Johnson supports legislation to ban assault weapons

SPRINGFIELD – Just six months after a gunman opened fire at a Fourth of July parade in nearby Highland Park – killing seven and injuring dozens more – State Senator Adriane Johnson voted in support of banning assault weapons in Illinois.

“Our state holds a great responsibility to protect people from the continued act of gun violence caused by assault weapons,” said Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove). “I’m glad as a state we finally said ‘enough is enough’ and fought diligently to get these weapons of war off our streets.”

Gun violence has been an ongoing issue with 2022 having one of the highest rates of mass shootings. The Highland Park mass shooting was not the only tragedy by gun violence that occurred on the Fourth of July. That same night five people in Chicago were injured by gunfire and another died. Over that holiday long weekend, there were a total of 68 people shot and eight killed in various areas including the west and south sides of Chicago. Johnson has been vocal on the need to enhance gun violence prevention measures, most recently supporting House Bill 5471, which bans assault weapons from being sold in Illinois.

“Easy access to weapons ignites a threat to the safety of our residents, and increases the imminence of carnage,” said Johnson. “Access to assault weapons should not be easily accessible, and today we have taken a major step toward addressing this problem.”

Approximately one-third of public mass shooting events include the use of an assault weapon, and nearly 40% involve a high-capacity magazine according to research. When an assault weapon and/or a high-capacity magazine is used in a public mass shooting, nearly 14 times as many people are injured, and twice as many people are killed. Not only are there more injuries when assault weapons are used, but the types of injuries are far worse.

HB 5471 passed the Senate and will now head to the House for further consideration.

Johnson supports initiative to increase funding for affordable housing program

SPRINGFIELD – In an effort to ensure equitable and affordable housing in Illinois, State Senator Adriane Johnson supported a measure to increase the Rental Housing Support Program’s budget.  

“In today’s climate many people are struggling to meet basic necessities such as monthly rent,” said Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove). “It’s imperative that we funnel funding back into our communities through programs such as Illinois Rental Housing Support Program in order to better assist our neighbors in meeting those needs.

Since 2005, the Rental Housing Support Program has provided rental assistance to households by subsidizing rental apartments and homes. As a participant in this program, a family with limited economic resources only has to pay 30% of their rent when living in complexes who are partnered with RHSP, with RHSP paying the remainder to the landlord. RHSP paying the difference allows families to live in affordable homes and helps them from experiencing poverty. The increase in funding will ensure the continued success of this program.

In addition the measure also creates the Illinois Rental Housing Support Program Funding Allocation Task Force to study and provide solutions on the matter of the equitable distribution of rental housing support funds throughout the state.

“Working families and those on fixed incomes deserve to have affordable homes,” said Johnson. “I believe this will be an improvement and provide relief for many Illinois households.”

House Bill 3878 passed the Senate Friday and now heads to the governor for consideration.

Senator Johnson directs residents to IDOT’s winter road map

BUFFALO GROVE – In preparation for winter weather ahead, State Senator Adriane Johnson is reminding drivers to use the winter road conditions map on the Illinois Department of Transportation’s website.  

“The winter season can be extremely harsh, increasing the risk of poor road conditions and accidents,” said Johnson (D- Buffalo Grove). “I want to ensure that drivers are safe and prepared for winter road conditions by utilizing resources from IDOT’s winter map.”

GettingAroundIllinois.com is available on your computer and optimized for smartphones. The site includes the ability to identify and zoom in on a location, travel route or destination on a state map. The map is updated frequently through a cloud-based system to provide a general overview on IDOT-maintained highways

“During this busy time, many of you may be traveling for the holidays,” said Johnson. “I encourage you to get to your loved ones safely and visit the site to check road conditions prior to your commute.”

The road conditions map averages more than 2.5 million page views during snow-and-ice season, featuring a color scheme of pinks and blues to differentiate from the red, yellow and green of traffic congestion reporting, as well as to increase accessibility for those who have difficulty distinguishing colors.

For more information and to view the map, visit https://www.gettingaroundillinois.com/.

Senator Johnson: Senator Bennett will be greatly missed

SPRINGFIELD – Senator Adriane Johnson released the following statement after the sudden loss of State Senator Scott Bennett:

“Over the past few days it has been difficult to wrap my mind around the sudden passing of Senator Scott Bennett. My heart is heavy and my thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and children. Scott was such an encouraging individual and always willing to give insight.
“During our time in Springfield just a little over a week ago, we had an opportunity to speak briefly and he shared his passion for his family and his work. He was truly dedicated to the people of Illinois. His presence will greatly be missed.”