Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing
  • Login
  • GDPR
  • Create a Free Account
Return to PRWeb homepage
  • News
  • Resources
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All News Releases
      • Multimedia Gallery

      • All Multimedia
      • All Photos
      • All Videos
  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace, Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads and Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking and Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers and Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalization
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls and Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil and Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking and Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers and Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines and Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics and Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture and Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewelry
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks and Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels and Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Advocacy Group Opinion
      • Animal Welfare
      • Congressional & Presidential Campaigns
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Domestic Policy
      • Economic News, Trends, Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • FDA Approval
      • Federal and State Legislation
      • Federal Executive Branch & Agency
      • Foreign Policy & International Affairs
      • Homeland Security
      • Labor & Union
      • Legal Issues
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Patent Law
      • Public Safety
      • Trade Policy
      • U.S. State Policy
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PRWeb provides efficient communication tools to continuously engage with target audiences across multiple online channels
  • Create a Free Account
    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us


      11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday

  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • News in Focus
    • Browse All News
    • Multimedia Gallery
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR

Heartland Alliance Celebrates Historic Legislation that Provides Protections to Illinoisans Who Need Access to Fair Loans, Housing, Driver's Licenses

The Legislation Passed in Lame Duck Yesterday and Today Was Advocated for by Heartland Alliance and Its Partners, and will help everyday citizens achieve greater opportunity


News provided by

Heartland Alliance

Jan 13, 2021, 19:45 ET

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX


CHICAGO, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Groundbreaking reforms and protections for Illinoisans, which were part of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus's agenda and advocated for by Heartland Alliance, were passed by the General Assembly in Springfield yesterday and today during the legislature's lame duck session.

"These new laws will provide important reforms to help people who are struggling to make ends meet," said Rachel Ruttenberg, Heartland Alliance's Director of Policy. "The progress made by the Illinois Legislature today will lay the groundwork for how to continue to address systemic racism, and fight for equity and opportunity for all. We urge the Governor to sign these acts into law as soon as possible and we thank the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus leadership."

Three bills dedicated to reducing barriers to opportunity for vulnerable populations have passed during the Illinois Legislature's lame duck session. The bills - which increase housing accessibility, cap rates on consumer loans, and protect citizens right to drive - await to be signed into law.

Post this

Predatory Loan Prevention Act: Historic legislation will protect Illinoisans who need to take out loans. Currently, the average APR (annual percentage rate) on a payday loan is 297 percent and the average APR on a title loan is 179 percent. Once signed by the Governor, the new law will establish a 36 percent APR cap on all consumer loans in the state.

Payday and auto title lenders disproportionately target communities of color. If a person lives in Chicago's Austin neighborhood, which is 89.9% Black, compared with Lincoln Park, which is 4% Black, they are more than 13 times more likely to have taken out a payday loan.

This act was advocated for by our Illinois Asset Building Group, Woodstock Institute, Illinois PIRG, AARP Illinois, and a coalition of over 50 industry, government, community, and advocacy leaders.

Public Housing Access Bill: New legislation, the first in the country, will create uniform standards for the more than 100 public housing authorities across Illinois to use in the criminal background screening process so that it is more equitable. People with criminal records can now access public housing with no consideration of non-convictions, such as arrest histories, juvenile records, or expunged and sealed records. Public housing authorities can only consider criminal background 6 months from the time of application, and public housing authorities must do an individualized assessment for all applicants with criminal records.

According to our recent study, Never Fully Free: The Scale and Impact of Permanent Punishments on People with Criminal Records in Illinois, of the 1.2 million adults convicted of crimes in Illinois since 1979, nearly 35 percent are Black — a rate over two and half times as high as the percent of Illinois adults who are Black.

This bill was advocated for in partnership with the Restoring Rights and Opportunities Coalition of Illinois, which includes Cabrini-Green Legal Aid, Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, and Community Renewal Society.

License to Work Act II: This legislation ends the suspension of driver's licenses for unpaid tickets related to automated camera enforcement, including red-light camera and automated speed camera tickets. It also reinstates licenses that have holds or suspensions for both unpaid traffic tickets and automated camera tickets. Transportation is critical for employment, especially for people who are struggling to make ends meet; if people cannot work, they cannot pay off their debt. This legislation will help approximately 300,000 Illinoisans right now and thousands more in the future who have driver's license suspensions for economic reasons.

Driver's license suspensions for unpaid automated camera tickets specifically harm Black Illinoisans the most. In fact, the top ten Illinois zip codes with the most driver's license suspensions for unpaid automated camera tickets have between 74 and 92 percent of residents who are Black – with Chicago's Roseland and Pullman neighborhoods at the top of the list.

This act was advocated for by Heartland Alliance through our work with the Transit Table, a coalition convened by the Chicago Jobs Council and other advocates working to eliminate transportation barriers to that keep people out of work and in poverty.

About Heartland Alliance
Heartland Alliance, one of the world's leading anti-poverty and human rights organizations, works in communities in the U.S. and abroad to serve people experiencing homelessness, living in poverty, or seeking safety. The organization provides a comprehensive array of services and advocates for policy change in the areas of safety and justice, health and healing, and economic opportunity.

Media Contact

Joseph Dutra, Heartland Alliance, 312-350-0602, [email protected]

SOURCE Heartland Alliance

Modal title

Contact PRWeb

  • 11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday
  • Contact Us

About PRWeb

  • About PRWeb
  • Partners
  • Partnership Programs
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Resources

Why PRWeb

  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing

Accounts

  • Create a Free Account
  • Log in
  • Contact Us

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via [email protected] 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact Cision

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Online Member Center
  • ProfNet
Cision Distribution Helpline
888-776-0942
  • Legal
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 Cision US Inc.