Reasonably Logical

Just passing this along.

Hello all,
My name is Brian Curtin and I work for State Rep. Greg Harris. I wanted to send along my thanks as well as thanks from Rep. Harris for all of your e-mails filled with kind words and your dedication to action for House Bill 1826. In many of the e-mails people asked how to become more involved and how to help further assist in the effort for House Bill 1826. On April 18th, Equality Illinois is organizing a lobby day event for House Bill 1826 which will give you the opportunity to do just that. By attending this lobby day and speaking with legislators, you can put a face on this issue; you can help alert legislators to the lack of basic fairness for Same-Sex committed couples; you can let legislators know what this bill means to you; and you can make a difference. Although this bus leaves from Chicago and its suburbs, people from all around the state are invited to join Equality Illinois in their lobbying efforts for House Bill 1826. So please, if you can, come to Springfield on April 18th. Also, do not forget to RSVP for this event with Equality Illinois, whose information is listed in the e-mail below.

Thank you,
Brian

Brian Curtin
Chief of Staff
State Representative Greg Harris
13th District
1967 W. Montrose Ave.
Chicago, IL 60613
Brian@gregharris.org
773/348-3434
773/348-3475 Fax

I just heard today that the article I submitted for publication in the Illinois Journal for Undergraduate Research got accepted. While this isn’t a huge deal since it is only a undergraduate journal, it is still nice. Gives me something to put on my resume.
My article is titled: “A Hypervisor for Embedded Computing” and will soon be available at http://academic.ec.uiuc.edu/ijur/. It isn’t up yet. In theory, I had several coauthors, but most of the writing and work is mine.

If they keep this up, I may have to revise my opinion of the DI. First, their good editorial on the Chief Illiniwek issue and now this. They seem to have a pretty decent editorial staff this year.

Civil union bill an opportunity for Illinois
By The Daily Illini Editorial Staff
Posted: 3/29/07 Section: Editorials

http://www.dailyillini.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&uStory_id=96637380-cac2-4c4f-a6c3-267bb5789971

As sent to me today.

Spectrum DePaul looks forward to hosting you at the Illinois LGBTQA College Conference on Saturday, March 31^st , 2007. This year’s conference will be held at the University Center of Chicago located at 525 S. State Street, Chicago, IL 60605. This year’s conference will begin promptly at 10 AM and will conclude at 5:30 PM. We are happy to inform you that a continental breakfast as well as lunch will be provided through a generous donation from DePaul University’s Residence Hall Council. Computer stations will be available for use in the common area of the conference center. For more information regarding the University Center of Chicago please visit www.universitycenter.com .

Please find directions to the conference center listed below.

*By Car:*

_From the North and Northwest: _

> From the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/I-94) exit at Jackson Boulevard and
turn east. The Loop campus is approximately one mile from the expressway on Jackson Boulevard at State Street.

_From the West:_

> From the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290), continue toward downtown. As you
approach the downtown area, the expressway becomes Congress Parkway. Turn left (north) on Dearborn Street, go two blocks to Jackson Boulevard and turn right (east). The Loop campus is one block east on Jackson Boulevard at State Street.

_From the South:_

> From the Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/I-94) exit at Jackson Boulevard and
turn east. The look campus is approximately one mile from the expressway on Jackson Boulevard at State Street.

_From Lake Shore Drive (North or South):_

Exit Lake Shore Drive at Jackson Boulevard and turn west. The Loop campus is approximately ½ mile from Lake Shore Drive on Jackson Boulevard at State Street .

*Please find parking information listed below:*

Unfortunately, the University Center of Chicago and its partner institutions do not have parking facilities available in the Loop area. However, there are a plethora of parking garages around the area that have either discounted rates for students and/or Saturday flat rates. You should expect to pay between $10-$15/day for parking. The following parking garages remain available:

· Grant Park Garage (Underground; enter at Van Buren and Michigan Avenue)

325 S. Michigan Avenue

312-747-2519

Exits to street level onto Michigan Avenue at Jackson and Van Buren

Evening rate (after 4pm): $14

Matinee Rate (2-10 hours before 4pm): $17

· Monroe Street Garage (underground)

350 Easy Monroe Street

312-616-0600

Saturday Parking: 0-12 hours, $13 dollar flat rate

· Crosstown Auto Park

328 South Wabash

312-939-9462

Saturday Parking: All day, $10 flat rate

· CNA Building

65 East Jackson

312-765-0252

Saturday Parking: All day, $11 flat rate

· Loop Auto Park

524 South Wabash Ave

312-922-1499

Everyday Rates: 3 hours, $6; 6 hours, $10; 12 hours, $14

*Please find alternative methods of transportation listed below:*

_Rapid Transit Lines_

All six rapid transit train lines service the downtown Chicago area and DePaul’s Loop campus. From the subway trains, exit at Jackson Boulevard.
> From the elevated trains, exit at Adams Street/ Wabash Avenue. For a
more complete set of directions visit www.transitchicago.com and choose Trip Planner on the left hand side to assist you with your travels.

