SPRINGFIELD – In an effort to keep teen parents and teenage survivors of domestic and sexual violence from dropping out of school, Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) passed legislation that would protect their privacy and safety.

“Being a parent is difficult at any age, and surviving domestic or sexual violence is already traumatizing,” Lightford said. “We want all students to feel safe and to get the support they need to succeed with a good education.”

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SPRINGFIELD - With many Black and Brown Illinois residents trying to enter the cannabis industry but finding themselves shut out, Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) has revisited cannabis licensing laws to ensure that these residents have a fair shot at obtaining a dispensary license.  

"People from disadvantaged communities were disproportionately targeted during the war on drugs," Lightford said. "We have enough hurdles just being Black, and our communities deserve to reap the benefits of this new industry."

House Bill 1443 fixes Illinois’ recreational cannabis law to ensure that licenses for minority applicants that have been delayed since May 1, 2020 are actually awarded, as well as expanding the total number of licenses available. Currently, there are still no dispensaries controlled by someone who is Black, Brown, or a woman.  

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SPRINGFIELD - Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) continued her years-long effort to create a more equitable education system in Illinois by passing legislation that would form a commission to assess whether public institutions of higher education serving disadvantaged communities need a different funding model and are receiving their fair share of state funding. 

“If we want our Black, Latino, and low-income students to have the same opportunity as their white peers, our universities that serve them must have fair funding,” Lightford said. “We have to close the funding gaps between our schools that serve a large number of historically disadvantage students and the universities that don’t.”

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OAK PARK - Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood), who led the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus agenda through the Senate, emphasized the importance of access to quality health care at a press conference centered on the health care and human services pillar of the agenda. 

“The key point is that the quality of health care you receive should not be determined by your race, your income or your address. Quality, affordable health care should be recognized as a right for all,” Lightford said at the press conference.  

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