Senator Melinda Bush's staff will be holding neighborhood office hours at five locations around the district this month while Senator Bush is in Springfield.

April Neighborhood Office Hours

Warren-Newport Library, 224 O'Plaine Rd, Gurnee
April 10th, 12:30-2:30pm

Wauconda Area Library, 801 N Main St, Wauconda
April 16th, 12:30-2:30pm

Antioch Public Library, 757 N, Main St, Antioch
April 18th, 12:30-2:30pm

Zion Township, 1015 27th St, Zion
April 24th, 2:30-4:30pm

Round Lake Area Library, 906 Hart Rd, Round Lake
April 25th, 2:30-4:30pm

Senator Bush is hosting an informational town hall on legalizing adult use of cannabis in Illinois on Monday, April 1 from 6-7:30pm at University Center of Lake County, 1200 University Center Drive, Grayslake.

Representative Kelly Cassidy, the chief sponsor of legislation that would legalize adult use of cannabis, will talk about her bill and help answer any questions you may have about the issue.

This is a great opportunity for constituents to share thoughts and concerns about potential cannabis legalization.

The event is free and open to the public.

March is Women's History Month. This year's theme is Visionary Women: Champions of Peace & Nonviolence.

Capitol News Illinois - March 20, 2019 | original article

SPRINGFIELD — A package of bills to increase private-sector protections for sexual harassment victims has advanced out of the state Senate Judiciary Committee.

The four bills, sponsored by Grayslake Democratic state Sen. Melinda Bush, add to lawmakers’ work last session to address sexual harassment and ethics issues in the legislature.

“Last year, we dealt with a lot of things that happened under the dome,” Bush said. “So this year, a lot of the recommendations from the task force were how we deal with different issues in the private sector.”

The task force is the Senate Task Force on Sexual Discrimination and Harassment Awareness and Prevention. It was formed in May 2018 in legislation that, among other things, allowed sexual harassment complaints at the Capitol to be investigated by the Legislative Inspector General without prior approval from the state ethics commission.

The task force’s most recent suggestions take shape in Bush’s bills, which were advanced Tuesday to the Senate floor with bipartisan support.

“They were the issues that came up over and over again,” Bush said. “But the big one is the nondisclosure agreements.”

Senate Bill 30, or the Workplace Transparency Act, would protect employees from being forced to sign nondisclosure agreements relating to sexual harassment, retaliation and unlawful discrimination.

“You’re seeing these agreements used as ways to protect perpetrators,” Bush said. “Victims are not able to talk about the issues or seek civil remedy for them.”

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