Expanding Health Care

Making Affordable Health Care More Accessible
Rep. Howard has made it a priority to make affordable health care more accessible for Illinois residents. The Howard-supported budget increased state funding for FamilyCare, a health insurance program for lower income working families. An additional 74,000 working parents will now be covered, for a total of 300,000.

Preventing HIV/AIDS
Rep. Howard brought back $400,000 for HIV/AIDS research at the Policy and Research Institute in the College of Health Sciences at Chicago State University. The state money will be used to fund a study to understand the correlation between incarceration and HIV/AIDS diagnosis and for other research. Rep. Howard believes that the state needs to take a serious look at why this deadly illness in spreading so rampantly in African American communities.

Strengthening Our Schools

Putting More Money Into Our Classrooms
Rep. Howard understands that more state money for public school classrooms will result in better prepared students who will receive a higher quality education. This year, the General Assembly increased public school education funding by $315 million, resulting in an increase in the per-pupil foundation level from $4,964 to $5,164. Schools across the city of Chicago will see an increase in funds of $82 million and schools in the suburban portion of Howard's district will receive an additional $2 million.

Making College More Affordable
Rep. Howard is also committed to making college more affordable for students in Illinois. This year, she worked to secure $11.7 million dollars for the Monetary Award Program for need-based grants to Illinois residents. The CHANCE program and other minority recruitment and retention programs will receive $3.7 million dollars; and the Illinois Community College Board will receive $4 million dollars for grants and operational costs.

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The 34th Illinois House District includes all or portions of the following Chicago neighborhoods :

• Pullman
  
• Chatham
  
• Great Grand Crossing
• South Deering
• Hegewisch

and the following suburban communities:

• Burnham
• Calumet City
• Lansing