A Day in the Life of an IABG Advocate

Ever wonder what it’s like to work in Springfield? Follow me on a recent day in Springfield as I worked to advance IABG’s legislative priorities!

2657:30 AM. With a full day at the State Capitol ahead of me, the work starts early to get ready for the day!

9:00 AM. Time to take the quick walk to the Capitol and meet up with Brent Adams with the Woodstock Institute, our close partner in Springfield.

9:15 AM.We stopped by the offices of five Senators to talk to them about SB2804, the Wage Assignment & Consumer Protections bill – but none of them were available.

10:00 AM. We managed to meet with Senator Hutchinson, to share our concerns about a bill that would harm the financial security of low- and middle-income workers.

10:19 AM. Brent and I really wanted to talk with Senator Raoul about SB2804, so we waited outside of a committee hearing for almost an hour to talk to him.

11:10 AM. Success! We were able to talk with Senator Raoul, in hopes of getting his support for the Wage Assignment & Consumer Protections bill.

12:00 PM. Time for a lunch break with colleagues at a nearby sandwich shop!

12:45 PM. We headed back to the Capitol, and I settled into the room where our bill would soon be heard in the Executive Committee.

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1:45 PM. I sat with Senator Biss, the sponsor of SB2804, to prepare for the committee hearing and review questions that might be asked of the bill.

2:15 PM. SB2804 is up in committee! Senator Biss presented the bill, and the Senators on the committee asked some questions about it. They took a vote, and SB2804 passed out of committee!

3:00 PM. We debrief the committee hearing will Senator Biss and our allies. Brent and I take a celebratory picture!

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4:00 PM. With our work in the Capitol done for the day, I head back to the hotel to catch up on email, and celebrate SB2804 making it out of committee!

As I look ahead at the next two months in Springfield, we have a lot of work ahead of us. Advancing SB2804 out of committee was just a first step. With the journey ahead, we could use your support. Sign your organization on to the campaign and help us protect Illinois borrowers.

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