_Busses_

Bus routes interconnect throughout the city. MANY buses stop very near the Loop campus. You may contact the CTA at (312) 836-7000 or TDD (Hearing Impaired) (312) 836-4949. For more information, visit www.transitchicago.com and choose Trip Planner on the left hand side to assist you with your travels.

_Metra Train Stations:_

All Metra Train Stations are located within a short walking distance (or car ride) of the Loop campus:

· Union Station, Canal Street and Adams Street: Walk east on Adams Street until State Street. Turn right (south) for one block to Jackson Boulevard.

· Chicago & Northwestern Station, Canal Street and Madison Avenue: Walk east on Adams Street until State Street. Turn right (south) for three blocks to Jackson Boulevard.

· LaSalle Street Station, LaSalle Street and Congress Parkway: Walk east down Congress Parkway until you reach State Street. Turn left (north) for two blocks to Jackson Boulevard.

· Illinois Central Station (includes service for the South Shore Line), Michigan Avenue and Van Buren Street: Walk north on Michigan Avenue for one block to Jackson Boulevard. Turn left (west) on Jackson Boulevard to State Street.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you on March 31st.

Spectrum DePaul

Quoted directly from an Equality Illinois announcement.

CIVIL UNION BILL PASSES ILLINOIS HOUSE COMMITTEE!
Please Thank Our Yes Votes

An Illinois House committee passed a bill today (March 21) that would extend legal recognition and many of the benefits of civil marriage to same sex couples.

The Religious Freedom and Civil Union Act (HB1826) passed the Illinois House Human Services Committee with a vote of 5-4 today. The bill now goes to the full House for consideration.

HB1826 guarantees many of the rights and responsibilities to persons in civil unions that are currently granted to persons in civil marriages. Among those rights are the ability to participate in healthcare visitation and decision making for one’s partner, survivor benefits and the right to make disposition decisions about deceased partner’s remains.

The bill also affirms religious institutions’ right not to recognize such unions or to solemnize a civil union.

“While this bill does not provide for recognition of same-sex marriages in the State of Illinois, it does give gay couples legal recognition and many of the same benefits and responsibilities of marriage,” said Rick Garcia, political director of Equality Illinois. “It is a step in the right direction for full equality in Illinois.”

Please contact the sponsor Representative Greg Harris (D-Chicago) and thank him for his sponsorship:
Email: greg@gregharris.org
Phone: 217-782-3835 Fax: 217-557-6470

Also, please contact the following Human Services Committee members who voted for this bill:

Representative Naomi Jakobsson (D-Champaign)
Email: naomi@naomijakobsson.com
Phone: 217-558-1009 Fax: 217-557-7680

Representative Constance Howard (D-Chicago)
Email: staterep-constance-a-howard@comcast.net
Phone: 217-782-6476 Fax: 217-782-0952

Representative Annazette Collins (D-Chicago)
Email: annazettec@sbcglobal.net
Phone: 217-782-8077 Fax: 217-557-7643

Representative Elizabeth Coulson (R-Glenview)
Email: coulson@earthlink.net
Phone: 217-782-4194 Fax: 217-782-7613

Representative Al Riley (D-Matteson)
Email: rep.riley38@sbcglobal.net
Phone: 217-558-1007 Fax: 217-557-1664

It turns out there are now TWO marriage related bills in the Illinois legislature this year. One is the original marriage bill that I already mentioned and the second is a civil union bill. Most importantly, I’m being told that WE MIGHT ACTUALLY PASS the civil union bill THIS YEAR.

Below is a quick briefing from Allie Carter with Equal Marriage Illinois. Apparently, the hearing mentioned below was delayed one week, but everything else should still be accurate.

Philip-

I got permission to send you the media advisory. Here’s my take:

House Services Committee to Vote on Civil Unions Bill

Several weeks ago, Rep. Greg Harris filed a historic piece of
legislation to end the denial of marriage to LGBT couples in Illinois.
However, despite his tremendous efforts, he and the other sponsors
simply could not find enough support to move the bill out of committee.

What Rep. Harris did discover was the potential to pass, this year, a
comprehensive civil unions bill. This bill represents an enormous step
towards full equality for gays and lesbians, and will guarantee many of
the rights and benefits needed by LGBT families in Illinois.

While there is a great deal of work to be done, I am told that this bill
has a great deal of support through out both chambers - and has a real
chance of passing this year. While full marriage equality is, obviously,
our goal, I think this legislation will add momentum to the fight and
move us closer.

Allie

P.S. I’m attaching a copy of the media advisory. Below are Rick Garcia’s
comments on the bills:

The Religious Freedom & Marriage Fairness Act (HB1615) sponsored
by Representatives Greg Harris (D-Ravenswood), Constance Howard
(D-Chicago), Sara Feigenholtz (D-Lakeview) and Harry Osterman
(D-Edgewater) has been assigned to the House Human Services
Committee.

Unfortunately, we do not have the necessary votes to pass this
bill out of committee at this time — but we continue to educate
legislators and their communities on the importance of equal
marriage for glbt Illinoisans.

A comprehensive Civil Union Act (HB 1826) has also been introduced
by Rep. Harris and is co-sponsored by more than a dozen members of
the Illinois House. This bill is assigned to the House Human
Services Committee and a hearing and committee vote is scheduled
for Wednesday, March 14, 8 a.m. in Room D-1 of the Stratton
Building in Springfield.

This bill has an excellent chance of passing the committee on
Wednesday and going to the full House of Representatives for
consideration.

For copies of the bills, list of their sponsors, list of committee
members and schedules please go to www.ilga.gov
.

I just completed my withdrawal from the university. On Wednesday, I discovered that the university wanted to charge me an additional $9,000 dollars. (Apparently, I missed some deadline to reduce tuition range in January.) The only way I could reduce the amount I have to pay them was to withdraw from the university. Thankfully, this won’t screw up my graduation. To summarize, I’m not a student any more. Thank God!

While I’m very mad at the university as a whole, I have to say that the Dean of Students Office and the Computer Science Department have been very helpful throughout. Now the Engineering College on the other hand… Let’s just say I’ll never be donating to them.

Just ran across this interesting study, apparently done by a graduate student at UIUC. I’m not sure how statistically valid the results are given how skewed the participant pool might have been, but interesting none-the-less.

An equal marriage bill was introduced in the Illinois House last week. Cosponsored by Rep. Greg Harris, Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, Rep. Constance A. Howard, & Rep. Harry Osterman, the bill would change the definition of marriage to be between any two persons (not closely related by blood) rather than “a man and a woman”. There is a group of people getting together next Tuesday March 6th at 5:30 in the Geneva Room of the McKinley Foundation to hash out what type of action we could take to help the bill pass. Anyone who wants to attend is welcome.

Please RSVP to me (reames@uiuc.edu) if you want pizza (which I will be buying). Feel free to just show up, but if you don’t RSVP I won’t promise there will be enough pizza for you.

5:30 pm, Tuesday, March 6th
Geneva Room
McKinley Church and Foundation
809 S. Fifth St.
Champaign, Il 61820

House Bill 1615:
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=HB&DocNum=1615&GAID=9&SessionID=51&LegID=30427

Equal Marriage Illinois Champaign County - the local equal marriage activism group in Champaign-Urbana which is hosting the meeting
http://www.equalmarriagecc.org/

Yesterday, I met again with the group planning the information phone line for the GLBT community in Champaign and Urbana. During the course of the meeting, we decided that what we really wanted to focus on was creating the information guide. The medium is very much secondary. Since there is so much liability potentially involved with a phone line, we decided to get a website up and running first. In the process of gathering information for the resource guide, we’re going to be interviewing a number of folks who have been active in the community here for many years. We intend on broadening the scope of this interviews to obtain as much historical information as we can. (Or at least that is my intent.) I’ve already gone ahead and registered the domains we’re going to be using, but nothing is up yet.

The Champaign County LGBTQA Resource Guide will soon be available at: www.CClgbtqaResourceGuide.org

The next meeting is:
Saturday, March 3rd at 2pm
Urbana Public Library in the conference room downstairs (turn right after taking the stairs down)