Welcome to Senator Cristina Castro legislative website

SPRINGFIELD—State Senator Cristina Castro advanced a measure that would develop a program to increase care for newborns.

“The postpartum period is a critical phase of newborns’ well-being,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “Delivering needed care in that time period will ensure their health is not compromised.”

Over three decades, Illinois has recognized the importance of home visiting programs and their impact on new families. The current statewide home visiting system serves 17,000 Illinois families, remaining a cornerstone of early childhood development in the state.

Castro is leading House Bill 4606 to continue to build on that legacy. The measure would authorize the Illinois Department of Human Services to develop and oversee a statewide, voluntary, no-cost newborn home visiting program by establishing evidence-based service models, coordinating funding and data efforts, and collaborating with stakeholders to expand support for newborns and their families.

Home visiting programs are comprehensive initiatives that ensure new families and their infant children are connected with community resources, early childhood services, family supports and follow-up health care.

“The challenge of being a mother is enough on its own,” said Castro. “Having a community of support and resources available enables new parents and their children to live happy and healthy lives.”

House Bill 4606 passed the Senate Health and Human Services Committee Tuesday.

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This statement was created on 23 April 2026 using the W3C Accessibility Statement Generator Tool.

Hoffman Estates — State Senator Cristina Castro invites residents to a Mobile DMV event in Hoffman Estates to give area residents the chance to access vehicle services at a location in the community without the wait time or commute often associated with visiting a regular facility.

“Access to a driver services facility will just be around the corner,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “No matter if you’re accessing services for your vehicle registration and license plate stickers or driver’s license, we want to make the process as easy as possible.”

The event will be held at Schaumburg Township, located at 1 Illinois Blvd., on May 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The unit operates like a driver services facility and offers driver’s license and state ID renewals, REAL ID processing, vehicle registration stickers and more. Certain services will require documentation and applicable fees, which can be found at www.ilsos.gov.

Space is limited and appointments are required as walk-ins are not guaranteed service. Residents can RSVP by calling Castro’s office at 847-214-8864.

ELGIN — State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) released the following statement Friday in response to newly published allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct by the late Cesar Chavez.

“It is tragic that Dolores Huerta and other survivors carried the weight of this abuse done to them for decades and were forced to keep silent on this issue, given the stigma of speaking up in our culture.

“Being able to push back against the stigma and voice the pain they have gone through speaks to the courage and bravery of these women – a deeply vulnerable action that I commend them for.

“Getting to know Dolores Huerta has been an honor and privilege. Being able to hear stories about her own personal life and her own struggles with the farmworker movement has been influential in my own life. It is in knowing her stories that makes the behavior described about Chavez especially reprehensible and unconscionable.

“We must make one thing clear: this should not tarnish the hard work and effort given by farmworkers for decades in the name of this movement. Dolores Huerta and the workers leading the movement for farmworker justice understood that it could only happen if it was rooted in the values that highlight the strengths of the Latino community – that of resilience, compassion, respect and integrity.

“I stand in solidarity with Dolores Huerta and all survivors of the alleged actions taken by Cesar Chavez. I  hope that by them speaking their truth, others are encouraged to do the same.