Citizen Suburban Times Weekly 9-4-2019

Citizen Week of Sept. 4, 2019

| Vol. 3 | No. 4 | www.thechicagocitizen.com

SUBURBAN TIMES WEEKLY

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker recently signed into law the Illinois Bank On Initiative which sets up a way for residents to identify and better utilize Certified Financial Products. Photo Credit: Provided by Representative Debbie Meyers-Martin

ILLINOIS BANK ON INITIATIVE SIGNED INTO LAW, IDENTIFIES CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PRODUCTS FOR RESIDENTS

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker recently signed into law the Illinois Bank On Initiative which was designed to increase the use of Certified Financial Products and reduce reliance on alternative financial products. The initiative will be administered by Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza, and require her office to maintain a list of Certified Financial Products and associated financial institutions. SEE PAGE 2

POLITISCOPE

NEWS

Increasing numbers of Americans support gun background checks PAGE 2

Illinois Medicaid department announces 40 new dementia care sites throughout state PAGE 4

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NEWS

The Allstate Foundation and Serena Williams Shine a Spotlight on a Dangerous and Often Overlooked Form of Domestic Violence PAGE 5

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COMMUNITY

Illinois Bank On Initiative Signed Into Law, Identifies Certified Financial Products For Residents Continued from page 1

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker recently signed into law the Illinois Bank On Initiative which was designed to increase the use of Certified Financial Products and reduce reliance on alternative financial products. The initiative will be administered by Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza, and require her office to maintain a list of Certified Financial Products and associated financial institutions.

The legislation was sponsored by State Representative Debbie Meyers-Martin who represents the 38th district of Illinois.

“We have people who are not aware of the sound financial services and or resources banks in Illinois provide,” Meyers-Martin said. “That lack of awareness causes people to be susceptible to scams or predatory loans, which only have long term consequences for them and their loved ones. I’m grateful to Governor Pritzker for signing this into law.”

The Illinois Bank On Initiative, otherwise known as Senate Bill 1332, will reduce the number of people in Illinois who don’t utilize banks, credit unions, or any other financial institutions that could otherwise help them, according to Meyers-Martin.

Through this new law, the Comptrollers office will be required to maintain a list of Certified Financial Products, associated financial institutions, and the minimum requirements of Certified Financial Products on the Comptroller’s website. In addition to providing information online, the Comptroller’s office will be tasked with declaring financial products as Certified Financial Products and developing an outreach strategy to create clear access to Certified Financial Products, according to Senate Bill 1332.

“My office offers workshops all over the state that advise people on how to get their finances in order, but many Illinoisans lack access to the basic tools they need to do that,” said Mendoza. “Many of us take

for granted being able to cash a check at our bank, open a savings account to plan for our family’s future or secure a loan at a reasonable interest rate. But thousands of Illinoisans don’t have these options, and they pay for it in inordinate fees and sky-high interest rates. This legislation will help them break that cycle and offer a second chance to those with troubled financial histories to get back on the right track.”

Lastly, the bill creates a 13 member commission to advise the Comptroller on how to implement and promote the Illinois Bank On Initiative. Four members of the commission will be elected officials, three will represent financial institutions, another four will represent community and social service groups, and the last two will be federal or state financial regulators, according to Senate Bill 1332.

“This bill will help residents make better financial decisions,” Meyers-Martin said.

“Now that this bill has been signed by the Governor, we can now start putting countless Illinoisans on a path to fiscal stability.”

Representative Debbie Meyers-Martin (pictured) sponsored the Bank On Illinois Initiative and said, “this bill will help residents make better financial decisions.” Photo Credit: Provided by Representative Debbie Meyers-Martin

POLITISCOPE

Increasing numbers of Americans support gun background checks

BY KENT E. PORTNEY AND CAROL L. GOLDSMITH

weapons, enhanced airport security and expanded high-tech digital surveillance.

In the aftermath of the shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, public debate once again turned to what Congress should do to reduce gun violence.

