Candidate for Illinois State Senate - District 13 in 2020 Illinois Primary Election.
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Get StartedKen also is a strong supporter of a woman’s right to make choices about their body. Ken is constantly reminded how often these rights are under attack nationwide and will stay vigilant in protecting them here in Illinois. Learn more
Ken understands how important it is that we protect the rights of each individual, no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, ethnicity, economic status, and age. To that end, Ken will advocate for better employment discrimination protections including banning hiring decisions based on hair style that would have a disparate impact on racial minorities. Learn more
Ken will advocate for a complete revamping of how we operate our criminal justice system. Illinois has outsourced prison healthcare to private for profit companies who do a terrible job at serving our inmates. These companies are the subject of numerous lawsuits for their failure to provide adequate healthcare. Ken will fight against for-profit companies housing and providing healthcare to our inmates. Learn more
Ken will work to ensure that revenues from Gov. Pritzker’s marijuana legalization plan are used to fund new businesses in our community. Ken will also work to identify other incentives that can be used to stimulate job growth. Learn more
Ken knows what the overwhelming majority of experts have confirmed, climate change is real. Ken understands that we must fight to maintain and preserve our lake especially given the rising water levels in Lake Michigan. It is a constant problem for residents who live along the lake. The Army Core of Engineers cannot tell us whether these historically high-water levels are due to climate change because they don’t take it into account in their models. Ken will focus on understanding what is causing the higher water levels and work with the community and various environmental partners to craft solutions. Learn more
Additionally, the East Side and South Chicago neighborhoods have long been a dumping ground for polluters for many years. Residents constantly comment about the chemicals that are jettisoned into their air and water, causing significant health risks. Ken will advocate for a strong Illinois EPA and harsher penalties on polluters. Learn more
Ken also believes that our politics has been overrun by insiders who seek to control the system for their own benefit. Ken supports a set of government reforms including, reducing the campaign contribution limits to be consistent with federal limits, public funded campaigns, creating an independent commission to draw political maps, and implementing recall for all state elected officials. Learn more
Additionally, for too long our legislature has been policing itself as it relates to conflicts of interests and legislative investigations by the Legislative Inspector General. Ken will fight for a truly independent legislative inspector general who can begin investigations and publish reports, without approval of Legislative Ethics Commission. Learn more
Ken is deeply troubled by the disparities in mortality rate affect black mothers. Ken will advocate fiercely to ensure that the proper resources are allocated to understand what causes this disparity and eliminate it quickly. Ken believes that we as a community must step up and fix this issue. Learn more
Ken believes that we must speed up the process by which families obtain Medicaid approval and the health care they need. Ken also supports ensuring that hospitals who are in desperate need of their Medicaid payments get them quickly so as to ensure those hospitals remain financially viable. Learn more
If elected to the Senate, Ken will propose a bill that requires that all eviction court rooms create a verbatim record of the proceedings or an equivalent, continue to work with housing advocacy groups on a bill that shields eviction court filings from public view to ensure that individuals who are not evicted are not denied housing on that basis, and provides incentives to increase the affordable housing options for families. Learn more
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