West Central Reporter

Veteran state Sen. Jil Tracy (R-Macomb) saluted fallen soldiers during a Memorial Day tribute in Springfield.

“It’s a wonderful Memorial Day,” Tracy said in a video posted to YouTube. “Today Senate Republicans had a heartwarming memorial service. We had a Gold Star mother speak to us about how important it is to remember those who have fallen for our freedoms.”

Tracy hinted she could only hope all those in attendance took from the experience what she did hearing the Gold Star moms reflect.

“The things that we take every day for granted,” she said. “We have so many in our armed services that have fought and died. It’s just a time to reflect on what it means for those who have died and given the ultimate sacrifice. I’m glad that we can commemorate the day. It was very inspiring for all of us.”

Tracy has also been busy supporting the People’s Independent Maps Act as a way of ushering in a fairer map redistricting process. The measure would take the task of legislative redistricting out of the hands of politicians and empower an independent commission to handle the job.

"Every Illinoisan deserves to be represented in our democracy and an independent map drawn by the people for the people, NOT by the politicians for the politicians is the best way to make their voices heard. For too long, the people of Illinois have been deprived of this right,” Tracy said in a post to Facebook. “That’s why we have filed Senate Bill 1325. Our legislation is about ensuring that politicians can no longer pick their voters. It’s about creating fair maps drawn by an independent commission and ensuring that every voter is fairly represented."

The People's Independent Maps Act also requires that districts be evenly split in party affiliation and be representative of the gender and racial demographics of the state as a whole. The 16 commissioners who would decide on the districts would be appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court, with government employees and lobbyists not eligible to serve on the commission.