Legislation

Representative Gong-Gershowitz currently serves on the Appropriations-Human Services, Elementary Secondary Education: School Curriculum & Policies, Higher Education, Judiciary – Civil, Vice-Chairperson of Mental Health committees, as well as the Commercial Law and Family Law Subcommittees.

HB836 improves the process of designating a legal guardian to protect children in the event that a parent is detained, deported or otherwise separated from their children by immigration officials.

HB1553 provides clear guidelines for courts making findings of abuse, abandonment or neglect as required under federal law for special immigrant juvenile status. Addresses inconsistent standards with respect to jurisdiction and predicate findings in state courts.

Unwanted and improperly disposed pharmaceutical drugs and sharps present significant public health, safety and environmental problems. Wastewater treatment plants are not designed to remove pharmaceuticals and studies show exposure to even low levels of drugs has negative health consequences. HB 349 establishes safe and convenient disposal options for home-generated drug and sharps waste.

Three-bill package addressing sexual harassment and discrimination
HB 2062 creates the Freedom to Disclose Act designed to encourage the disclosure and discussion of sexual harassment claims with the goal to prevent workplace harassment and violence. Prohibits Nondisclosure Agreements (NDAs) that have the effect of a “walk in the door gag order” by preventing an employee from disclosing sexual harassment or violence as a condition of employment. HB 2061 extends the statute of limitations for filing employment complaints under the Illinois Human Rights Act from 300 days to 3 years. HB 2063 imposes a ten-year record retention requirement for sexual harassment complaints.

Brings self-policing back to the construction industry to stop worker exploitation and collect tax dollars owed to the state currently being lost by law-breakers.

Current Illinois law has the most restrictive definition of standing in the Midwest. Judicial review of questionable state environmental permits is limited to the issuing agency or the permitted business – this denies impacted citizens standing to protect their health, property and other interests. HB2839 amends the Administrative Review Act to allow neighbors who will suffer real and significant harm to seek judicial review of state agency permit decisions.

Requires all individuals applying for a Firearm Owner’s Identification Card (FOID) to submit a full set of fingerprints to the Illinois State Police. The fingerprints would then be checked against all available state and local criminal history record information files, including the Department of State Police Database, FBI criminal history record databases, and records of juvenile adjudications. The goal is to strengthen background checks to prevent those with a record of harming others from obtaining firearms.

HB905 creates the Private Sector Workplace Anti-Harassment Task Force to develop model policies and practices to address a wide range of workplace harassment-related issues. It will particularly focus on groups that are historically and statistically more vulnerable to harassment to help ensure a safe and constructive environment for all individuals in the workplace.