Adjoa Jackson is emotional as her husband, Veldarin Jackson, Sr., center, talks about receiving the call that his mother, Janice Reed, had died May 24, 2022. Reed is one of the three senior victims who died in a Rogers Park building where residents complained of heat.
During the House debate on the measure, Democratic state Rep. Kelly Cassidy of Chicago recalled being alerted in May 2022 to athat would result in the deaths of Delores McNeely, 76, Gwendolyn Osborne, 72, and Janice Reed, 68. The James Sneider Apartments at 7450 N. Rogers Ave. in Rogers Park on May 16, 2022, where three seniors were discovered dead after residents reported high temperatures.
While there is no explicit penalty for an apartment building that does not adhere to these rules, the bill’s chief Senate sponsor, Chicago Democrat Mike Simmons, said that in order for apartment buildings to receive their funding from the state, building managers must adhere to the new regulations.