The Illinois House on Tuesday unanimously approved legislation to penalize Russia for its war in Ukraine.
The legislation sponsored by Rep. Lindsey LaPointe, a Chicago Democrat, directs state pension funds to eliminate any investments in Russian-based companies, prepares the state to accept Ukrainian refugees and sets up a group to study Russian money-laundering in Illinois real estate.
“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 the Ukrainian people,” LaPointe said.
With input from Republicans, LaPointe added a provision to create a study group on foreign interference in state elections to prevent a repeat of Russian operatives hacking into data maintained by the Illinois State Board of Elections in 2016. She also put in a measure requiring higher education institutions to report any endowment or other donation they receive from anyone associated with an entity on the Treasury Department's sanctions list.
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The proposal was approved 114-0 and moves to the Senate.
