SPRINGFIELD – Care providers for Illinois residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities will see specific funding go to their wages thanks to a new law sponsored by State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin).

“Ensuring people who care for our state’s most vulnerable residents are properly compensated will help address high turnaround in this workforce,” Castro said. “I am proud to have worked on this legislation to hold employers accountable when it comes to passing along funding increases to their workers.”

SPRINGFIELD – Under a new law signed Friday, Medicaid coverage will be available for undocumented individuals age 42 and up as well as to expecting mothers who choose to utilize midwifery services.

“This new law is a win when it comes to increasing equity in our health care system,” Castro said. “These two major changes, as well as increasing rates for behavioral health services, additional funding for medical transportation services and more, will make services more accessible to more vulnerable Illinoisans.”

ELGIN – A new law will create a program to help ensure people enrolled in apprenticeship or work-based learning programs have the financial resources they need to succeed. The law, signed Friday, was supported by State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin).

“This new pilot program will do wonders for encouraging people to get into the trades and helping those already enrolled in apprenticeship programs,” said Castro, a longtime advocate for career training and apprenticeships. “Reducing financial barriers will get more people into these programs and the workforce.”

The new law, formerly House Bill 5225, creates the Job Training Assistance and Support Services Pilot Program through the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The program will award grants to organizations to distribute subsidies to individuals participating in an apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, or work-based learning program.

ELGIN - State Senator Cristina Castro supported a new law signed Tuesday that creates the Crime Reduction Task Force to address rising rates of crime throughout the state.

“Many of our neighbors are concerned about violence in our communities,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “That’s why my colleagues in the General Assembly and I prioritized public safety measures this year to keep Illinoisans safe by addressing the root causes of violence.”

The Crime Reduction Task Force will be made up of a bipartisan group of senators and representatives, alongside law enforcement, advocates, legal and criminal justice professionals, and survivors tasked with exploring ways to reduce crime in Illinois and presenting a report to the General Assembly and governor with their findings.

ELGIN – The last round of Back to Business grants have been awarded, and State Senator Cristina Castro is pleased to see this small business assistance coming to Cook and Kane counties.

“Our businesses have shown such resiliency throughout this pandemic,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “The Back to Business grant program was vital for keeping the doors of restaurants and local shops open through the tough two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

More than $2.5 million was awarded to dozens of businesses in the district Castro represents. The B2B grants are awarded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity using funds allocated to them by the American Rescue Plan through last year’s state budget.

SPRINGFIELD – As the cannabis industry continues to grow in Illinois, State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) has championed a measure to ensure prospective employees at dispensary or cultivation centers have an equitable application process.

“The cannabis industry has provided a boost to the Illinois economy,” Castro said. “Streamlining the process for people to get involved in this business will ensure a more equitable, diverse workforce and bring multiple cannabis laws on the books in line with each other.”

Currently, individuals who wish to work for a cannabis dispensary or cultivation center are subject to two different application processes – one for medical and one for adult-use. However, practically speaking most medical dispensaries also serve adult use cannabis.  House Bill 2380 streamlines the process for prospective dispensary and cultivation center employees to receive their identification cards by consolidating the application process.

SPRINGFIELD – To help ensure construction workers are properly compensated, State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) spearheaded a measure to allow construction workers employed by a subcontractor who fails to pay them to seek remedy from the primary contractor.

“Construction sites can involve a complicated network of multiple subcontractors and dozens of workers,” Castro said. “When subcontractors fail to pay their workers, we have a duty to ensure there is a mechanism in place for workers to receive their hard-earned wages.”

SPRINGFIELD – Eligible mothers who choose to utilize a midwife during the pregnancy and birthing process may soon have services covered under Medicaid thanks to legislation supported by State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin).

“Last year, after decades of work, we passed a law to officially license and certify midwives in Illinois,” said Castro, who sponsored the Licensed Certified Professional Midwife Practice Act. “We knew to truly make a difference, access to these services needed to be as equitable as possible, and expanding Medicaid coverage for them will create more options to mothers who need it most.”

House Bill 4343 makes various updates to Medicaid in Illinois, including allowing for the coverage of midwifery services. Certified professional midwives play an important role in providing high quality, low-cost maternity care for mothers who seek a home birth experience—a need particularly highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic.