Castro announces $4 million for lead service line replacement in Carpentersville

• Carpentersville

ELGIN – State Senator Cristina Castro announced that the Village of Carpentersville will receive $4 million in funding from the Illinois EPA to replace lead service lines in the community.

“Clean drinking water is a basic human right, and it’s especially important that our children have access to clean water that is lead-free,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “Investing in replacing these pipes will keep harmful chemicals out of our water and give Carpentersville families, schools and businesses peace of mind that their water infrastructure is safe, healthy and upgraded.”

The Illinois EPA’s State Revolving Fund provides low-interest loan funding for drinking water, wastewater and stormwater projects. The Village of Carpentersville will use the $4 million to replace outdated lines, ensuring residents are consuming and using water free from toxic lead.

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Castro plan to expand Illinois Works Jobs Program signed into law

• 103rd General Assembly
• House Bill 2300
• Illinois Works Jobs Program

SPRINGFIELD – Legislation sponsored by State Senator Cristina Castro that will improve apprenticeship programs to ensure that individuals in underrepresented populations can gain access to careers in the construction and building trades industries is now law.

“State-funded capital projects have the potential to economically invigorate a local community, and this legislation will help make sure those projects prioritize minority, veteran and women apprentices,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “People who have completed the Illinois Works Preapprenticeship Program are highly trained and have a wealth of specialized knowledge, and providing incentives to hire and train more apprentices will enhance diversity in commerce throughout our state.”

The legislation expands the Illinois Works Jobs Program Act and the programs that qualify for bid credit to incentivize contractors to increase the diversity of their workforce. Under the measure, graduates of the Illinois Works Preapprenticeship Program, the Climate Works Preapprenticeship Program or the Highway Construction Careers Training Program would qualify for credits that can be used toward future bids for state-contracted public works projects. The measure also increases the program’s goal by requiring at least 50% of the labor hours for each prevailing wage classification to be performed by graduates of the preapprenticeship program, instead of the current 10% requirement.

The legislation, House Bill 2300, was signed into law Friday and takes effect immediately.

Castro: Illinois is making giant leaps forward in protecting those seeking reproductive care

• Reproductive Health

ELGIN – State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) issued the following statement Friday after Governor JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1909, the Deceptive Practices of Limited Services Pregnancy Centers Act:

“Laws restricting the right to choose will never stop wealthy women from having abortions. Rather, this burden falls on poorer women, girls and youth, women of color and women who are survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence — those who are already vulnerable. Crisis pregnancy centers also target vulnerable women, which is why the Deceptive Practices of Limited Services Pregnancy Centers Act is so important to preventing interference with someone’s decision to seek care.

“Maternal mortality is a direct result of a failure to provide adequate reproductive, prenatal and post-natal care to vulnerable women. The deceptive practices employed by crisis pregnancy centers target these women and can lead to worse health outcomes while doing nothing to increase access to needed care and lower the mortality rate.

“While other states around the country are rolling back women’s rights by decades, Illinois is making giant leaps forward in protecting women from blatant deception when they seek reproductive care. I’m proud of our state and look forward to the enhanced protections this law will provide people in Illinois.”

Senate Bill 1909 was signed into law Thursday and takes effect immediately.

Castro announces $64.3 million in infrastructure improvements coming to northwest Cook and Kane Counties

• Infrastructure
• Rebuild Illinois

ELGIN – Building upon the smart infrastructure investments supported by State Senator Cristina Castro, the Illinois Department of Transportation announced an investment of $64.3 million in road and bridge improvement projects across the 22^nd District.

“The Rebuild Illinois plan is making transformative upgrades to our infrastructure that will set us up for long-term success,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “Not only do these projects enhance travel for residents, they also boost the economy and create good-paying construction jobs across the state.”

As part of IDOT’s latest Multi-Year Plan under Rebuild Illinois, the district Castro represents will see 20 infrastructure projects totaling $64,317,000 over the next six years.

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