Advancing Civic Justice: Legislative Progress, Power, and What’s Next

Dear Friends, Partners and Advocates, 

As the 104th Illinois General Assembly spring session came to a close this week, the Muslim Civic Coalition is reflecting on a challenging but consequential legislative session marked by hard work, strategic partnerships, and grassroots power.

While we celebrate important policy and budget wins secured alongside our partners, we are disappointed that funding for halal and kosher meals in public schools and the repeal of the anti-BDS law did not make it across the finish line this session.  

Still, we demonstrated what is possible when communities organize, show up, and fight together.

Alongside our partners, we’re celebrating key wins for Illinois communities this session: 

Working with ICIRR, PAVE, and ICHR we helped secure key victories this session, including $40 million for public benefits outreach and citizenship support, $70 million in emergency assistance for families impacted by federal cuts, preserved healthcare for immigrant seniors, improved hospital financial assistance, and new revenue through a digital ads tax.

These wins reflect the strength of organized communities working across issues and across organizations.

How we showed up together:

None of these wins would have been possible without the consistent, organized presence of our volunteers, partners, and grassroots leaders. Thanks to your support, between January and May, the Muslim Civic Coalition showed up in powerful ways:

• 1,464 emails sent to elected officials

• 210 phone calls made to legislative offices

• 82 in-person meetings with legislators and their staff

• 11 action days in Springfield (some organized, some attended)

Every meeting, call, and trip to Springfield was a step toward building a stronger, more responsive democracy for our communities.

This session, we made meaningful progress on two important fronts.

1) Halal and Kosher Meals in Public Schools

We led efforts to secure funding for halal and kosher meals in Illinois public schools. This included successfully advocating for hearings in both the House and Senate, along with submitting 527 witness slips in support. While the bill did not pass this session, we moved it significantly closer to becoming law.

2 ) Protecting Free Speech and Palestine Advocacy

Through our work with the Illinois Human Rights Coalition, we advanced the repeal of the anti-BDS law. This effort also moved one step closer to passage this session.

We remain committed to continuing this work in the upcoming legislative session to ensure these priorities are fully realized.

What we still need to do: 

We will continue pushing for:

• Full implementation of halal and kosher meal funding across Illinois public schools, ensuring every student can practice their faith while meeting their basic nutritional needs. 

• The repeal of the anti-BDS law, along with stronger protections for Palestine advocacy and First Amendment rights.

We remain committed to working with partners and stakeholders to advance these priorities.

What comes next:

The close of session is not the end of our advocacy, with increasing threats coming from the federal government and hate-fueled movements, Illinois must continue to lead with bold, protective policies that prioritize the safety and dignity of all residents.

In the months ahead, we will engage in the fall veto session, and prepare for the 2027 legislative session, by hosting listening sessions this summer on the issues impacting your community. 

Stay connected as we share some actions in the coming weeks. Thank you to everyone who showed up for this session. Let’s keep going.