Illinois still protects your legal rights if you apply for help through Making Home Affordable

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-Chicago 16th) announced good news for Illinois homeowners struggling to avoid foreclosure or to protect their legal rights against lenders. Legislation she sponsored so that Illinois residents can continue to participate in the federal Making Home Affordable program was signed into law today and takes effect immediately.

“We know the housing crisis is not over for every homeowner in every neighborhood, and the federal government recognized this when it extended the Making Home Affordable program through the end of this year,” said Collins, a frontline champion of those affected by foreclosure, mortgage scams and other threats to homeownership. “I’ve made it my mission to ensure Illinois residents can take advantage of all applicable federal assistance to stay in their homes whenever possible.”

Making Home Affordable gives struggling homeowners options – such as refinancing, a modification of mortgage terms, a short sale in lieu of foreclosure or a temporary forbearance for unemployment – when they become unable to make monthly payments and apply to the federal government for help. If the lender continues to foreclose on and sell the home in violation of the Making Home Affordable Act and if the borrower applied for assistance by the deadline, Illinois law allows the borrower to ask a court to set aside the sale. Collins’ proposal, which becomes law today, extends the date by which the borrower is required to have asked for help under Making Home Affordable in order to ensure the justice system works for those whose lenders have violated rules while rushing to foreclosure.

Making Home Affordable is still accepting applications through Dec. 31, 2016. The new state law extends legal protections through Jan. 1, 2018, so that Illinois is prepared in case the federal government renews the program a second time.

Homeowners can learn more about Making Home Affordable and apply for assistance through www.makinghomeaffordable.gov or by calling (888) 995-HOPE.

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SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-Chicago 16th) was pleased to announce the governor signed into law on Friday three pieces of legislation she sponsored to improve the quality of public K-12 education in Illinois.

• House Bill 3199 requires charter schools, which are funded with public dollars, to comply with all state absenteeism and truancy laws applicable to traditional public schools.

• House Bill 4343 extends the deadline for the Illinois Attendance Commission, created by legislation Collins sponsored in 2015, to meet, hold hearings and submit its findings to the General Assembly. The commission has already produced a report that suggests improvements to the way school districts and the state track student attendance. The commission’s findings also call on legislators and educators to devise better strategies for helping families with chronic truancy so their children can stay in school and become prepared for higher education and/or a career. Collins’ sponsorship of the commission was inspired by an alarming Chicago Tribune investigative series that pointed out high truancy rates in Chicago, Rockford and elsewhere in Illinois.

• House Bill 119 prohibits the Chicago Public Schools from denying promotion or graduation to a student with a learning disability who fails a competency test when his or her failing score is directly attributable to his or her disability. To make sure this directive is being enforced and that students with disabilities and learning difficulties are not being wrongly held back, the legislation allows CPS to create a retention committee to consider each request that a student repeat a grade level.

“Our state’s public schools exist to serve students of all incomes, backgrounds and abilities,” Collins said. “Illinois’ children face a variety of challenges to success in school and life, and there’s more we can do to connect them and their families with the resources they need to overcome whatever barriers stand in their way.”

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"We must build on the trust renewed by today's compromise so we can rebuild the infrastructures that give hope to struggling individuals, families and communities."

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-Chicago 16th) issued the following statement after voting for a compromise budget that fully funds K-12 education for the 2016-17 school year and restores state resources for afterschool and employment programs for at-risk youth:

With bipartisan support, the General Assembly and the governor have finally reached a compromise that will allow our schools to open in the fall and will route desperately needed state funds to services for society’s most vulnerable – including afterschool and employment programs for youth at risk of falling victim to the cycle of violence in our inner cities.

Throughout the past year and a half, I’ve been proud to stand with many of my colleagues – particularly those in the Legislative Black Caucus – to insist that our neediest communities not be divested of the resources they require to flourish and provide opportunities to the next generation. We have refused to accept partisanship, brinksmanship and hostage-taking as productive governing strategies, and we have called on colleagues from all points on the political spectrum to join us in working toward a positive and compassionate vision for this beleaguered state.

I am grateful for the opportunity I had today to vote to fund services that are absolutely vital to the quality of life of my constituents and all Illinoisans, including mental health care, addiction treatment, meals for the elderly, rehabilitation for ex-offenders and of course education and mentoring for our most precious resource, our youth. Much of this funding will only carry us through the first six months of the fiscal year, and the sad reality is that many providers have already closed their doors or laid off staff. We must build on the trust renewed by today’s compromise so we can rebuild the infrastructures that give hope to struggling individuals, families and communities.

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CHICAGO – State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-Chicago 16th) is encouraging Southside parents and anyone concerned about lead found in drinking water at three 16th District elementary schools to attend meetings being held this week to discuss the problem. She also urged a speedy House vote on legislation the Senate passed last month to require lead testing in schools and improved communication with the public in the wake of the preventable drinking water disaster in Flint, Michigan.

“I’m determined that we will learn from Flint and work quickly to protect our young people from this poison,” said Collins, a chief co-sponsor of the legislation (Senate Bill 550). “I commend CPS for its proactive lead testing regimen, and I believe it’s important for parents in our communities to educate themselves about the dangers of lead, ask questions and keep the pressure on until no child is drinking unsafe water.”

Ingestion of lead is associated with serious developmental delays, especially in young children. The danger is more acute in older buildings, where lead pipes and chipping lead-based paint may be found. While there is no safe amount of lead to consume, the federal government has adopted an “action level” of 15 parts per billion as a threshold for mitigation. Senate Bill 550 puts this limit into state law and requires the Illinois Department of Public Health to establish a program to identify lead hazards in schools statewide and make sure they are corrected as quickly as possible. It would create a legal obligation to inform parents and guardians whenever elevated lead levels are found in the drinking water at their children’s schools.

When CPS tested drinking water supplies at Harvard Elementary School, Parker Elementary Community Academy and Wentworth Elementary School, some samples in these buildings contained lead levels that exceeded the federal threshold. The school district is holding meetings around the city this week to discuss the lead testing program and its next steps to protect students from lead. These include a meeting this Thursday at 6 p.m. at Corliss High School at 821 E. 103rd St., and another on Friday at 4 p.m. at Simeon High School at 8147 S. Vincennes Ave. They are free and open to the public.

“I encourage parents and caregivers – especially those with children who attend Harvard, Parker and Wentworth – to attend if possible and to ask tough questions,” Collins said. “I also urge my constituents to join me in asking the House to pass and the governor to sign legislation ensuring no community in Illinois becomes the next Flint.”

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