One of the challenges that many policymakers face is understanding the views of the general public. Policymakers tend to be most concerned about the magnitude and intensity of the opposition to stricter gun regulation.

In late 2016, my research team surveyed 1,115 adults twice, six months apart. We discovered that the number of Americans supporting stricter background checks for gun purchases is growing, and it is growing most among people who previously opposed or were neutral about such regulation.

Who changed their minds As reported in other surveys, U.S. support for stricter backgrounds checks is high.

Federal law currently requires only commercial purchasers of guns to be cleared through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Private sales of guns and sales of guns at gun shows are not covered by the federal law, although 15 states have stricter requirements. Stricter background checks would include requiring the buyers of all guns to be cleared before a purchase could be completed.

In our first survey, a little over 70% of the people said they “strongly supported” or “somewhat supported” stricter checks. In the second survey, six months later, that number rose to nearly 75%.

We saw a remarkable amount of stability in people’s views on background checks. Nearly two-thirds of the people interviewed reported the exact same views at both points in time.

But some people did change their opinions.

Between the first and second survey, there was a clear tendency for individual people’s positions to move incrementally toward supportContinued on page 4

Views on guns, six months apart We asked respondents whether they remembered nine specific acts or attempted acts of violence targeting large numbers of people in the U.S., from the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in 2012 up to the bombings in New York and New Jersey in 2016.

Five of these events occurred before the

Kent E. Portney

Carol L. Goldsmith

first survey; four occurred between the first and second surveys.

We had two theories as to how Americans’ opinions on guns might have changed in the intervening six months.

First, as these violent events continue to occur, the general public might become inured to acts of mass violence, including shootings, and to consider them to be the “new normal.” In this scenario, we would expect support for public

policies to address gun violence would diminish.

Alternatively, there might be a cumulative effect, where people eventually get to the point of saying that enough is enough. In this scenario, support for gun-control policies should go up.

We asked about levels of support for, or opposition to, a number of policy proposals, including stricter background checks for all gun purchases, sales bans on assault-style

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NEWS

Senator John McCain and Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins to be Honored In Chicago The Pat Tillman Foundation (PTF) has announced that the late Arizona Sen. John McCain and Mayor Adrian Perkins of Shreveport, Louisiana will be honored for their remarkable leadership and commitment to service at Tillman Honors on Friday, Nov. 8 in Chicago, Illinois.

Tillman Honors, presented in partnership with the NFL, celebrates Pat Tillman’s legacy by honoring those who exemplify his fortitude and spirit of service, and who have carried that legacy forward through remarkable civic contributions. In 2002, Pat Tillman proudly put his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals on hold to serve his country. Family and friends established the Pat Tillman Foundation following Tillman’s death in April 2004 while serving with the 75th Ranger Regiment in Afghanistan.

The son and grandson of distinguished Navy admirals, Sen. John

Sen. John McCain, 2019 Champion Award recipient

Mayor Adrian Perkins, 2019 Make Your Mark Award recipient

McCain’s served as a naval aviator for 22 years, including in North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. He retired from the Navy in 1981. His naval honors include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

McCain was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona in

1982 and elected to the United States Senate in 1986. He was the Republican Party’s nominee for president in the 2008 election. Over the course of his career, McCain served as Chairman of the Senate Committees on Indian Affairs, Commerce, Science and Transportation, and most recently, Armed Services, according to a press release.

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“In his commitment to the American people, Sen. McCain’s life of service offers an incredible example to the Tillman Scholars as they, too, strive to impact their communities through humble leadership and dedication to service,” says Marie Tillman, board chair and co-founder of PTF. “We’re honored to present the Champion Award to Senator McCain’s family in his memory.”

“Adrian Perkins embodies the core values that guided Pat’s life and the work of our Tillman Scholars,” says Dan Futrell, chief executive officer of PTF. “In his first year, he’s already succeeding by leading with those values to bring communities together, drive down the crime rate, and create an economic and social environment where the people of Shreveport can thrive. Adrian’s early work is a much-needed example of how leadership can solve problems and bring

communities together.”

