House Bill 1736: the expansive REACH Act
House Bill 1736, known as the Responsible Education for Adolescent and Children’s Health (REACH) Act, seeks to expand and extend sex education in public schools. The bill does not impact what is taught in Catholic schools; however, there are a number of...
Join Clean Energy Advocacy Day – April 26
Join Catholics from throughout the state of Illinois for the Clean Energy Advocacy Day on April 26, 2021. Talk virtually with your state legislators about principles of clean energy. See more information on this flyer.
CCI celebrates Predatory Loan Prevention Act becoming law
The Catholic Conference of Illinois is proud to announce that Gov. J.B. Pritzker today signed into law Senate Bill 1792, creating the Predatory Loan Prevention Act, which caps the annual percentage rate (APR) on payday and auto title loans at 36%. Illinois becomes the 18th state to cap APRs at 36%, along with the District of Columbia.
read moreCCI Radio Hour: March 15, 2021
Bill Woolf, a human trafficking expert who has done trainings for USCCB, talks about the link between parental notice of abortion and raising a red flag about trafficking victims. Next, Rabbi Shlomo Soroka of Aguduth-Israel discusses the importance of the Tax Credit Scholarship program to Jewish schools as the scholarship program for nonpublic schools faces a cut proposed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Then, Tony Cube of USCCB’s Justice for Immigrants initiative talks about the actions President Joe Biden has taken in favor of immigrants since assuming office in late January, and what’s ahead on the political horizon, including the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021. Finally, Sen. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, talks about sponsoring Senate Bill 133, the Ultrasound Opportunity Act.
read moreIllinois bishops issue letter urging Catholics to fight repeal of parental notice of abortion law
Our Illinois bishops today issued a letter to Catholics across the state, urging them to contact their state lawmakers and tell them to reject a current effort to repeal Illinois' parental notice of abortion law.
read moreLegislation introduced repealing parental notice of abortion law
It's back.
An attempt to repeal the state's parental notice of abortion law will be made during the spring session of the Illinois Legislature. State Rep. Ana Moeller, D-Elgin, today filed House Bill 1797, which calls for lawmakers to dismantle current law requiring an adult family member to be notified when a minor girl seeks an abortion. Similar legislation was filed during the spring 2019 legislative session, when that bill passed a Senate committee but was not called for a vote on the Senate floor.
read moreCCI Radio Hour: Feb. 15, 2021
Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, executive director of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, talks about the potential for ending the federal death penalty under President Joe Biden. Next, Anthony Holter, president of Empower Illinois, discusses the organization’s recently released annual report on the Tax Credit Scholarship program. Then, Rep. Adam Niemerg, R-Teutopolis, talks about House Bill 697, which calls for a 50% income tax credit on contributions to pregnancy resource centers. Finally, Geno Fernandez, president of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s school board, talks about the Archdiocese’s $1.4 million Gratitude Fund, which distributed bonuses to school employees as a thank-you for their efforts toward in-person learning during the pandemic.
read moreCCI joins social justice groups in urging Gov. Pritzker to sign Predatory Loan Prevention Act into law
The Catholic Conference of Illinois today joined over 100 social justice organizations and businesses in calling upon Gov. J.B. Pritzker to sign into law the Predatory Loan Prevention Act as embodied in Senate Bill 1792. The legislation caps interest rates on payday and car title loans at 36%.
read moreCCI Radio Hour: Jan. 18, 2021
Jennifer Daniels of USCCB talks about aid for Catholic schools in the recent stimulus package. Then, Justin Lombardo of the Archdiocese of Chicago discusses the documented success of Archdiocesan schools with in-person learning during the pandemic as outlined in a study published in an academic journal. Finally, Abe Scarr of Illinois PIRG discusses passage of the Predatory Loan Prevention Act during the recent lame-duck session.
read moreBlack Caucus notches victories during Illinois lame-duck session; Welch wins speaker role from Madigan
Illinois lawmakers returned to Springfield for a lame-duck session driven by a Black Caucus agenda focusing on social and economic justice efforts intended to root out systemic racism following a summer of nationwide unrest after the unjust deaths of Black individuals at the hands of police. The specter of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s losing quest to win another term as speaker only added to the drama of the intense, five-and-a-half-day session, culminating in Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Westchester, winning the top House post as the first Black individual to assume the powerful role.
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