Representative Debbie Meyers-Martin Advocates For Consumers
Illinois State Representative Debbie Meyers-Martin represents the 38th District which includes nine municipalities in the Southland. PHOTO PROVIDED BY
ANJENITA DAVIS.
She was sworn-in as a State Representative in 2019 and prior to that, she was the Mayor of Olympia Fields for seven years, and a trustee of Olympia Fields for 10 years.
“I am just very honored and privileged to have the opportunity to represent people that live in my District as well as the State of Illinois,” she said.
The Illinois Legislative Session began on Tuesday, Jan. 16th. Meyers Martin is trying to carry a few bills this session. She is excited about working with the South Suburban Small Business Advocacy Group to create a tax credit for small businesses. She also is working with a nursing organization to amend the nurses practice act to make patients safer, in terms of who distributes their medication. Legislation for the South Suburban Airport passed last year in order to create a process for procurement for the airport. This year, Meyers-Martin will work on legislation that will make sure the Department of Transportation does the work it was mandated to do for the next six months.
Meyers-Martin is working on the Underground Railroad Task Force. She is the House Chair for the Task Force, working with the Illinois Office of Tourism and the Department of Natural Resources to provide connectivity to all of the Underground Railroad sites in the State of Illinois. It was discovered that Sauk Trail was a pathway to Canada on the Underground Railroad.
Meyers-Martin is the Chairwoman of the Consumer Protection committee. In that capacity, she has heard testimony from people who have been affected by bad practices from some credit repair companies. The goal is to make sure the guidelines are more stringent to protect consumers. Last year, there was a tow truck driver’s legislation, which enables the Illinois Commerce Commission to publish the names of tow companies who have been admonished by the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation. It will help consumers stay away from those companies.
Meyers-Martin is working on legislation to provide mandates and guidelines for online banking to be regulated and licensed. She said, currently, they are not and there are opportunities for people to be taken advantage of. She is working with the Chicago Community Trust on that legislation.
“It’s very important that companies are accountable. I’ve said many times, you cannot legislate integrity, but you certainly can mandate guidelines and rules for companies to be better and to be more accessible to residents, to their customers,” she said.
Meyers-Martin added that it is important that in the State of Illinois, companies know they will be held accountable to their business practices and hold them to their best practices. She said there is a lot of work to be done, but it is exciting to have that opportunity.
Meyers-Martin is the liaison to the African American Mayors in the State of Illinois. It gives her the opportunity to hear those Mayors’ concerns. She has recently worked with Mayors in Harvey and Robbins on some of their immediate concerns. Meyers Martin is up for re-election. During her time, she has made it a priority to ensure constituents knew she was their representative and were aware of how to get resources and services within her office.
“I’m extremely passionate about the Southland, not only my District, but the entire South Suburban area. With that, I have been very diligent to look at legislation and to bring resources back to the community, so we can improve the quality of life,” she said.
For more information about State Representative Meyers-Martin, visit www.repdebbiemeyersmartin.com.
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