Committee on Health and Human Relations meeting, May 7, 2026
- When: Thu, May 7, 2026, 10:00 AM (Chicago time)
- Where: City Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 121 North LaSalle Street - Chicago, IL 60602
- Status: Scheduled & Published
- Committee: Committee on Health and Human Relations
- Video: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8928590?video=1189860695
- Transcript: full text (9,626 words, automatic captions)
Meeting notes
AI-written from the transcript. Speakers are inferred from cues in the recording, so treat names as estimates and check the video at the linked time.
The Committee on Health and Human Relations approved its March 2026 Rule 45 report and passed, as substituted, Alderperson Nicole T. Lee ordinance requiring the Department of Public Health and the Department of Family and Support Services to collect race and ethnicity data using Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander subcategories in specified programs; the substitute made it an uncodified ordinance. Many public commenters and presenters from the Chinese American Service League spoke in support, describing how aggregated data hides differences in health, housing and other needs among subgroups. The committee then took up a resolution calling on federal authorities to release Salah Sarsour, a lawful permanent resident detained by ICE, hearing from co-sponsors and his son. During that item Alderperson Raymond A. Lopez called for a quorum count, only five members were present, and after a recess the chair adjourned the meeting without a vote, saying the committee would reconvene on May 19.
Topics: data disaggregation, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, immigration detention, Salah Sarsour resolution, quorum, Rule 45 report
Agenda items discussed
- 28:26 Motion to allow remote participation under Rule 59: passed
- 28:57 Public comment
- 1:04:35 Approval of the March 2026 Rule 45 report: passed
- 1:04:52 Ordinance requiring CDPH and DFSS to collect race and ethnicity data using Asian and Pacific Islander subcategories (substitute): passed
- 1:24:31 Resolution calling on DHS and ICE to release Salah Sarsour and safeguard immigrant rights (R2026-0024891): deferred
Alderpersons who spoke
- Rossana Rodríguez Sánchez (chair): Spoke in support of the Sarsour resolution, saying her office still receives calls about people being detained and urging colleagues to vote yes. (1:33:04)
- Nicole T. Lee (alderperson): Explained that the substitute is a non-codified ordinance applying to specific DFSS and CDPH programs after review by the Law Department. (1:05:26); Said disaggregated data helps ensure people are seen and heard and that the ordinance is a start that could benefit the city broadly. (1:07:46)
- Raymond A. Lopez (alderperson)
- Byron Sigcho-López (alderperson): Said more than 70,000 people have been detained without due process and that this should not be met with silence. (1:25:25); Said Salah Sarsour has been a lawful permanent resident for 32 years, faces unproven allegations, and was detained for his speech. (1:26:07); Called for the release of Sarsour and all people he described as illegally detained, including children. (1:28:27)
- Anthony J. Quezada (alderperson): Said Sarsour has not been convicted of any crime and called the detention a politically targeted attack on First Amendment rights. (1:31:49)
- Jeylú B. Gutiérrez (alderperson): Asked whether the meeting could be recessed and resumed in an hour instead of adjourned. (1:50:06)
- Maria E. Hadden (alderperson)
Exchanges between members
- 1:06:10 Alderperson Raymond A. Lopez asked the chair which substitute version was before the committee.
- 1:09:19 The chair thanked Alderperson Nicole T. Lee before moving to accept the substitute.
- 1:24:03 The chair thanked Alderperson Nicole T. Lee for her work on the ordinance.
- 1:28:11 Alderperson Byron Sigcho-López thanked the chair for allowing discussion of the resolution.
- 1:34:39 Alderperson Raymond A. Lopez called for a quorum count after the chair recognized him.
- 1:50:06 Alderperson Jeylú B. Gutiérrez asked the chair whether the meeting could be recessed rather than adjourned.
- 1:50:16 Alderperson Maria E. Hadden moved to table the motion to adjourn.
- 1:50:22 The chair said there was no quorum to vote on the motion and adjournment was the only option.
- 1:50:39 Alderperson Maria E. Hadden asked whether remote participants could count toward quorum.