SPRINGFIELD – A new measure led by State Senator Cristina Castro to proactively address substance use disorders during pregnancy and safeguard maternal and infant health cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

“Compassion and support are crucial for upholding the health and wellbeing of all mothers and infants,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “By establishing this task force, we can take a proactive stance to address substance use disorders during pregnancy and find ways to holistically support families with newborns.”

The bill is a response to recommendations from the Illinois Maternal Mortality Review Committee, as substance use disorders are a leading cause of maternal mortality in the state. The Illinois Department of Public Health found that the leading cause of pregnancy-related death from 2018 to 2020 was substance use disorder, which comprised 32% of pregnancy-related deaths.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Cristina Castro advanced a measure that would enable volunteers who serve at local disaster and emergency services agencies in Illinois to qualify for the volunteer emergency worker tax credit.

“When disaster strikes, emergency services volunteers are there to provide assistance, perform damage assessments, remove debris and, ultimately, help our communities recover,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “Giving them the ability to claim the same tax credit as volunteer firefighters is one small way we can extend our gratitude for their service while providing an incentive for others to volunteer in their communities.”

Senate Bill 2704 would allow certain municipal and county volunteer emergency workers to qualify for the Illinois volunteer emergency worker tax credit beginning in taxable year 2024. The volunteer would be eligible if they serve for at least 100 hours at a local emergency services and disaster agency during the taxable year, do not earn more than $5,000 for their service, and are registered with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. These requirements would only apply to volunteers working with a local emergency services and disaster agency. Volunteer firefighters and emergency service volunteers with a fire department are already eligible for the tax credit.

In a unanimous decision issued Friday, the Illinois Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of local pension fund consolidation contained in a 2019 law sponsored by State Senator Cristina Castro.

“This is a victory for taxpayers and first responders across Illinois,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “This consolidation is already producing positive returns, underscoring the importance of addressing our state’s most pressing financial issue.”

Castro’s law – which passed under Senate Bill 1300 – enabled downstate fire and police pension funds to be consolidated into two separate funds over a 30-month period beginning in January 2020. Since the law took effect, the Firefighters’ Pension Investment Fund has added more than $40 million in value through investment returns and seen a reduction in fees and expenses of $34 million. This has led to a reduction in statutory minimum contributions, saving money for local governments and taxpayers.

As of September, the law has enabled the consolidation of nearly 300 pension funds with $7.9 billion in total assets. It was expected that annual returns would measure around 7.1%, but the Fiscal Year 2023 rate of return was 9.7%.

SPRINGFIELD — A new law sponsored by State Senator Cristina Castro addresses a number of procurement issues and aims to increase diversity and efficiency throughout the state’s commerce process.

“Ensuring our state agencies, universities, vendors, suppliers and minority contractors can contract and complete projects more efficiently, transparently and sustainably is at the core of this law,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “Streamlining the process and expanding supplier diversity measures opens the door to new opportunities for veteran- and minority-owned contractors — not just the big firms — who have worked for years to secure contracts to work on important projects in our state.”

The law makes a number of changes to streamline the procurement process. It subjects corporations that hold state contracts to additional transparency requirements and enhances transparency in the Business Enterprise Council by requiring the annual small business report to be made public.

SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Cristina Castro is spearheading a measure to establish a clearly defined and uniform number of appeal days so that all Cook County taxpayers can rely on sufficient time to file, define, argue and support their property assessment appeals.

“Tax-paying homeowners should be able to count on their local government for consistency and be able to voice their concerns when their property assessment goes up—as many are experiencing this year,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “This is an opportunity to stand up for Cook County homeowners, especially northwest suburban taxpayers who are seeing increases across the board, and make the property assessment appeals process more simple and flexible.”

Senate Bill 1988 requires the Cook County Assessor to continue accepting appeals from a taxpayer for at least 30 business days after the date the increased property assessment was mailed or published on the assessor’s website.

ELGIN – Two local community-based organizations will receive more than $230,000 in combined literacy grants to grow and enhance their programs, thanks to support from State Senator Cristina Castro.

“The Literacy Connection and YWCA Elgin have a long history of serving and supporting the families in our community, and this investment ensures they can continue providing critical adult education and literacy programs to those who may not otherwise be able to access services,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “Not only do these funds support programs and classes for adult learners, they also benefit our youngest learners by incorporating literacy education into a family-oriented model.”

Two area agencies are set to receive a total of $230,485 to enhance community and family literacy and improve access to services. The Literacy Connection in Elgin will see $130,485 in family literacy and community literacy grant funding, and YWCA Elgin will see $100,000 in family literacy grant funding that will benefit children from birth to age five.

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias awarded the grants through the Adult Literacy Grant Program, which helps learners develop and enhance their reading, math, writing and English-language skills. Family literacy projects funded through the program include both adult and child literacy services, delivered in holistic and family-centered models.

More information about the Secretary of State’s Adult Literacy Program grants can be found here.

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois students will soon have an easier time transferring across public colleges and universities without having to repeat courses they have already earned major credit for, thanks to an initiative championed by State Senator Cristina Castro that was signed into law Friday.

“The first iteration of the Illinois Articulation Initiative was a success,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “Now that we have a blueprint set in place, it’s time to expand transfer equivalency to all major courses so that our students can graduate without barriers and begin a meaningful career.”

In 2016, the General Assembly passed the Illinois Articulation Initiative Act. The Act codified a longstanding statewide agreement known as the Illinois Articulation Initiative by requiring that all public institutions, both community colleges and universities, participate in IAI through submission and review of their courses for statewide transfer consistency.

ELGIN – State Senator Cristina Castro announced that the Village of Carpentersville will receive $4 million in funding from the Illinois EPA to replace lead service lines in the community.

“Clean drinking water is a basic human right, and it’s especially important that our children have access to clean water that is lead-free,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “Investing in replacing these pipes will keep harmful chemicals out of our water and give Carpentersville families, schools and businesses peace of mind that their water infrastructure is safe, healthy and upgraded.”