Caucus News

SPRINGFIELD – People searching for long-term care facilities are a step closer to avoiding misleading information regarding available services, thanks to a measure championed by State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago).

“Imagine not being able to access information on potential long-term care facilities due to incorrect and misleading information,” Villa said. “Finding a long-term care facility that fits the needs of the patients is hard enough – the facility’s websites should not add to the confusion.”

Villa’s measure would eliminate an obligation for the Illinois Department on Aging’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program to label the Consumer Choice search tool with the name “Resident’s Right to Know.” This elimination would allow residents additional information on services offered by facilities, including memory care, transportation, dialysis, multilingual staff and more without being misled or confused.

SPRINGFIELD – Future residents searching for a long-term care facilities could avoid being misled about available services, thanks to a measure led State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago).

“People should be given the right to know information regarding potential assisted living facilities without misleading information,” Villa said. “Finding the right long-term care facility is already difficult and stressful – people don’t need misleading information to make the process even more arduous.”

Villa’s measure would eliminate an obligation for the Illinois Department on Aging’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program to label the Consumer Choice search tool with the name “Resident’s Right to Know.” This elimination would allow residents additional information on services offered by facilities, including memory care, transportation, dialysis, multilingual staff and more without being misled or confused.

SPRINGFIELD –To bring more awareness to the impact Career and Technical Education has on student's success, Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago) is supporting an effort to make February 2022 Career and Technical Education Month.

“Career and Technical Education programs not only provide technical skills for the future, but also provide academic and employability skills students can use for years,” Villa said. “These programs play a vital role in helping students choose career paths and explore other opportunities for success in and out of the classroom.”

Career and Technical Education, or CTE, are programs designed to prepare students for careers in major industries, such as finance, health care, information technology, advanced manufacturing and education. Coursework includes both academic and technical materials, allowing many students to use their knowledge from the programs to earn industry-recognized credentials or college credits. This makes careers in these fields much more accessible for many students who may struggle to complete coursework in traditional academic programs.

Many students have found massive success with the innovative program. Across the state, around 30,000 students earned college credit from their CTE courses, saving them time and money when earning their degrees. In addition, 97% of students who complete CTE programs in Illinois graduate from high school, compared to only 88% from traditional high schools. This year, almost 415,000 Illinoisans are enrolled in CTE programs.  Villa wants to highlight the bright futures of these students as well as the success of CTE programs through this measure. 

“CTE programs make it easy for students to begin earning college credits and receive industry-specific targeted learning toward post education,” Villa said. “My hope is that these programs will showcase the success of students who have found their career path and help contribute to our community and society.”

Senate Resolution 698 passed the Senate Education Committee.

SPRINGFIELD – Older adults in the LGBTQ community could be designated advocates under the Department on Aging for addressing mistreatment and disparities faced by LGBTQ seniors and seniors with HIV, thanks to a measure championed by State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago).

“The LGBTQ community already faces an immense amount of stress regarding their sexual orientation, gender identity, lack of legal support and health care opportunities,” Villa said. “A dedicated advocate will help ensure older LGBTQ adults have the support they need and deserve.”

SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker announced his budget proposal Wednesday, and State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago) released the following statement:

“This budget proposal highlights many areas of improvement that will bring relief to Illinois communities. As a strong advocate for community involvement, I am glad the budget addresses proper funding for programs that support older adults, increases access to mental health programs, reinvestments into Family Tax Relief efforts, and focuses on staff shortages among social workers. There is also additional funding toward making Illinois strong by paying down our backlog.

“I look forward to continuing negotiations with my fellow legislators in the General Assembly to pass a balanced budget that is efficient and effective for all.”

SUGAR GROVE – Thanks to support from State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago) to provide local libraries with the resources needed for pandemic recovery, three libraries in the district she represents will receive more than $48,000 in combined grant funding to grow and enhance their services for the community.

“Our libraries have worked hard to be a constant in our lives through the ups and downs of the pandemic,” Villa said. “From providing resources for virtual learning to serving as a safe space for children after school, the work our libraries do for our communities is unmatched.”

The initiative is aimed to respond directly to difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant provides funding for libraries to modify services, transform spaces and develop resources for their local recovering workforce and to ensure all operations can be provided safely and effectively as the pandemic continues.

SPRINGFIELD – Following a decades-long fight to protect expecting mothers, State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago) is proud of the advancements signed into law Tuesday that will set standards for qualifications and certifications of midwives. 

“The pandemic has highlighted the importance of safe home births, and midwives play a critical role in guaranteeing that mothers and babies are safe at all stages of pregnancy,” Villa said. “Pregnancy is a long, physically and mentally demanding process, and our mothers deserve the highest level of care that our providers can offer.”

Certified professional midwives without nursing degrees were previously not recognized as health care professionals who can assist with home births. More than 30 states recognize CPMs without additional degrees, but Illinois only recognized the professionals with advanced-practice registered nurse status. The new law ensures pregnant women have access to competent health care providers before, during and after pregnancy.

This landmark legislation creates the Licensed Certified Professional Midwife Practice Act, which contains education, training and experience requirements for midwives. These requirements allow midwives without nursing degrees to gain meaningful instruction so they can provide the best care possible to women in need of their services.

AURORA – The Aurora Municipal Airport and DuPage Airport will receive a combined $2.5 million in state funding for maintenance and upgrades, State Senator Karina Villa (D-West Chicago) announced Monday.

“Our local airports help bring tourists to our communities and increase travel opportunities for families across the region,” Villa said. “An investment in our airports is an investment to keep and bring more good-paying jobs for working families across the 25^th District.”

The 96 projects selected for funding will help meet the needs of airports large and small in both urban and rural communities. Projects will include planning, construction, reconstruction, development and improvement of public airports to increase safety and efficiency. Communities will also benefit from increased aviation access, good-paying jobs during construction and long-term opportunities for workforce expansion.

Among the projects to receive funding, the Aurora Municipal Airport is set to receive $1.3 million to rehabilitate parking lots and the entrance road as well as $279,000 for airport perimeter roadway construction. The DuPage Airport will receive $594,000 for airport perimeter road resurfacing as well as $405,000 to construct a new parking lot.

A full list of recipients can be viewed by going to idot.click/rbi-airport-program-awards.

“These monumental investments in our aviation system will help solidify Illinois’ role as a transportation hub for our country,” Villa said. “Maintenance and upgrades to the Aurora Municipal Airport and DuPage Airport are critical to the collective aviation success of our state.” 

The Illinois aviation system is one of the largest in the nation, made up of more than 850 individual landing facilities. Illinois is home to everything from O’Hare International Airport to municipal airports and private grass strips, contributing more than $95 billion annually to the state’s economy.

###