Adrian Perkins was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. He is the grandson of a sharecropper and the youngest of three boys raised by a single mother.

At West Point, he served as the first African American Cadet elected Class President in the Academy’s history.

After three tours of duty with the U.S. Army, Perkins enrolled at Harvard Law School, where he was named a 2015 Tillman Scholar and gained the requisite skills and knowledge needed to serve his hometown. While in law school, he assisted Governor John Bel Edwards on criminal justice reform.

Perkins announced his candidacy for mayor of Shreveport on April 26, 2018. During the campaign, he stressed policing reform, economic development, and smart-city initiatives. Perkins was installed as the 56th Mayor of Shreveport on Dec. 29, 2018.

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NEWS

South Suburban Village Considers Hiring New Police Officers

BY KATHERINE NEWMAN

The Village of Dolton Board of Trustees recently held a special meeting to discuss whether or not to hire more police officers for the village.

This has been an ongoing discussion for quite some time and the Board of Trustees recently approved the hiring of five polices officers but with a recent uptick in violent crime, the mayor is asking for more.

During the special meeting the Village of Dolton Mayor, Riley Rogers, asked the Board of Trustees to consider hiring 20 police officers instead of the five they had formerly approved.

“I’m requesting this board to consider hiring 20 more police officers.

We’ve had a large number of police officers retire and they have not been replaced and the board has given us the authority to hire five full-time police officers but that hasn’t taken place yet,” said Rogers. “I’m asking this board to consider the crisis that we’re in and to give the approval to hire at least 20 police officers.”

With regards to funding for the 20 new police officers, Rogers said that he has reached out to Congresswoman Robin Kelly who directed him to the Department of Justice and he plans to begin the process of applying for emergency funding to support the immediate hiring of 20 full-time officers. He also said

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POLITISCOPE

Increasing numbers of Americans support gun background checks Continued from page 2

A special meeting was held in The Village of Dolton recently to allow the Village officials and residents to discuss whether or not they need to hire additional police officers.

that he has reached out to the Cook County Sheriff and the Illinois State Police to assist with patrolling the community in the meantime.

“I believe some of this is overflow from the city of Chicago and we also have some gang activity that’s been happening on the west side of the Village and we are addressing that. I’ve asked for assistance from the Cook County Sheriffs and I’ve reached out to the State Police and they are now assisting and patrolling in the village. We have these other agencies that are assisting with the shortage of manpower that we have by patrolling and we are trying to get ahead of this crime situation,” said Rogers.

Since 2016, the Village of Dolton Police Department has lost a total of 15 officers due to retirement, ter-

mination, resignation, or disability, according to Interim Police Chief Ernest Mobley.

During the meeting, Mobley said that they have been diligently working to hire the five new officers that the Board had already approved but so far, they had only hired three, two of which are already in training and the third is set to begin training very soon. He said that he would like to see at least 15 full-time officers hired.

“We are asking for 15 officers.

These officers will be utilized in specialized units as well as patrol,” said Mobley. “It is my goal to not have any more homicides. I think that the manpower we have had, with the officers that go out and put their life on the line every day, has done an exceptional job.”

ing background checks.

Among those who “strongly opposed” stricter checks, only 46% still strongly opposed them six months later.

Of the 118 people who strongly or somewhat opposed stricter background checks in the first survey, over 20% changed to say they were supportive six months later. Of those who neither supported nor opposed background checks at first, a third shifted to be supportive.

Very few people reported views moving toward being more opposed.

Of the 804 people who supported background checks at first, only about 10% shifted to neither support nor oppose, or to oppose, six months later.

Shootings’ cumulative effect Clearly, support for stricter background checks has increased over the six months we studied, even among many of those who might have been previously uneasy with such checks.

This pattern is reflected in changes toward other policy options, including banning

assault-style weapons, although background checks have gained the most support.

