CHICAGO – State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) is announcing that school districts in the 8th Senate District will receive over $23 million in additional funding to help address the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I want to thank our local teachers, parents and students for their work during the pandemic and our state and national leaders for making this happen,” Villivalam said. “This year posed challenges on our educators, and I am confident that these extra funds will help them succeed in the upcoming school year.”

The funding comes as part of the most recent federal COVID-19 relief packages. Schools, students and parents have overcome challenges that no one could have imagined before the pandemic began, including remote and hybrid learning, digital connection issues, new processes for receiving state and federal aid that normally flow through schools, and more.

SPRINGFIELD – Twenty-four Illinois Senate Democrats signed on to State Senator Ram Villivalam’s (D-Chicago) legislation to block the illegal ownership of firearms on Thursday following a series of shootings across the country. 

“We must take bold action now to protect our communities,” Villivalam said. “Reasonable gun safety measures that a majority of Americans support, like background checks, must be a part of the process to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals.”

CHICAGO – After a deadly, racially motivated shooting spree in Atlanta, Georgia, and an arrest outside of the U.S. Naval Conservatory, current home of the first Asian American Vice President, State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) is calling on his colleagues to pass public safety measures to help prevent another tragedy.

“We can’t wait for the next tragedy to act on gun violence,” Villivalam said. “Our communities are under attack. We need to enact common sense gun violence prevention policy to improve public safety for every community, especially those communities that are being specifically targeted.”

Co-authored by State Senator Ram Villivalam (Chair, Senate Transportation Committee) and Kevin Artl, President and CEO of the American Council of Engineering Companies. Also published in Chicago Tribune on March 16, 2021.

Illinois is the crossroads of the nation in the most literal sense. Our 15,969 state highway miles, 9,982 miles of railroad, five international airports and international ports serve as the hub for coast-to-coast logistics and delivery. The nation’s supply chains rely on the capacity of our transportation network so rail operators, cargo shippers and truckers can deliver goods where they are needed most.

Each of these systems rely on the Department of Transportation and its essential role in working in conjunction with industry in planning, designing and construction of Illinois’ surface transportation network.