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.

­CHICAGO – Thanks in part to funding secured with the support of State Senator Ram Villivalam, Northeastern Illinois University received a $2.5 million grant to create the Business Innovation and Growth Center, which will spur job creation and economic activity in underserved areas.

“The vigorous administration of today’s announced investment will make NEIU a leader in supporting economic equity across Chicagoland,” said Villivalam (D-Chicago). “Ensuring that underserved areas have ample access to economic opportunities will grow stronger communities and build a lasting legacy of success for our neighbors.”

­SPRINGFIELD – In collaboration with law enforcement, states attorneys, criminal justice reform advocates and other stakeholders, State Senator Ram Villivalam helped advance legislation from the Illinois Senate that clarifies portions of the historic SAFE-T and Pretrial Fairness Acts.

“Thanks to a truly collaborative effort, we preserved the original intent of the Pretrial Fairness Act – to ensure that people are incarcerated based on their threat to our community, not their ability to pay bail,” said Villivalam (D-Chicago). “Despite false narratives about the law, the reforms made under the SAFE-T Act will have a smoother implementation in our justice system with this clarifying measure.”

House Bill 1095 provides clarification to the Pretrial Fairness Act portions of the SAFE-T Act since its passage in January 2021. The legislation makes clear that judges can issue warrants and summons, providing a reminder that any person who poses a threat to the community or someone else – including trespassers – can be arrested, and clarifying court authority when it comes to electronic monitoring, among other items.

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation to resolve an ongoing stalemate at the Niles-Maine District Library Board advanced from the Illinois General Assembly on Wednesday, thanks to advocacy from State Senators Laura Murphy and Ram Villivalam, and State Rep. Mike Kelly.

“The passing of this legislation is necessary to fill the board vacancy that has hampered services for far too long,” said Murphy (D-Des Plaines). “It’s time for the community to have a fully functioning board that fulfills their responsibility to the community and restores the Niles-Maine District Library to the greatness previously known to the  community.”

After a former board member resigned in August 2021, the Niles-Maine District Library Board was unable fill the vacancy due to a 3-3 tie vote. A new law reforming the appointment process was signed by the governor in the spring, which gave the Secretary of State authority to appoint a replacement under his role as State Librarian if a library board could not fill a vacancy within 90 days.