SENATOR HUNTER REFLECTS ON HER CAREER AND LOOKS AHEAD TO 2022 IN A Q&A WITH THE CITIZEN

Illinois State Senator Mattie Hunter has been representing the 3rd District since 2003, when she was appointed after Margaret Smith left office. Photo provided by Halie Owens
Illinois State Senator Mattie Hunter has been representing the 3rd District since 2003, when she was appointed after Margaret Smith left office. Photo provided by Halie Owens

 Senator Hunter reflects on her career and looks ahead to 2022
in a Q&A with the Citizen

BY TIA CAROL JONES
Illinois State Senator Mattie Hunter represents the 3rd District, which includes some of the poorest and richest neighborhoods in the City of Chicago.

Healthcare has been one of her number one priorities, and she has sponsored and co-sponsored bills, like Senate Bill 1846 and
House Bill 158.

Q. What made you decide to run for elected office?

A. Initially, I didn’t run for State Senate. In 2003, I was appointed to fill a position. Margaret Smith was the Senator of the 3rd District before me. Though I didn’t initially run for Senate, being raised in the projects on the South Side of Chicago, gave me a front seat to the various injustices that
occur based off what color skin you have, and what ZIP code you were born into. I knew from a young age that I could not sit back and watch such injustices occur, and I made it my life’s mission to do what I could to help bring justice to these unjust systems.

Q. Can you talk about the 3rd District, what communities it includes and some of its specific needs?

A. The 3rd District includes this communities: Cook County, Chicago, Armour
Square, Bridgeport, Bronzeville, Chicago Lawn, Douglas, Englewood, Fuller Park, Gage Park, McKinley Park, Near North Side, New City, Washington Park, West Englewood and Woodlawn.

The last two years have been especially challenging for the communities in the 3rd District as we’ve dealt with a lot of violence, civil unrest, hospital closure threats, and the COVID-19 struggles, like everyone else.
I advocated against the closure of Mercy Hospital for months, and I’m glad that a resolution was reached. Still, my communities need to recovery from all the losses from the COVID-19. They need increased
access to affordable healthcare, and just overall investment in safer and more economically thriving neighborhoods.

Q. A bill you sponsored in the Illinois Senate, Healthy Kids, is now a public act. What is it and how will it help the state’s children?

A. Senate Bill 1846 would require restaurants to serve non-sweet beverages as the default option for kids’ meals. This means that water, sparkling water, unsweetened flavored water, unsweetened low-fat or non-fat milk, or up to 8 ounces of 100% fruit or vegetable juice as the beverages that automatically come in packaged children’s meals. House Bill 3490 amends the Illinois
Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to specify that if a restaurant includes milk as a default beverage in a kid’s meal, it must be dairy milk and contain no more than 130 calories per container or serving.

Parents would still have the choice to ask for other types of beverages, like soda or lemonade, if they wish. Some children as young as eight have detectable early warning signs of heart disease, and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in children is increasing and disproportionately affects children of color. While parents are primarily responsible for feeding their children healthfully, they cannot always prepare meals at home. Restaurants and communities should support parents’ efforts to feed their children well and one easy place to start is by offering healthy beverages as the default option for children’s meals.

Q. You sponsored a bill to improve access to healthcare for low income and uninsured residents. It is now a law.  How does a law like this help when it comes to health disparities, quality of life and the life expectancy gap? Also, is there more that can be done for the Black community in Chicago and the State of Illinois when it comes to healthcare?

A. House Bill 158, A.K.A. the health care pillar of the Legislative Black Caucus Agenda to eradicate racism in the State of Illinois. While this legislation addressed many areas, including healthcare access,
maternal mortality, implicit bias, and more, we knew it was also important to address mental health and substance abuse treatment. This package was extremely necessary for various reasons. For one, there is a prevalence of health deserts in Black communities. The health care providers that are located within these neighborhoods tend to offer lower-quality care. Worse than that, essential safety nets such as Mercy Hospital were facing closure in the midst of a global pandemic. These statistics didn’t sit right with me, and I am so glad that we were able to pass legislation to address these
issues. I know they won’t be fixed overnight, but they are a great start to solving some of our state’s institutional racism. And I hope that House Bill 158 will inspire a plethora of additional health care reform. Until statistics like these no longer exist, there is always something more we can do.

Q. It’s the end of the year. What would you say was your signature legislation this year? What are you working on for next year?

A. House Bill 158 was by far one of my proudest measures to date. It took nearly a year in the making between research, hearings, meetings, etc. to become a law! This is something that hasn’t really been done before,
as it was a part of the Legislative Black Caucus Agenda to eradicate racism in our state. I am immensely proud of all the work my colleagues, staff and other stakeholders put in to make these life changing measures a reality. The legislation for next year is still in the works, but my priorities will remain on increasing access to healthcare, increasing public safety, creating economic
opportunities, and fighting for equality.

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