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.

Originally published in CBS News on March 26, 2021.

CHICAGO (CBS)– A bill to stop illegal gun ownership in Illinois could be closer to becoming law.

Just a few hours ago, its sponsor explained the bill does four important things.

“It insures we do background checks, it ensure we obtain finger prints, it ensures were are giving the Illinois State Police the ability to take the guns of folks that shouldn’t have them and it makes sure that we’re getting funding, life-saving mental health funding, to the communities that have been most impacted by gun violence ,” Sen. Ram Villivalam said. “The time to act is now.”

The senator says he has 25 co-sponsors in the state Senate and needs five more to sign on.

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.”

Originally published in India Post on March 25, 2021.

CHICAGO: The Illinois Asian American Legislative Caucus is deeply saddened by the recent shooting of eight people, of which were six Asian American women, at a Georgia-based massage parlor. The Caucus released the following statements:

“This tragic incident is a reflection of a steadily growing sentiment against the Asian American community within the last year. My deepest condolences to all the families of the victims, who will now unjustly be reminded of the grave consequences of racism and hate every time they remember their loved ones,” said State Senator Ram Villivalam, Senate co-chair, (D-Chicago).

“The Asian American community is one that includes over 48 countries and all the diverse cultures, languages and traditions within those countries. We stand together in solidarity to keep sharing our story and urge Illinois’ residents to join us in taking an active stance to support their local AAPI community organizations,” said State Representative, Theresa Mah, House co-chair, (D-Chicago).

“Not only are we at a time where our community as a whole is becoming increasingly vulnerable to these violent attacks, but our female and elderly community members are especially being targeted more frequently. As a caucus, we will continue to stand up for all members of our community and speak out against hateful rhetoric that manifests into senseless, tragic incidents. Please visit our Caucus page at asianamericancaucus.org to see our joint statement,” Villivalam said.