SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The Illinois Senate has passed a bill that would show support for Ukraine by removing any financial sources the state supports.
The bill aims to remove any kind of financial relationship the state has with Russia to respond to the nation’s invasion of Ukraine.
Some ways the proposed law would cut ties include divesting any investments Illinois has in Russian banks and companies, create task forces to investigate the real estate sector for any Russian money laundering and strengthen election security from foreign interference, and require public colleges and universities in the state to disclose any endowments or donations from Russian sources.
“The Illinois Senate joins the international community in denouncing Russian’s ongoing, unconscionable acts of aggression against the Ukrainian people,” said Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, (D-Oak Park) who sponsored the legislation in the Senate.
The original bill was filed in March by Rep. Lindsey LaPointe (D-Chicago) before being expanded in the Senate. Some expansions include providing guidance for the 2024 election with no foreign influence and expanding protections for Ukrainian refugees settling in Illinois.
“This bill in itself is not going to end the war in Ukraine, but it’s a way to harness our collective power and do everything we can in Illinois, to make a statement to support Ukrainian people,” LaPointe said on the floor of the House of Representatives before it went to a vote.
The vote was 50-0 in the Senate. The previous vote in the House of Representatives back in April was also unanimous.
The bill now heads back to the House of Representatives where they will vote on the senate amendment before heading to the Governor’s desk. The Governor announced in a statement alongside Harmon and Illinois Speaker of the House Chris Welch earlier this year that he supported the legislation.