SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mary Edly-Allen passed a measure through the Senate to crackdown on the abusive and harmful use of digital imitations known as “deepfakes.”

“Deepfakes are a way to deploy gender-based violence, harnessing artificial intelligence to exploit, humiliate and harass through the ages-old tactic of stripping women of sexual autonomy and to silence innocent women,” said Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville). “Despite the rise of deepfakes there are no consequences for bad actors.”

House Bill 2123 would create a civil cause of action against any person who knowingly distributes, creates or solicits a digital forgery of another individual without their consent and for the purposes of harassing, extorting, threatening or causing harm to the falsely depicted individual.

“These videos may be fake, but the emotional impacts are real. The sad reality is, deep fake technology is predominately being used to create sexual videos of women without their consent,” Edly-Allen said. “Now is the time to take action to end the disturbing trend of non-consensual dissemination of intimate images (NDII).

House Bill 2123 passed unanimously out of the Senate on Thursday.

LIBERTYVILLE – State Senator Mary Edly-Allen was pleased to see the Home Repair and Accessibility Program will provide $450,000 to help low-income homes in northern Lake County with much needed repairs.

“The COVID-19 pandemic hit Illinoisans hard and many were struggling to make ends meet. This made housing a serious concern,” said Edly-Allen (D – Libertyville). “This funding will provide financial assistance for residents in our community who can’t afford the necessary repairs for their home.”

The grant program will help provide low-income homeowners with health, safety, accessibility, and energy efficiency repairs to their homes. The funding is designed to serve underfunded communities and ensure residents are able to stay in their homes.

The grant was awarded to the Community Partners for Affordable Housing, a Libertyville-based organization with a combined 80 years of experience that has helped develop or preserve over 1,750 units of affordable housing and provided housing-related services for over 25,000 residents.

“I encourage anyone who can’t afford structural repairs to their home to apply for this grant,” said Edly-Allen. “Aging and low-income residents deserve a safe, secure and welcoming home.”

More information on eligibility and a list of administering agencies can be found at https://www.ihda.org/my-community/revitalization-programs/

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mary Edly-Allen passed a measure to lessen the use of plastic and Styrofoam.

“In order to reduce waste in our landfills and be more conscientious of our impact on the environment, we need alternatives like using consumer-owned containers,” said Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville). “Not only will restaurants save money on packaging, grocery stores will also help the environment by allowing their customers to use their own items for bulk purchases.”

Edly-Allen’s measure would allow restaurants and retailers to fill and refill consumer-owned containers with bulk or ready-made food.

A restaurant or retailer has to take necessary precautions to prevent cross contamination and make those written procedures available to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

“While we can’t make people to be environmentally-friendly, we can encourage them and offer alternatives like using their own containers to help promote eco-friendly practices,” said Edly-Allen. “Our hope is that people will take the initiative to be more mindful of the daily waste attributed by disposable containers.”

Consumer-owned containers have to be clean and constructed for reuse and should be easily cleaned and sanitized when needed.

House Bill 2086 passed through Senate on Thursday.

LIBERTYVILLE – State Senator Mary Edly-Allen, alongside Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, announced $12,400 will be awarded to Libertyville to boost local tourism efforts and attract visitors to drive along the historic Route 66.

“Libertyville has a rich history of travel and tourism thanks to Route 66,” said Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville). “That includes the thriving arts and performance scene, parks, forest preserves and trails, dozens of wonderful local shops, restaurants and more. It’s a great place to stop by with family and friends, and this grant will help keep these businesses running.”

The Route 66 Grant Program is awarding $3.7 million to seven recipients for the development of tourism, education, preservation and promotion leading up to the 100th Anniversary of Route 66 in 2026.

The grantees, including Libertyville, will help develop and enhance sites along Route 66 – with a focus on future transportation and tourism trends such as electric vehicles.

“Illinoisans know our state is not only the best place to live, work and do business, but also the best place to invite friends and family from near and far for a visit,” said DCEO Director Kristin A. Richards. “The millions of dollars the state is investing in local tourism promotion and enhancing the historic Route 66 will do wonders for Illinois’ tourism industry while boosting local economies and promoting the future of travel.”

This funding will support a variety of projects across the state, including the installation of iconic Route 66 signage, pylons, monuments, as well as investments in museums, exhibits, service areas and rest stops. As Illinois’ transportation sector evolves to include more electric vehicles, the projects also focus on building out EV infrastructure and promoting the state's tourism areas as EV destinations.