Castro’s measure to bring tax dollars to Kane County passes General Assembly

SPRINGFIELD – To make sure Kane County gets its fair share of the money from legal cannabis sales, state Senator Cristina Castro won approval of legislation giving the county a new deadline to file paperwork with the state.

“One of the major selling points of legalizing cannabis sales was the revenue it would bring to local governments to support programs and services. This proposal makes sure Kane County will get its fair share,” said Castro, an Elgin Democrat.

Castro’s legislation is a technical tweak regarding the deadlines for counties to file paperwork with the state in order to begin collecting revenue from taxes on cannabis sales. Under this new window, Kane County would be allowed to begin collecting sales tax on cannabis in May of 2021.

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Hunter legislation to eliminate health care disparities passes General Assembly

SPRINGFIELD – Following a year of grave racial injustice and in light of continuing challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) passed legislation out of the General Assembly that will improve equity in the state health care system.

“This legislation has been a long time coming. My colleagues and I have worked extremely hard to pass these measures to target the structural racism that Black Illinoisans face in various sectors, including the health care industry,” Hunter said. “These measures seek to bring an end to the disparities in our health care system that exist not just for Black people, but for other communities of color and low-income Illinoisans.”

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Glowiak Hilton advances legislation to support homeless students

SPRINGFIELD – To ensure students experiencing homelessness are aware of available resources, State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) advanced an initiative to require higher education institutions to designate one employee to serve as a housing insecurity liaison.

“Our state’s higher education system has a responsibility to fight our youth homelessness crisis and provide students with safe places to live,” Glowiak Hilton said. “Just one trusted employee could prevent homeless students from falling through the cracks by connecting them with aid.”

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Stadelman: Local journalism vital to communities of every size

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) is taking action to ensure local journalism survives in Illinois’ small towns and mid-sized cities.

“As a former journalist and news anchor, I know how important it is to have access to truly local news,” Stadelman said. “People deserve to know what’s happening in their communities, regardless of where they live.”

The measure would create the Local Journalism Task Force, which would be made up of 10 individuals representing print and broadcast media, journalism schools, and state and local government. They would be charged with conducting a study on communities underserved by local journalism and making recommendations on how to preserve and restore news coverage in these areas.

Read more: Stadelman: Local journalism vital to communities of every size