SPRINGFIELD – Continuing to support our growing workforce in Illinois, State Senator Javier Loera Cervantes is building support for new legislation creating the Graduate and Retain Our Workforce Illinois Program that will assist students in STEM fields here in Illinois.

“How we support our students affects how the workforce of the future will find good paying jobs. Illinois is here to support students through their educational journey and ensure they reach their destination,” said Cervantes (D-Chicago). “These growing tech fields are in dire need of employees and we are creating a pipeline for students to grow their life here in Illinois.”

The new legislation, Senate Bill 1453, will create the Graduate and Retain Our Workforce Illinois Program, otherwise known as the GROW Illinois Program, is intended to allow public institutions of higher education to award forgivable loans to individuals with qualifying degrees and jobs that are in high demand.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Javier Cervantes is happy to announce that the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has awarded grants to 48 communities in need of lead service line replacements, including a $40,000 grant for the Village of Lyons and $40,000 for the Village of Stickney.

“We need to prioritize clean drinking water being available to all communities,” said Cervantes (D-Chicago). “These funds will be utilized to identify and create a plan to repair lead service lines within our area.”

The Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act requires owners and operators of community water supplies in Illinois to submit a complete water service line material inventory for the Illinois EPA’s approval no later than April 15, 2024. The complete inventory must report the composition of all service lines within the CWS’s distribution system.