MAYWOOD – Illinois Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood), is excited to announce the new $12 per hour minimum wage in Illinois is starting Jan. 1, 2022.

“Even before the pandemic, many working families were struggling,” Lightford, chief sponsor of the 2019 law raising the minimum wage, said. “This increase won’t solve all of their problems, but it will surely help.”

Public Act 101-1 was signed into law in 2019, putting the state on the path to a $15 per hour minimum wage by 2025. So far, there have been three increases to the minimum wage.

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Join Kimberly A. Lightford on Wednesday, Dec. 15, from 5 – 6 p.m. for a town hall with Illinois Sierra Club and Faith in Place  to learn about the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act workforce and contractor development programs.

The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act will create the Illinois Climate Works Preapprenticeship Program and Clean Energy Prime Contractor Accelerator Programs to train and mentor workers for clean energy construction and building trades careers. This act is historic for Illinois and will jumpstart more sustainable, diverse energy jobs. It also helps tackle our world’s number one issue, climate change, and leads us to a cleaner and safer future.

To join the town hall and learn more about this legislation and how it will increase job opportunities in the state of Illinois, click here: https://bit.ly/3DrVIZ7

Access to early intervention services is an initiative under the Education and Workforce Development Pillar, now known as the Education and Workforce Equity Act. Early intervention services help children with disabilities overcome their difficulties and enter school better prepared to succeed.