SPRINGFIELD — When the Illinois Lottery was established, its purpose was to provide extra revenue for schools, but those funds have often been used to replace funds from other sources instead of serving as a supplement. Reliance on lottery revenue to fund local schools will soon come to an end under a proposal that was recently signed into law.

House Bill 213, led by Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood), ensures that beginning in FY18, money from the lottery that is used to fund schools must serve as an addition to other funds slated for education.

“We recently made a commitment to our students that requires the proper investment to achieve equity in education for all children. This legislation adds to that commitment by ensuring that lottery funds will serve their intended purpose,” Lightford said.

The Illinois Lottery Law requires the entire net proceeds of the Lottery to be used for the support of the State's Common School Fund. Currently, 24 percent of lottery ticket revenue is deposited into the fund. In fiscal year 15, that amount was $679 million of the total $2.85 billion in lottery sales.

SPRINGFIELD — Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) released the following statement after Governor Bruce Rauner vetoed legislation that would have increased the statewide minimum to $15 per hour by January 2022.

“Governor Rauner’s veto doubles down on his stance against some of our most vulnerable communities. Throughout his term he has irresponsibly cut the child care assistance program, held up grant money for low-income college students and caused severe damage to our social services through a historic budget stalemate.

“There is no reason why a single parent working full-time should qualify for food stamps and Medicaid. Our workers deserve financial independence and the empowerment that comes from being able to provide for a family.

“Our fight does not end here. I will continue to stand for hardworking people struggling to make ends meet as I have done my entire career because I know the difference a living wage can make in a person’s life, in our communities and in our entire state.”

SPRINGFIELD - Measures led by Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) increasing counseling sessions for minors, expanding eligibility for a minority teachers scholarship and promoting the awareness of cancer in veterans were signed into law on Friday.

Minors 12 years and older seeking counseling will receive more sessions without having to receive prior consent from a guardian under one of the recently approved laws. House Bill 3709 allows counselors to continue serving youth in circumstances where seeking parental permission may be detrimental to the youth.

“Young people, especially LGBTQ and homeless youth, may sometimes feel like they have no one to turn to in dealing with hardships. They will now have more accessibility to counseling, and I hope it will encourage our youth to seek help when they need it,” Lightford said.

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SPRINGFIELD- Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) released the following statement following the override of Governor Bruce Rauner’s veto of legislation that would provide equity in the way the state funds education:

“For decades students have suffered under a broken formula that shortchanged low income children throughout the state. The governor’s veto fell far from our goal of making a quality education a reality for every child in Illinois.

Our schools need the proper investment and certainty that Senate Bill 1 provides. I stand committed to making sure our schools stay open and fixing our broken funding formula.”

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