Updates from Washington

The past two weeks were busy in Washington as we passed a series of bills and held hearings ahead of the October District Work Period.

On September 22nd, we passed the Break the Cycle of Violence Act to provide increased funding for community-based violence intervention organizations. This bill invests $5 billion in anti-violence programs and $1.5 billion to provide workforce training and job opportunities for youth ages 16-24.

As part of this package, we also passed the Mental Health Justice Act, the Invest to Protect Act and the VICTIM Act. Together, these bills would provide millions of dollars to local law enforcement to make our communities safer and to hold law enforcement accountable.

• The Mental Health Justice Act would create a grant program for states and local governments to train and dispatch mental health professionals instead of law enforcement officers, and to respond to emergencies that involve people with behavioral health needs.
  
  
• The Invest to Protect Act would award a grant to a local or tribal government that employs fewer than 125 law enforcement officers for equipment and programs including body cameras, de-escalation training, and recruitment and retention improvement.
  
  
• The VICTIM Act would help law enforcement agencies establish violent incident clearance and technological investigative methods. Ideally, this legislation would help clear a national backlog of unsolved homicides to bring justice to families of victims.

We also passed legislation to continue funding the government through December 16th, while also approving $12.4 billion to help Ukraine in its war against Russia. It also contains more than $18 billion for recovery efforts from recent natural disasters.

Updates from the District

For the October District Work Period, I will be busy meeting with constituents and traveling around the district. It is great to be back in Illinois after a busy few weeks in Washington. I will also host a few exciting events over the next couple of weeks – I hope you can make it!

Housing Expo

On Saturday, October 29th, I will be hosting a Housing Expo in Hazel Crest. We will cover topics from home renovation to navigating the housing market. This is a great opportunity to connect with local housing resource providers. RSVP at bit.ly/IL02HousingExpo2.

Job Fair

On Thursday, October 27th, I will be hosting a Job Fair at South Suburban College in South Holland. I will be joined by local employers who are actively hiring for vacant roles. Bring your resume and come find your next employment opportunity! RSVP at bit.ly/KellyJobFair.

App Challenge 

Registration is now open for the Congressional App Challenge. Now through November 1st, students in grades 6-12 can submit an original app design for consideration to represent the Second Congressional District in Washington, D.C. More information is available at www.CongressionalAppChallenge.us