Our work offers a glimpse into how individuals in the U.S. have changed their opinions on gun control. Many surveys capture a moment in time, but don’t show who is changing or in what direction.

Based on the information from this study, there would seem to be something of a cumulative effect gradually moving people toward realizing the need for policy intervention.

Strong public support for gun legislation has not been translated into congressional action in the past. Evidence presented here and in national polls suggests that support has never been stronger than it is right now. Of course, whether these changes usher in a new era of efforts in Congress or the states to stem gun violence remains to be seen.

Kent E. Portney is a Professor and Director at Texas A&M University.

Carol L. Goldsmith is an Assistant Director and Senior Research Associate in the Institute for Science, Technology and Public Policy at Texas A&M University.

Illinois Medicaid department announces 40 new dementia care sites throughout state Nearly 1600 Medicaid members with dementia will have the opportunity to live in newly expanding settings that offer the services and safety they need, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services announced recently. They will be part of forty sites throughout Illinois.

“With these settings, those facing a truly difficult challenge can get the right kind of care and protection to help them lead safe and healthy lives,” said Theresa Eagleson, director of HFS. “These settings also help to bring vital peace of mind to their loved ones.”

Units will start becoming available over the next three years. Many will be ready in 2020, with some being phased in sooner or later.

They are part of the Supportive Living Program (SLP), an HFS Medicaid alternative to nursing home care designed for older persons and persons with physical disabilities. The goals of SLP include encouraging independence and community involvement, along with promoting privacy and dignity.

SLP residents have their own apartment, decide which program services they will receive and deter-

mine their own schedule. Services include meals, housekeeping, laundry, medication management, assistance with activities of daily living, social and health promotion activities, emergency call systems, wellbeing checks and routine nursing assessments.

Residents in a dementia care setting receive increased oversight by staff and additional nursing assessments and are provided opportunities for more activities, all in a community setting.

The Supportive Living Program began in 1996 and currently has 152 providers with over 12,700 apartments. Five sites are currently certified as dementia care settings.

SLP operates through a Home and Community Based Services waiver approved by federal CMS. This allows Medicaid funds to pay for assisted living services for eligible Medicaid participants who might otherwise live in a nursing home.

“The dementia settings have seen longer than expected lengths of stay by individual residents and waiting lists for new admissions, which demonstrates their success to us,” Eagleson said.

“They also offer a more cost-effective alternative, which means potentially more resources for

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Medicaid to offer our members.”

Without the program’s dementia care settings, many residents with moderate dementia would have to transfer to a more costly and institutional higher level of care to receive the services and safety interventions they require.

The apartments will be located in the following counties: Adams, Christian, Coles, Cook, Franklin, Grundy, Hancock, Henry, Iroquois, Jackson, Jefferson, Jersey, Kane, Kankakee, Knox, LaSalle, Livingston, Macon, Macoupin, Madison, Marion, McLean, Morgan, Randolph, Rock Island, St. Clair, Tazewell, Vermilion County, Whiteside, Will and Winnebago.

More information about SLP and details about the 40 new dementia care settings can be found at: https://www.illinois.gov/hfs/MedicalPrograms/slf/Pages/default.aspx. (Details about the settings are under the link titled “Supportive Living Program Approved Dementia Care Settings.”)

The department can also be contacted for more information about SLP at (217) 782-0545 or (844) 528-8444 toll free, or by emailing HFS.SLF@ illinois.gov

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NEWS

The Allstate Foundation and Serena Williams Shine a Spotlight on a Dangerous and Often Overlooked Form of Domestic Violence The signs of financial abuse are often invisible, from extreme restrictions on spending to blocked access to bank accounts or ruined credit. Nearly 50% of Americans are unaware that financial abuse is a form of domestic violence, and nearly one-third find the topic of domestic violence taboo – up 10% since 2014 – according to a 2018 national survey by The Allstate Foundation.

