Over $100,000 Claimed at Recent DeWitte ICASH Event
We had amazing success at last week’s ICASH/Unclaimed Property event in South Elgin. One constituent discovered $50,000 waiting to be claimed, and we also had a $32,000 claim and two claims for $27,000. While these were the largest successes of the event, the talented mobile team from the Treasurer’s office was also able to connect several other people with smaller amounts of unclaimed cash.
Up text for Team DeWitte is my popular Senior Expo in Carpentersville. It is the first of three senior expos I will be hosting in the coming months. For this event I will be partnering with close to 50 agencies, non-profits, and businesses that cater to the needs of area seniors. I would invite all seniors, their caregivers, and loved ones to attend this free event. Other upcoming outreach events include:
- September 4: Senior Fair in Carpentersville, Dundee Township Rakow Center, 665 Barrington Ave, Carpentersville, 10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon
- September 16: Senior Fair in St. Charles, St. Charles Park District Pottawatomie Community Center, 8 North Avenue, St. Charles, 10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon
- September 27: FREE Document Shredding Event, Carillon at Cambridge Lakes, 1865 Andrew Blvd, Pingree Grove, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
- October 4: FREE Document Shredding Event, Elburn Town & Country Library, 320 E North Street, Elburn, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
- October 14: Senior Fair in Crystal Lake, Grand Oaks Recreation Building 1401 IL-176, 10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon
New events are added to the calendar regularly. You can remain up to date about upcoming events by visiting the Events page on my website.
CMAP Grants Awarded in District 33
Thirty communities across northeastern Illinois, including four in the 33rd District, are getting a boost to invest in local plans for safer streets, stronger infrastructure, and more inclusive growth.
With help from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) through its annual technical assistance program, municipalities will advance projects that support Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, bicycle and pedestrian safety, capital improvements, transportation safety, and other local priorities. CMAP’s support helps communities build capacity, plan strategically, and access funding to turn ideas into action.
Selected from a highly competitive pool of more than 80 applications submitted by 72 communities, this year’s projects represent a wide range of community sizes, goals, and planning needs. Click here to read more about the specific projects that received funding this year.
Two Former Obama Cabinet Members Form Coalition for Fair Maps
Two former Obama Cabinet members, Bill Daley (former Obama Chief of Staff) and Ray LaHood (former Obama Transportation Secretary), are leading a new push to end gerrymandering in Illinois through a group called “Fair Maps Illinois”. At a recent news conference, they announced plans to place a constitutional amendment on the 2026 ballot to create an independent redistricting commission.
The proposed commission would be barred from using political or voting data and would focus on compact, community-based districts while protecting minority representation. It would apply only to state legislative districts, not congressional ones.
Illinois has faced criticism for its heavily gerrymandered maps, which earned a failing grade on Princeton University’s 2021 redistricting report. A similar reform effort was struck down by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2016, and another legal challenge failed earlier this year.
I have always been a supporter of fair maps, and have co-sponsored legislation that would take map-drawing out of the hands of politicians. These include SJRCA 04 from the 101st General Assembly and SJRCA 13 from the 102nd General Assembly.
To put the amendment on the 2026 ballot, the group will need to collect at least 320,000 valid signatures.
Pritzker Signs HB 460, Expanding College Aid to Non-Citizens
This year, majority party legislators passed House Bill 460 into law, expanding access to taxpayer-funded scholarships, grants, and other student financial aid to illegal immigrants who are ineligible for federal aid. Despite significant pushback, the bill was recently signed into law.
The new law directs limited financial resources away from Illinois families and funnels them to individuals who are not in the country legally. Every dollar given to a non-citizen under HB 460 comes at the expense of a citizen Illinois student who is desperate for college financial aid. With Illinois families already burdened by some of the highest taxes in the nation, they will now be forced to subsidize college aid for individuals who are not citizens.
Federal law specifically withholds student aid from non-citizens. HB 460 sidesteps those protections, using taxpayers to cover the costs instead. I voted against this measure when it was brought before the Senate because I believe that since college financial aid is hard to come by, it should be reserved for Illinois citizens.