OAKBROOK TERRACE – Illinois now has a new law in place to help some of the people who have the most power to fight one of the fastest-growing criminal activities in the world: Hospitality workers.

Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) championed House Bill 3101, which would require hotels and motels to train employees to recognize the signs of human trafficking and know what to do when reporting it to authorities. It was signed into law on Friday.

“This new law will arm hospitality workers with the tools to spot and report human trafficking,” Glowiak Hilton said. “Just like we have discovered that teachers or hairdressers can be the ones who most readily spot the telltale signs of domestic violence, we’re learning that hotel employees might be the ones who spot human trafficking. This new training will give hospitality workers the knowledge and build the confidence to be able to identify signs of human trafficking and act quickly to do the right thing.”

OAKBROOK TERRACE – Illinois now has new laws in place to encourage residents to pursue vocational training programs.

State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) supported three new laws that will help expand and attract students to vocational and apprenticeship programs to help expand the state’s economy.

Glowiak Hilton, an engineer herself, passed a new law that will require the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to conduct a study on the potential expansion of apprenticeship programs.

The study outlined in Senate Bill 2024 will focus on underserved communities with high unemployment. The Commerce Department will report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by June 1, 2020.

OAKBROOK TERRACE – Minors across Illinois will soon have easy access to EpiPens, thanks to a new law supported by State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton.

Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) advocated for House Bill 3435, which requires certain insurers to cover medically necessary epinephrine injectors for minors – the fast-acting treatments for severe allergic reactions.

“It’s our duty to take the necessary steps to ensure this life saving drug is affordable and easily accessible to children in Illinois,” Glowiak Hilton said. “Children with serious allergies should not have to go without a vital epinephrine injector simply because they cannot afford one.”

Epinephrine injectors – commonly known by the specific brand name EpiPen – deliver the life-saving drug epinephrine to individuals experiencing a severe allergic reaction. Epinephrine works by narrowing blood vessels and opening lung airways, reversing the symptoms of a potentially fatal allergic reaction.

OAKBROOK TERRACE – Illinois consumers will now have stronger notification laws surrounding cybersecurity breaches, thanks to Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton.

Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) championed a new law that will require companies to notify Illinois consumers of cybersecurity breaches and compromised personal data sooner. Senate Bill 1624 was signed into law last week.

“Illinois residents go online every day to complete simple tasks, from paying their water bills to checking their bank balances,” Glowiak Hilton said. “In the event that a company experiences a security breach, residents should be notified in order to take proper precautions. We need that assurance in an age where we carry all our most sensitive data in our pockets at all times.”

Senate Bill 1624, will require companies that hold Illinois residents’ personal information to report data breaches which affect more than 500 Illinois residents to the Attorney General as soon as possible.

The new bipartisan law will allow the Attorney General to publish breach notices, ensuring the information is easily and promptly accessible to residents who may need to take steps to protect themselves.

OAKBROOK TERRACE – The addresses of Illinois survivors of sexual assault will now be kept confidential thanks to State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton.

Glowiak Hilton’s measure, House Bill 2818, which empowers the Attorney General's Office to help keep the home addresses of survivors private from their attackers and stalkers, was signed into law last week.

“When our survivors take the brave step of seeking justice, they aren’t just leaving a painful situation behind: they are often making themselves the target of a violent person who knows them intimately,” Glowiak Hilton said. “As they strive for justice, we must take the essential steps to protect them as they seek it.”

The new law will allow survivors of sexual abuse or stalking to list the Attorney General’s Office as their contact address instead of revealing their actual address, avoiding any risk that their abuser might locate them.

The program is currently established for victims of domestic violence. House Bill 2818 expands its availability to all survivors of sexual abuse and stalking.

The bipartisan measure goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2021.

OAKBROOK TERRACE - For more than a generation, young people have been discouraged from seeking blue collar jobs in favor of pursuing college degrees. State Senator Suzy Glowiak (D-Western Springs) passed a measure to help encourage more job seekers to pursue occupations that ensure safety and modernize Illinois’ infrastructure.

Glowiak championed the Blue Collar Jobs Act, which offers tax incentives to companies making significant capital improvements in Illinois based on the withholding tax paid to construction workers. The program went into effect on July 1, 2019.

"The Blue Collar Jobs Act will lift up middle class families while expanding Illinois' businesses," Glowiak said. "The key to growing our state's economy is creating new jobs, expanding economic opportunities and promoting a business climate that encourages companies to stay, expand and grow in our communities.”

OAKBROOK TERRACE - A new state task force will focus on giving students the tools to make financially sound decisions thanks to State Senator Suzy Glowiak-Hilton.

Glowiak-Hilton supported House Bill 1581 which creates the College Student Credit Card Marketing and Debt Task Force, an eight-member task force that will seek to reduce the amount of credit card debt students face after graduating from higher education institutions in Illinois. It was signed into law on Friday.

“Higher education opens the doors of opportunity for young people,” Glowiak-Hilton said. “It is vital that as a state we institute policies that allow students to graduate with loads of opportunity, not mountains of debt. They should not be preyed on by credit card companies.”

Opening credit cards can be a life-altering choice for students. While there are legitimate reasons a student may need a credit card, there are many downsides, Glowiak-Hilton said.

OAK BROOK TERRACE – Residents now must be 21 years old to buy tobacco products in Illinois.

State Senator Suzy Glowiak (D-Western Springs) advocated for the passage of “Tobacco 21” (House Bill 345), which raises the legal smoking age from 18 to 21, prohibiting the purchase of alternative nicotine products, electronic cigarettes and tobacco products by individuals under the age of 21. The law is now in effect.

“The dangers of smoking are well-known, but young adults still had access to tobacco products,” Glowiak said. “This new law will help stop addiction at an early age to help save lives.”

In Illinois, 34 jurisdictions have raised the age, including Chicago, Highland Park, Buffalo Grove, Evanston and Peoria. One of the key benefits to doing so have been documented decreases in the number of high schoolers who smoke. In Chicago, authorities recorded a drop from 13.6 percent in 2011 to 6 percent in 2017. Raising the age was cited as a key component of the decrease. Studies have found 90 percent of all adult smokers started when they were kids.