ELGIN - State Senator Cristina Castro supported a new law signed Tuesday that creates the Crime Reduction Task Force to address rising rates of crime throughout the state.

“Many of our neighbors are concerned about violence in our communities,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “That’s why my colleagues in the General Assembly and I prioritized public safety measures this year to keep Illinoisans safe by addressing the root causes of violence.”

The Crime Reduction Task Force will be made up of a bipartisan group of senators and representatives, alongside law enforcement, advocates, legal and criminal justice professionals, and survivors tasked with exploring ways to reduce crime in Illinois and presenting a report to the General Assembly and governor with their findings.

Additionally, the new law signed Tuesday will create a Violent Crime Witness Protection Fund to give greater protections to victims and witnesses of crime. It will also create the Co-Responder Pilot Program in multiple downstate and suburban cities to prioritize crisis intervention, trauma-centered support and case management when it comes to preventing crimes.

The task force’s recommendations will be presented to the General Assembly and the governor by March 2024. The law goes into effect immediately.

ELGIN – The last round of Back to Business grants have been awarded, and State Senator Cristina Castro is pleased to see this small business assistance coming to Cook and Kane counties.

“Our businesses have shown such resiliency throughout this pandemic,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “The Back to Business grant program was vital for keeping the doors of restaurants and local shops open through the tough two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

More than $2.5 million was awarded to dozens of businesses in the district Castro represents. The B2B grants are awarded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity using funds allocated to them by the American Rescue Plan through last year’s state budget.

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CHICAGO – As Illinois continues to improve state finances, working families can expect to see more money in their pocket, thanks to support from State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) for the Fiscal Year 2023 budget and tax relief plan, which were signed into law Tuesday.

“Illinois taxpayers have been fed up with our state’s poor credit rating and financial stress for years,” Castro said. “Now, our state’s credit ratings are continuously improving and important social services are given the boost they need to provide for all Illinoisans.”

The FY 23 budget builds upon the responsible spending decisions over the last few years—allowing Illinois to make a $500 investment into the pension system and set aside $1 billion to the state’s Rainy Day Fund to support the state through economic challenges.

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SPRINGFIELD - To ensure that Direct Support Personnel are fairly compensated for the assistance they provide to individuals with developmental disabilities, State Senators Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) sponsored legislation to make sure certain funding is passed firstly to the employees who care for the state’s most vulnerable residents.

“Stagnant wages for DSPs have led to high employee turnover, which at the end of the day, hurts individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” Castro said. “Making sure employees at facilities that help the people that need it most get the proper compensation is essential.”

DSPs are vital in community residential settings, where they help residents with daily personal care like eating and hygiene as well as teaching life skills and attending to complex medical needs. While funding for these services has increased over recent years, starting wages remain barely above minimum wage, and vacancies remain high. This disparity is because the state does not always require community agencies to pass wage increases through to the workers.

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