Watch Now: Illinois Depletes Initial $ 500 Million In Rent Relief, More Funds Coming Soon | State and regional

Aid took on increased importance with the expiration of the moratorium on evictions, which had prevented thousands of tenants from being thrown onto the streets due to economic hardship resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The situation improved as more aid came out.

A survey by the US Census Bureau last week found that about 80,000 Illinois residents were at risk of deportation over the next two months, up from more than 120,000 in September.

Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary Grace Hou said Wednesday that eviction requests in the state were “fad from pre-pandemic levels,” but the department was “prepared and determined to meet the needs in the event of an increase in these demands “.

To help those who still need it, a new round of rental aid, using funds from the US bailout, will open to applicants on November 8. About $ 400 million is earmarked for this round of aid.

Despite some evidence of the pandemic’s decline, advocates have said the new cycle of relief is needed as winter approaches.

State Representative Delia Rameriz, D-Chicago, asked rhetorically, “Could you imagine what would have happened if we hadn’t acted as fast as we did” to disperse nearly three quarters of a billion dollars in rent assistance?

“We have prevented homelessness and we can do it together again and again and be a national leader like we have been,” said Ramirez.

Beyond the Illinois rent payment program, the Illinois Supreme Court has also launched a court-based rent assistance program, and several county courts have established mediation programs to mitigate an increase in evictions.

You can find more information on rental assistance at illinoisrentalassistance.org/.

Bishop says no communion for Biden

Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield said on Tuesday he would not allow President Joe Biden to receive Holy Communion if the president attended mass in the diocese.

Paprocki, at the Illinois State Capitol to urge lawmakers not to repeal Illinois’ Parental Abortion Notice Act, answered questions from reporters about his high-profile stance of denying communion to pro politicians. -choices like Senator Dick Durbin.

Biden, the second Catholic president of the United States, attends mass regularly but also supports the right to abortion, putting the politically charged subject at the center of the national debate.

Pope Francis weighed in on the matter last month, saying he had never refused Communion to anyone and appeared to issue a warning to bishops who weighed in on politics.

Paprocki, however, said his hardline position was in line with that of the Holy Father.

“So her message is, I think, very strong on the harms of abortion, but also strong on the fact that we are called to protect human life,” Paprocki said. “And if someone, a politician for example, takes a stand against that, we have to go with that person, walk with them. In other words, we have to talk to them. here now to engage with our state legislators to let them know that it is our position as Christian leaders that it is against God’s law to do this and we call on them to change their mind. “

Specifically on Biden, Paprocki said that someone “who stubbornly persists in manifest grave sin … should not go to Holy Communion.”

Incentives for electric vehicles are emerging

Pritzker offers a package of tax credits and incentives to encourage the development of the electric vehicle industry in the state.

Bill 1769, known as the “Reimagining Electric Vehicles in Illinois Act,” was tabled Monday by State Senator Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford.

The unions have yet to approve the legislation, which means it might not be done this week and could be pushed back to January.

Pritzker said it was “important for us to be competitive” in the field of electric vehicles, as other states have implemented similar packages. The governor said the state would not aim to offer the most incentives, but enough to leverage the state’s strategic advantages in workforce development and localization.

“We’re trying to bring all of these things together with EDGE credits in order to come up with an attractive package,” said Pritzker. “Let me tell you, we are getting inbound calls because people have heard that not only have we passed a great climate package, but also that we are considering adopting an electric vehicle stimulus package that will literally pay off. tens of billions of dollars to the state of Illinois and thousands and thousands of new jobs in a new industry in which we want to be a leader. “

Illinois has become a production hub for electric vehicles in the United States, with automaker Rivian making Normal the site for most of its North American manufacturing.

Pritzker signed landmark clean energy legislation in September that includes a $ 4,000 grant for the purchase of electric vehicles and provides a roadmap for building the state’s EV infrastructure. The legislation sets a goal of having 1 million electric vehicles on Illinois roads by 2030.