SPRINGFIELD – In response to the governor’s State of the State address, Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford released the following statement.

“While it is good to hear that the governor may be changing his tone on education and criminal justice reform, there are still children and teens in Berwyn right now that aren’t receiving mental health counseling today because of this continued impasse.

“There are parents who haven’t had the security of child care services for months. College students in Chicago and across the state don’t know how long their universities will stay open, and that’s if they aren’t already leaving school because of MAP grants going unfunded.

“No words are going to change any of this – only actions. Until I see substantive progress, my patience with this charade of cooperation has all but dissolved. I will keep repeating the call for responsible, humane action on these issues until every student, child and family has what they need to succeed and has a fighting chance at a healthy, happy life.”