Lightford, Ammons and higher education leaders call for passage of equitable funding model

SPRINGFIELD – Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford and State Representative Carol Ammons are fighting to transform how Illinois funds its higher education system through legislation that would take a student-centered approach. 

“Despite education’s paramount importance, the disparity in funding among higher educational institutions remains dreadfully evident,” said Lightford (D-Maywood). “This imbalance not only undermines the principle of equal opportunity but also hampers our collective progress as a society.”

Lightford and Ammons were instrumental in creating the Commission on Equitable Public University Funding in 2021. Over the years, the 30-person commission studied if public institutions of higher education are in dire need of a new funding model when serving underrepresented and historically underserved student groups, including Black and Brown students, as well as students from low-income families.

The commission found on average, university systems in Illinois spend over double the amount on academic and student supports – the spending that most directly impacts student success – than at its less-resourced regional universities. Worse, these arbitrary and inequitable allocation decisions have compounded yearly due to a lack of equitable distribution.

“An investment in higher education isn’t just an investment in students,” said Ammons (D-Urbana). “We’re investing in young people seeking their first degree, and older people seeking a higher degree or returning to get a college degree, and these people increase the quality of our workforce, community, economy and so much more.”

In response, Lightford and Ammons held a press conference Tuesday urging the passage of Senate Bill 13 or House Bill 1581 – identical bills in their respective chambers – to implement a student-centered, adequacy-based funding formula for Illinois’ public universities known as the Adequate and Equitable Public University Funding Formula. The measure is similar to Illinois’ evidence-based K-12 funding model, taking a parallel approach for higher education by outlining a formula that accounts not only for the size of institutions and the types of academic programs they offer, but also demographic factors such as socioeconomic, racial and geographic diversity.

Combined, these variables would be used to calculate adequacy targets, or the optimal amount of annual funding each institution needs to fully serve its students.

“School funding for each university is different. The financial aid required for each university deserves to be calculated as their own entity,” said Representative Norma Hernandez (D-Melrose Park). “We cannot expect to meet each institution's financial necessities when they are only receiving the average calculated funding.”

Lightford, Ammons, Hernandez, university officials and advocates will fight tirelessly throughout the legislative session to get the Adequate and Equitable Public University Funding Formula – and subsequent funding – over the finish line.

Lightford on Jesse Jackson: May we honor his memory not with monuments, but with motion

SPRINGFIELD – Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) released the following statement after the death of Reverend Jesse Jackson:

“Today, Illinois and the world mourn the loss of one of the greatest champions for justice and human dignity this nation has ever produced. The Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. was a moral force, a prophetic voice and a living bridge between the movement that freed us and the work that still remains.

“I had the privilege of working alongside Reverend Jackson. I remember the way he looked you in the eye and made you feel as though the entire weight of the struggle was yours to carry — not as a burden, but as an honor. That encounter never left me. It shaped the kind of public servant I strive to be.

“To the entire Jackson family: the people of Illinois grieve with you. You shared him with the world, and the world is better for it.

“May we honor his memory not with monuments, but with motion — continuing the fight for voting rights, economic justice and the full dignity of every human being. Rest in power, Reverend. The work goes on.”

CTA Blue Line Town Hall

Join me for a town hall that will primarily focus on the CTA Blue Line, bringing together thought leaders to discuss improvements in public transportation on Chicago's West Side. The goals include enhancing accessibility and connectivity for residents, ensuring equitable access to reliable transit, and supporting economic growth while improving the daily lives of community members.

Let's come together in large numbers on Saturday, March 7, 2026, from 12-1:30 p.m. The event will be held at Michele Clark Magnet High School, located at 5101 W. Harrison St., Chicago, IL 60644. We hope to see you there!

Lightford pushes for funding to combat Black HIV/AIDS epidemic

SPRINGFIELD – Building upon her decades of advocacy to combat the ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic in Black communities, Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford is pushing for $15 million to help bring greater resources to disadvantaged communities.

“African Americans represent a fraction of Illinois' population, yet we bear a vastly disproportionate burden of new HIV diagnoses,” said Lightford (D-Maywood). “Our mothers, our brothers and our neighbors are dying at rates that should outrage every person.”

Under House Bill 4801, $15 million would be sent to the African-American HIV/AIDS Response Fund each year to combat disproportionate HIV/AIDS rates in Black communities.

Lightford has been instrumental in passing legislation in passing legislation to combat the Black HIV/AIDs crisis. In 2006, she led the creation of the African American HIV/AIDS Responsive Act, which established a grant program at the Illinois Department of Public Health for organizations that assist HIV/AIDS care.

Later, in 2022, she expanded upon that measure by leading House Bill 5549, which requires the Illinois Department of Public Health to award community-based organizations a grant to create a Center of Excellence Biomedical Resource Hub for HIV/AIDS. The Center of provides both preventative care and essential support services.

Lightford is now fighting to bring even greater supportive services to disenfranchised communities through House Bill 4801.

“Our communities have been asked to fight an epidemic with one hand tied behind their backs. Enough is enough,” said Lightford. “This bill says that Black lives matter enough to guarantee the resources needed to save them.”

Lightford will work throughout the legislative session to secure the funding in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget.