Will County Gazette

Illinois State Senate District 43 candidate Jen Monson reacted to the number of bills passed recently, stating, "We need to streamline legislation, get back to the basic rule of law, and common sense governance that does not infringe upon the rights of citizens." She made the statement in a July 21 Facebook post.

"How is everyone supposed to keep track of all the legislation that keeps piling on," said jennifer Monson for IL Senate, according to Facebook. "We need to streamline legislation, get back to the basic rule of law, and common sense governance that does not infringe upon the rights of citizens. We should not be passing laws to protect non-citizens."

In her Facebook post, Monson shared a link to an article from The Center Square, which focused on the 68 bills signed on July 19 by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. According to The Center Square, during the spring session, legislators approved more than 450 bills. These included a bill expanding the state’s move-over law to protect emergency response personnel and victims of human trafficking who were children at the time of the incidents. Other measures addressed safety for individuals living in newly built manufactured homes and amendments to the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles in Illinois (REV Act) and the Manufacturing Illinois Chips for Real Opportunity (MICRO Act).

Screenshot of Jen Monson's July 21 Facebook post | JenMonson4ILSenate43 Facebook page

One notable bill is House Bill 5457, which provides accommodations for testing certain professional licenses and prevents license denial or disciplinary action based solely on immigration status or an immigration violation. According to a PDF linked to The Center Square story, House Bill 5457 stipulates that "a license to practice under the act shall not be denied an application because of the applicant’s real or perceived immigration status." It also requires that every application for an original license under the Act include either a Social Security Number or individual taxpayer identification number.

The bill further provides that additional examination time may be granted by the Social Work Examining and Disciplinary Board to applicants for whom English is a second language. Additionally, it notes that the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation cannot suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew a license based on an immigration violation by a licensed social worker.

Monson is the Republican nominee for Illinois State Senate District 43. She ran uncontested in the primary election. According to her campaign website, she is an educator and school board member who aims to "work to maintain citizen rights and their ability to exercise their God-given rights to exist and live freely without unconstitutional government overreach."