Feigenholtz champions measure to protect Chicago restaurants

SPRINGFIELD — Third-party restaurant ‘booking’ services have cropped up in foodie destinations recently, including Chicago. Scooping up restaurant reservations and reselling them on an auction-style platform with the promise of exclusivity is a new trick. In response, State Senator Sara Feigenholtz is leading a bill aiming to protect Illinoisans from these price-gouging tactics. 

“Restaurants operate on the slimmest of margins to keep prices competitive and attract customers,” Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) said. “When bad actors try to turn a profit using a restaurant’s name and likeness without consent, owners are left scrambling with no-shows, eroding trust in the culinary industry.”

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Lightford leads conversations on equitable funding for higher education

SPRINGFIELD – Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford is working to transform how Illinois funds its higher education system through legislation she outlined during a Subject Matter Hearing Wednesday.  

“Despite education’s paramount importance, the disparity in funding among higher educational institutions remains dreadfully evident,” said Lightford (D-Maywood). “This imbalance not only undermines the principle of equal opportunity but also hampers our collective progress as a society.”

Lightford was instrumental in creating the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding in 2021. Over the years, the 30-person commission studied if public institutions of higher education are in dire need of a new funding model when serving underrepresented and historically underserved student groups, including Black and Brown students, as well as students from low-income families.

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Murphy measure aims to protect consumers from unlicensed car sales

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Laura Murphy is championing a measure to crack down on unlicensed car dealers deceiving consumers with sales of defective cars.

“In our current financial landscape, consumer protection is more important than ever,” said Murphy (D-Des Plaines). “Unlicensed car sellers pose significant risks to consumers, not just financially but also by putting the lives of unsuspecting customers in danger with cars that are of questionable quality.”

The goal is to make the already illegal practice of “curbstoning” — a scheme where individual sellers draw car shoppers to places like parking lots and side streets to sell used cars without a license — more difficult. The cars are sold for more money than they are worth and typically have significant issues such as water damage, mileage rollbacks, mechanical issues, or salvaged titles — which are only issued if the car has sustained enough damage to be declared a total loss.

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Villanueva leads measure to raise wages for workers supporting individuals with disabilities

SPRINGFIELD – At a press conference on Wednesday, State Senator Celina Villanueva reaffirmed her commitment to strengthening Illinois care infrastructure by advancing legislation to improve compensation for Direct Support Professionals who provide critical daily care to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“Direct Support Professionals are the backbone of care for thousands of Illinois residents living with disabilities,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “Their wages should reflect the essential, often demanding work they do every day. This measure gives us the opportunity to move toward equity and dignity for this workforce.”

Under Senate Bill 1617, the Illinois Department of Human Services would be required to increase reimbursement rates for community agencies and residential programs that employ DSPs and other frontline staff. The measure aims to support a $2 per hour wage increase for DSPs by July 1, 2025, pending federal approval.

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