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.  

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.”

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.  

SPRINGFIELD – In effort to support new employees of Illinois’ educational system, Senate Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) is working to create a New Teacher Induction and Mentoring Program and a New Principal Mentoring Program. 

“Ensuring all new educators receive support while developing essential knowledge, skills, and experience will result in a high-quality education for all students,” Lightford said. “A mentoring program would be a great way to build our new educators’ confidence and teaching strategies, helping create a great learning environment and experience for Illinois’ diverse learners.”