OAKBROOK TERRACE – To address rising rates of vehicle thefts throughout Illinois, State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton supported three measures to offer protections to motorists and assistance to investigators that were signed into law Thursday.

“Commuters and families are worried to be on the roadways due to the rise in reported carjackings,” said Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs). “To offer protections to motorists, three new laws in Illinois will help crack down on car thefts and offer financial protections to victims.”

SPRINGFIELD – To support retailers, update prosecuting resources and promote statewide economic growth, the governor signed a measure into law Friday led by State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton to curb organized retail crime and hold ringleaders accountable.

“Organized retail crimes across the state have disturbed residents, wreaked havoc on businesses and stunted growth within local economies,” said Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs). “By advancing the Organized Retail Crime Act, Illinois is enacting one of the most comprehensive crime-curbing efforts in the nation.”

SPRINGFIELD – Under a new law supported by State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs), more paraprofessionals, or teacher aids, will have access to classrooms sooner.

“Paraprofessionals are vital members of a school’s support staff,” Glowiak Hilton said. “By lowering the eligible age, Illinois is offering an opportunity to an aspiring educator or other responsible adult while working to address the statewide teacher shortage.”

In Illinois, paraprofessionals are currently required to be at least 19 years old. Under the new law, the age would be lowered to 18 years old, as long as the individual meets the other license requirements. Paraprofessionals are required to have a high school diploma, an associate degree and pass a competency test.

SPRINGFIELD – To support retailers, update prosecuting resources and promote statewide economic growth, the Illinois Senate adopted a measure led by State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) to curb organized retail crime and hold ringleaders accountable.

“Organized retail crimes across the state have disturbed residents, wreaked havoc on businesses and stunted growth within local economies,” Glowiak Hilton said. “By advancing the Organized Retail Crime Act, Illinois has an opportunity to enact one of the most comprehensive crime-curbing efforts in the nation.”

In partnership with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and the office of the attorney general, Glowiak Hilton’s initiative defines organized retail crime as a criminal charge and gives prosecutors additional resources to charge crime ringleaders. Specifically, the measure codifies ORC as the theft of retail merchandise with the intent to sell.

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Senate adopted a plan by State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) to invest in child care services for workers with non-traditional schedules, such as law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS personnel and more.

“Finding reliable child care can be difficult for first responders and other third shift emergency workers,” Glowiak Hilton said. “By creating the Off-hours Child Care Program Fund, Illinois is working to increase accessibility for parents in public service who work non-traditional hours.”

Under Glowiak Hilton’s proposal, the Department of Human Services would be required to establish and administer an Off-Hours Child Care Program to assist first responders and other workers with access to off-hours, night, or sleep time child care. The program is subject to appropriation.

SPRINGFIELD – To improve accessibility and offer additional protections to workers, the Illinois Senate approved an initiative by State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) to modernize the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

“Illinois’ OSHA protects all state and local government workers,” said Glowiak Hilton, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee. “To ensure employees have adequate working conditions, it’s critical for employers to have inspection details and citations as quickly as possible.”

SPRINGFIELD – To offer stability to retailers, bring support to state prosecutors and promote statewide economic growth, State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs) joined officials with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and Attorney General’s office to discuss a legislative proposal to curb Organized Retail Crime in Illinois at a press conference Tuesday.

“In recent months, high-profile smash-and-grab crimes have created local concerns for store owners, patrons and communities statewide,” said Glowiak Hilton, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee. “To make a collaborative effort at controlling the frequency, magnitude and severity of Organized Retail Crimes, this proposal addresses systemic concerns raised by prosecutors and retail advocacy groups to bring offenders to justice.”

OAKBROOK TERRACE – Small businesses in Cook and DuPage counties across the 24th Senate District were awarded more than $1.8 million in funding from the Back to Business program thanks to advocacy and support from State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs).

“Businesses have begun moving forward from the COVID-19 pandemic, however, there are still some needing support to fully recover,” Glowiak Hilton said. “The Back to Business grant program is vital to keeping doors open for thousands of small businesses across the state.”

The B2B grants are awarded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity using funds allocated by the American Rescue Plan.