SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Ram Villivalam was sworn in to represent Illinois’ 8^th Senate District for a second term on Wednesday.

“Serving my community in the Illinois Senate has been the honor of a lifetime,” said Villivalam (D-Chicago). “I am proud of the work we have accomplished together, and look forward to building on that progress in the 103^rd General Assembly.”

Due to ongoing construction at the Illinois State Capitol, lawmakers this year took their oaths of office at the Old State Capitol in downtown Springfield. The historic site is the location where President Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous “House Divided” speech and where President Barack Obama announced his candidacy, and served as Illinois’ statehouse from 1840-1876.

In his first term Senator Villivalam championed several first-in-the-nation laws, including the Workers’ Rights Amendment, Keeping Youth Safe and Healthy Act, requiring Alzheimer’s training for doctors and the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History (TEAACH) Act. He passed more than 60 laws during his first term. Senator Villivalam’s legislative priorities for his second term include comprehensive paid family and medical leave, keeping communities safe, expanding equitable job opportunities, and ensuring that Illinois’ transportation and infrastructure industries remain competitive.

Senator Villivalam represents Illinois’ 8^th Senate District, which includes 24 neighborhoods on Chicago’s North Side and five suburban municipalities.

SPRINGFIELD – Building on his work to strengthen workers’ rights in Illinois, State Senator Ram Villivalam helped pass the Paid Leave for Workers Act – providing nearly 1.5 million people in Illinois with expanded access to paid sick and family leave.

“Working people are more than cogs in a machine, and deserve to be able to take time off to care for themselves and their families without risking their livelihood,” said Villivalam (D-Chicago). “Paid leave is an essential workplace right, and Illinois is taking action to enshrine that right for all working people.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Ram Villivalam voted in support of legislation that establishes broad protections for patients seeking reproductive health care in Illinois.

“Health care is a human right, and that includes reproductive care,” said Villivalam (D-Chicago). “Illinois continues to be a national leader in preserving and protecting this right for all people. As neighboring states work to strip these rights away, we welcome all who need access to this type of care.”

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Ram Villivalam helped advance legislation from the Illinois Senate that bans the sale and manufacturing of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in Illinois Monday.

“All communities deserve to live free from gun violence,” said Villivalam (D-Chicago). “This measure upholds our commitment to building true public safety for all, and will undoubtedly reduce the ways dangerous people can obtain weapons of war.”

House Bill 5471 bans assault weapons and high-capacity magazines from being manufactured or sold in Illinois, with the most accurate and extensive list of weapons of war on the market today. The comprehensive gun safety package also places a ban on rapid-fire devices intended to make semiautomatic firearms fully automatic, closes a loophole that allowed manufacturers to circumvent the ban by repositioning grips, creates an anti-gun trafficking task force and increases the duration of a Firearm Restraining Order from six months to up to one year. A Firearm Restraining Order allows the family of a gun owner or law enforcement to obtain a civil order temporarily removing the firearm and ammunition from people who pose a risk of harm to themselves or others.

Senator Villivalam recently championed a new law requiring universal background checks prior to transferring a firearm to a new owner. House Bill 5471 expedites the implementation of these background checks to July 1, 2023.

House Bill 5471 passed the Illinois Senate and awaits concurrence in the Illinois House.