LIBERTYVILLE – State Senator Mary Edly-Allen is urging agencies across the 31^st District to apply for Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grants.

“Being outdoors is a great way to reduce stress and anxiety. Spending time in a park is one way to clear your mind and boost serotonin levels, which is why I encourage our local agencies to apply for the OSLAD grant so every resident can have a public safe space,” said Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville). “By applying for this grant, I hope to see safer and accessible parks that everyone can enjoy.”

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources will be accepting applications for Open Space Land Acquisition and Development, or OSLAD, grants through Aug. 31.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Mary Edly-Allen championed a law signed Friday to crack down on the abusive and harmful use of digital forgeries known as deepfakes.

“These videos may be fake, but the emotional impacts are real. The sad reality is, deepfake technology is predominantly being used to create sexual videos of women without their consent,” said Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville). “Despite the rise of deepfakes there are no consequences for bad actors.”

Deepfakes are images, video, or audio that have been manipulated using AI technology to insert the face and/or voice of a person, in a way that looks authentic.

House Bill 2123 creates 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.

"Technology, including AI technology, continues to evolve rapidly - now is the time to take action to end image-based sexual abuse and hold bad actors accountable," Edly-Allen said.

House Bill 2123 was signed into law Friday and goes into effect Jan. 1, 2024.

LIBERTYVILLE – State Senator Mary Edly-Allen (D-Libertyville) issued the following statement in response to the Illinois Supreme Court’s ruling on the pretrial release portions of the SAFE-T Act:

“Today is a win for equity and fairness in our criminal justice system. I am grateful the Illinois Supreme Court upheld historic, nation-leading legislation that prioritizes public safety over wealth. The current outdated cash bail system will no longer harm Illinoisans — instead our criminal justice system will become fairer and our communities will become safer.

“The Illinois Supreme Court’s decision is a long-overdue step toward dismantling systemic racism and unfair financial burdens. The General Assembly is tasked with improving the lives of all citizens, regardless of their financial status. Today we can finally say that we have accomplished just that.”

GRAYSLAKE – Senator Mary Edly-Allen and State Representative Laura Faver Dias announced $4.7 million of capital and operations grant funding today to support key needs of school districts, domestic violence prevention organizations and mental health facilities – among others – in Illinois Senate District 31 and Illinois House District 62. The funding was secured by Edly-Allen and Faver Dias as part of state budget negotiations for Fiscal Year 2024.

Recipients of capital grants include Grayslake Community Consolidated School District 46, Round Lake Community Unit School District 116, A Safe Place Lake County, Lake County Haven, The Josselyn Center, Nicasa, Prairie State Legal, the Adler Center, Illinois Science Olympiad, and the Grayslake Park District.Senator Edly-Allen also secured $500,000 in capital grant funding for the City of Zion.

“As a new legislator, Iʼm incredibly proud to provide real, impactful support to our communities in my first Session,” said Representative Laura Faver-Dias (D-Grayslake). “Thanks to these grants, our schools will be safer for students, we can better support survivors of domestic violence, and weʼll provide more opportunities for quality mental health care. These are meaningful investments for communities and families.”