To raise awareness of this often hidden form of domestic violence and open a national conversation on recognizing the signs of financial abuse, The Allstate Foundation recently debuted a public service announcement titled “Signs” that features tennis champion, philanthropist and Allstate Foundation Purple Purse ambassador Serena Williams.

Purple Purse is a signature program of The Allstate Foundation, which is an independent charitable organization made possible by subsidiaries of The Allstate Corporation.

Domestic violence affects one in four women in America, and even though financial abuse is present in 99% of domestic violence situations, it’s seldom discussed and common-

To raise awareness of this often hidden form of domestic violence and open a national conversation on recognizing the signs of financial abuse, The Allstate Foundation recently debuted a public service announcement titled “Signs” that features tennis champion, philanthropist and Allstate Foundation Purple Purse ambassador Serena Williams.

ly misunderstood. “Signs” is the first initiative under The Allstate Foundation’s new campaign platform – “Know Financial Abuse. No Domestic Violence.” – aimed at spurring public action on this pervasive issue.

“I am a longtime champion of standing up for what you believe in,

Black Cardiologists Discuss, Address Chicago’s Barriers to Cardiovascular Care Despite advanced therapies and new treatment options for patients with, or at risk for cardiovascular disease, access remains a challenge for underserved and minority patient populations. The Spirit of the Heart Community Leaders’ Forum, the first in a national series of forums and health fairs sponsored by the Association of Black Cardiologists, was held at Imani Village, 901 E. 95th Street.

The forum was an invitation-only discussion about local healthcare disparities and steps for improving

for those around us.”

In the PSA, Williams navigates a maze-like setting riddled with some of the most common signs of financial abuse victims face in their daily lives. The film ends with a rallying cry, encouraging the public to recognize the signs of financial abuse

and I am proud to use my voice for anyone who can’t use theirs,” said Williams. “I hope this piece helps put a spotlight on the hidden signs of financial abuse, sparks meaningful conversations with loved ones and creates an understanding that we need to be advocates and allies

and start a national dialogue to help the millions who are trapped in abusive relationships find freedom.

“Not all abuse is visible. Unlike the marks and bruises of physical violence, the signs of financial abuse can be difficult to see – even for victims experiencing it,” said Ellen Lisak, Allstate Foundation senior program officer.

“With the help of Serena and our advocates across the country, we hope to raise awareness of the issue of financial abuse, remove the stigma and begin a much-needed dialogue.”

The Allstate Foundation and Williams urge everyone to do their part to empower victims to break free and remain free from abuse by learning the signs of financial abuse and having conversations around the topic if they suspect they know someone who needs help. Since 2005, The Allstate Foundation has invested more than $66 million to help empower more than 1.7 million survivors on the path to safety and security.

If you or someone you know is in a domestic violence situation, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 800-787-3224.

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access to cardiovascular and primary care on Chicago’s South Side, according to an Advocate Trinity Hospital news release. Participants discussed concerns of the community and took away actionable steps for reducing barriers to health care.

Community activists, church leaders, healthcare providers, healthcare industry leaders and Association of Black Cardiologist members joined a Town Hall led by Dr. Marlon Everett, a cardiologist with Advocate Trinity Hospital.

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Chicago Law Firm Re-Files Nationwide Class Action Lawsuit Against the Makers of JUUL E-Cigarettes A Chicago law firm has re-filed a nationwide class action lawsuit against the makers of JUUL e-cigarettes. Moll Law Group filed claims on behalf of teen addiction and injuries associated with nicotine ingestion, including a recent warning by the federal Food & Drug Administration (FDA) of the association between seizures and e-cigarettes.

According to the CDC, about 4.9 million middle and high school students were current users of a tobacco product in 2018, meaning that they used such products within the past 30 days. This represents an increase of 1.3 million users just since 2017. According to a recent Wells Fargo report, JUUL owns three-quarters of the e-cigarette market. www.thechicagocitizen.com

YOU HAVE PLANS. WE HAVE IDEAS.

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