SPRINGFIELD — According to a recent Pew Research poll, 63% of adult Americans have little to no confidence in the reliability and safety of crypto. Stronger consumer protections and greater consumer trust for those using digital coin are one step closer to becoming reality in Illinois thanks to State Senator Mark Walker.

“Illinois consumers need a safe environment to feel confident in engaging in this new digital market,” said Walker (D-Arlington Heights). “This legislation would build the bridge to promote trust between digital currency companies and consumers.”

House Bill 742 — identical to Walker’s Senate Bill 1797 introduced this session — outlines what requirements digital asset companies must have to operate in Illinois. Also known as the Digital Assets and Consumer Protection Act, House Bill 742 would create requirements for consumer disclosures, proof of financial fitness and procedures for digital coin companies that create a safe digital environment.

SPRINGFIELD — On the 50^th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War and fall of Saigon that took place April 30, 1975, State Senator Mark Walker spoke on his experience serving in the Vietnam War during a press conference on Wednesday.

“After I served in the Vietnam War, my mother asked me why I did it,” said Walker (D-Arlington Heights). “I told her I fought for the Bill of Rights, for freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of assembly. Those freedoms are what I fought for and what my friends fought for. We fought alongside the South Vietnamese who fought for the same freedoms we did, for their country.”

State Representatives Hoan Huynh, Stephanie Kifowit, Dan Swanson and Wayne Rosenthal joined Senator Walker at the press conference in the Illinois Capitol Building to express their appreciation to the over 2.7 million American service members and 800,000 South Vietnamese who sacrificed for their country.

SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Mark Walker’s bill to weed out the bad actors in the digital currency industry would help protect thousands of Illinois consumers from predatory practices and expand digital coin businesses.

“The digital assets industry is an exciting economic opportunity, but it attracts many bad actors,” said Walker (D-Arlington Heights). “This bill would create reasonable guidelines for crypto companies to follow without limiting their growth and opportunity.”

SPRINGFIELD — Through a new bill, State Senator Mark Walker aims to crack down on more than $163 million lost to cryptocurrency fraud in Illinois in 2023.

“The rise of digital assets has opened the door for financial opportunity, but also for bankruptcy, fraud and deceptive practices,” said Walker (D-Arlington Heights). “We must set standards for those who have evolved in the crypto business to ensure they are credible, honest actors.”

Senate Bill 1797, also known as the Digital Assets and Consumer Protection Act, would allow the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to manage guidelines that crypto companies must follow. Through Walker’s bill, IDFPR would be able to adopt rules to protect consumer assets and investments.

SPRINGFIELD — Correcting an injustice dating back over 170 years, State Senator Mark Walker’s legislation returning state-owned lands to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation was signed into law Friday, March 21.

“This landmark legislation puts Illinois on the right side of history — fostering a partnership with Indigenous communities and returning what was wrongfully acquired,” said Walker (D-Arlington Heights). “I have worked with the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation on this bill since 2018, and today we celebrate this achievement together.”

Senate Bill 867 authorizes the state to transfer approximately 1,500 acres of land within Shabbona Lake State Park in DeKalb County to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources will enter into a land-management agreement with the Prairie Band to maintain the park and keep it open to the public.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS — Five local chambers of commerce have been awarded grants to help businesses bounce back from the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to support from State Senator Mark Walker.

“Small businesses drive job creation throughout our state, but many continue to face challenges in adapting to changing consumer habits in the wake of the pandemic,” said Walker (D-Arlington Heights). “These grants will give our chambers of commerce the tools they need to foster a strong economic environment where residents and local businesses can succeed.”

Administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, grants through the Back to Business Local Chambers program will be used by chambers to market and develop localities, provide small businesses with professional development and support small businesses and entrepreneurs while bolstering economic development.

SPRINGFIELD — Taking a significant step toward correcting a historic wrong, legislation that would return ancestral lands to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation cleared the Senate on Sunday. The initiative, led by State Senator Mark Walker, would transfer state-owned lands comprising Shabbona Lake and State Park in DeKalb County to the tribe.

“This is an opportunity to right a past injustice and honor the sovereignty of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation,” said Walker (D-Arlington Heights). “By supporting the creation of the tribe’s reservation, we are making strides toward reconciliation while fostering a partnership with Indigenous communities.”

Senate Bill 867 would authorize the state to transfer approximately 1,500 acres of land that is now Shabbona Lake and State Park to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources would enter into a land-management agreement with the Potawatomi regarding how the park would be managed in the future.