West Central Reporter

On April 5, during House floor debate, Rep. CD Davidsmeyer (R-Jacksonville) mentioned giving a 'pat on the back' to Rep. Lindsey LaPointe (D-Chicago) for everything that she has done on House Bill 1293. HB1293 takes punitive action against the Russian government, while helping Ukrainian refugees.

"Many of you know that when I stand up and speak on the House floor, most often I am speaking in opposition to a bill. Some may see it more as a slap in the face because I'm very straightforward in how I talk," Davidsmeyer said. "Today I'm here not as a slap in the face but as a pat on the back for the work that you've done on this bill, Rep. LaPointe. It is good to see that when good legislation can be made better, we can pull it from the record, not take an immediate vote, and come back with an even better bill. I hope this will be a lesson to this body on how we can better serve our constituents together. I really appreciate your willingness to pull it from a vote in the exec committee and come back with an amendment that would fix the bill and make it stronger for the Ukrainian people. Thank you."

LaPointe is the chief sponsor of House Bill 1293. She is joined by 30 colleagues – Democrats and Republicans – as co-sponsors in the House.

The bill unanimously passed the House on April 5 with 114 yes votes. It has now moved on to the Senate, where it is sponsored by Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) and has been referred to the Senate Assignments Committee.

HB1293 will divest state pension funds of investments in Russia-based companies. It will also prepare the state to become better equipped at accepting Ukrainian refugees. It also promises to set up a group specifically meant to study Russian money-laundering with respect to Illinois real estate. 

It will also create the Money Laundering in Real Estate Task Force and the Illinois Elections and Infrastructure Integrity Task Force ahead of the 2024 election to prepare for and prevent potential cyberattacks on state infrastructure.