CHICAGO – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago, 3^rd) announced today that adult literacy programs in her district will receive nearly $400,000 in state grants.

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White awarded the grants through the Adult Literacy Grant Program, which helps learners develop and enhance their reading, math, writing and English-language skills.

“I am glad that the secretary of state recognizes the important role in encouraging intellectual growth and economic development,” Hunter said. “Communities rich in educational and creative opportunities can attract a strong workforce and successful businesses, as well as help sustain a positive quality of life. This much needed increase in funding will help us continue to provide literacy training and ESL programs for adult learners and their families.”

The programs receiving funding in Hunter’s district are:

• Literacy Volunteers of Illinois, Chicago: $47,900
• Literacy Chicago, Literacy Adult Program, Chicago: $100,000
• De La Salle Institute, Chicago: $50,000
• Heartland Human Care Services, Adult Volunteer Literacy Project, Chicago: $70,000
• Heartland Human Care Services, Immigrant Family Literacy Project, Chicago: $50,000
• Heartland Human Care Services, Refugee Family Literacy Project, Chicago: $50,000
• Chicago Citywide Literacy Coalition: $15,000
• Literacy Works, Chicago: $20,000

A total of 14,352 learners will be served by adult literacy programs around the state. A total of 6,086 volunteer tutors will provide training for learners putting them on the path to lifelong learning. Adult literacy projects help adults who read below the ninth-grade level or speak English at a beginning level to improve their reading, writing, math or use of English as a new language.

In total, the secretary of state’s office awarded $5.6 million in grants to adult literacy programs around the state.

To learn more about adult literacy grant programs, visit https://cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/literacy/adultlit-grants-overview.html.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) passed a measure into law last week to help families in extreme poverty meet their basic needs.

House Bill 3129 eliminates the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) full family sanction. The TANF program provides monthly grants to help families meet their basic needs, including rent, utilities, clothing, personal hygiene products, diapers, transportation and more. Eligible families sometimes may receive a sanction, which suspends a TANF grant, when an adult does not meet certain participation requirements.

The measure, sponsored by Hunter and Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago), would designate 75 percent of a family’s TANF benefit as the children portion that cannot be cut for any reason. When sanctioning, the remaining 25 percent is considered the parent’s portion and is subject to sanction. 30 percent of the parent’s portion can be reduced if a parent is not complying with TANF participation requirements.

“The cash grant is meant to provide families living in extreme poverty assistance in meeting their basic needs, but sanctions can further push families into poverty and lead to children experiencing homelessness, ER visits and food insecurity,” Hunter said. “This new law allows us to avoid unfairly sanctioning families and leaving them at the risk of severe hardship.”

The legislation also creates a Good Cause exemption for families who are experiencing homelessness, eviction or utility disruption which ensures that the TANF grant amount remains at 30 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.

“It’s important that we are doing everything possible to ensure that families going through hard times have the assistance and resources necessary to help them get back on their feet,” Hunter said. “By making sanctions for the TANF program rare and fair, we are making sure that no struggling families are being unfairly punished. This new law would also make adjustments to the amount of TANF benefits recipients would receive so that it is consistent with Illinois’s current cost of living.”

HB 3129 takes effect immediately.

CHICAGO – The National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women (NOBEL) presented State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago, 3^rd) with the President’s Award at their annual conference on Friday.

On behalf of the Illinois NOBEL Women Delegation, Hunter also served as the Chair of the 34^th annual NOBEL Women’s Conference from June 27 to June 30 at The Gwen Hotel in Chicago.

“It was truly an honor to serve as this year’s conference chair and be able to welcome some of the country’s top black female leaders to my hometown of Chicago,” Hunter said. “We had fruitful discussions on how women can shatter barriers to success, the importance of diversity in leadership, and ways to overcome challenges that black women face.”

The four-day conference included a roster of female powerhouses in the Illinois political sphere including Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Cook County Board President Tony Preckwinkle, Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-IL), Majority Leader Kim Lightford (D-Chicago), State Senator Toi Hutchinson (D-Chicago Heights) and more.

“A woman’s role in politics is indisputable,” Hunter said. “If we want to have a direct role in shaping public policies that deal with our education, our pay, our reproductive health and other issues that matter, then we need to hold elected office and hold these positions of leadership. That’s why NOBEL Women’s mission is so important, especially now.”

NOBEL Women is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization primarily composed of black female state senators and state representatives that aims to serve as a global voice to address the myriad issues affecting the lives of women. Since its inception in 1985, NOBEL Women has worked tirelessly to increase and promote the presence of lack women in government, corporate, and nonprofit leadership.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago, 3^rd) issued the following statement after the Senate passed a budget package that invests in vital health and human service programs:

“I am proud to support a budget plan that reflects our commitment to safeguarding the programs and services that make a tremendous difference in the day-to-day lives of Illinoisans.

“Under this budget, we are investing in our communities by fully funding community mental health centers, youth employment services, addiction treatment and prevention services, and the child care assistance program.

“I am also encouraged to see more investments in the programs our older population needs to continue to enjoy their communities and age comfortably and with dignity. I fought to ensure that those who care for seniors and individuals with disabilities receive a wage boost. Home health workers play a critical role in caring for our state’s most vulnerable individuals and deserve our support through fair and competitive salaries. Our budget includes much needed additional to funding to increase wages for these workers.”