SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Bill Cunningham passed legislation Saturday to help bring a casino to the city of Chicago that would pump millions of dollars into the city’s police and fire pension funds.

“Bringing a casino to Chicago will provide a major economic boost to the entire region,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “At a time when we’re dealing with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, this project will be critical to the recovery of the city and the surrounding area. In addition to providing much-needed funds for our city and state, the project will create thousands of jobs at a time when we’re seeing unprecedented levels of unemployment due to COVID-19.”

Last year, the Illinois General Assembly approved a $45 billion infrastructure improvement plan that included a provision allowing a casino to operate in the city of Chicago. However, challenges posed by the tax rate in the law meant operating a casino in the city didn’t make economic sense.

Some tax revenue from the casino would be dedicated to supporting the pension funds for Chicago’s police and firefighters.

“The revenue this casino will provide will help make sure our police and firefighters get the retirement they’ve earned,” Cunningham said. “It’s essential that we get this project off the ground as soon as possible, so it can start providing that additional support.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Bill Cunningham released the following statement after the Illinois Senate’s passage of a state budget for Fiscal Year 2021:

“The budget we passed this evening represents stability in a time of uncertainty for the people of Illinois. It preserves critical services when Illinoisans need them most.

“I’m particularly pleased to see that this budget contains an additional investment of $59.2 million in the Illinois Department of Employment Security, which administers our state’s unemployment insurance program. During this crisis, we have seen an unprecedented number of unemployment claims filed, and it’s critical that we ensure IDES has the resources necessary to deal with them. This added funding will be vital to protecting Illinoisans displaced by the pandemic.

“This budget also includes a significant increase in funding for the Illinois Department of Public Health, in part thanks to the federal CARES Act. This will be critical to assisting our public officials as they continue to protect us during this crisis.”

SPRINGFIELD – A measure cosponsored by State Senator Bill Cunningham that would expand protections and eligibility for benefits for first responders and other essential employees during the COVID-19 pandemic passed the Illinois Senate Thursday.

“These men and women are putting themselves at great risk to provide us with the critical services we need during this pandemic,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “We need to ensure that they have adequate protections should they get sick as a result of their work.”

Though worker’s compensation does not normally cover illness, these are not normal times. Senate Bill 2455 allows employees to qualify for workers’ compensation benefits if the they contract COVID-19. 

CHICAGO – State Senator Bill Cunningham is commending the Illinois Fire Service Institute, Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal and Mutual Aid Box Alarm System Illinois for creating a new project to help mitigate increased cancer risks for firefighters.

“Firefighters risk their lives every day to protect us, and it’s critical that we take steps to keep them safe as well,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “I’m grateful to these agencies for their commitment to continually finding new ways to protect the health of our firefighters.”

The new Illinois Preliminary Exposure Reduction Project will deliver critical firefighter health and life safety research, education, training and equipment to fire departments throughout Illinois.

According to research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, firefighters face a 9% increase in cancer diagnoses and a 14% increase in cancer-related deaths compared to the general population.