Obstructions in car windshields of test-driven vehicles has led State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) to act on life saving legislation that would require dealerships to remove decals on vehicles before leaving the lot.

The measure, House Bill 733, arose out of a tragic situation where 22 year old Brenden Burke was victim to a preventable fatal accident.

Burke was struck and killed in 2016 after a vehicle being test-driven from a nearby car dealer turned left into Burke’s path. The driver of the other vehicle had obstructed vision because of the number of decals and paper work left on the driver side windshield by the dealership.

“The story of Brenden Burke is a tragic, yet highly preventable, one,” said Castro. “There is absolutely no reason decals and paper work should be obstructing the view of a person test-driving an unfamiliar vehicle.”

Under the legislation new or used car dealerships that fail to remove decals and paper work from the car before it drives of the lot would be fined between $50 and $500.

The legislation passed the Senate on Wednesday and now goes to the governor for approval.

Senate Democrats passed legislation Tuesday that would balance the state budget and fully fund P-12 education, higher education and human services.

State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) released the following statement:

“Today, the Senate Democrats passed a plan with responsible repairs to a state budget that has been horribly neglected under Gov. Rauner. After six months of negotiation, and his inability to do the job, we took the responsibility of putting together a plan that includes cuts, reforms and revenue to bring stability and certainty to the state.

“We do not have time to wait any longer. Every day we go without a budget is another day of uncertainty for Elgin and Harper Community Colleges and the Hanover Park Education and Work Center. It is another day where students will not receive needed MAP grant funding to attend our state universities and community colleges. It means places like Ecker Center for Mental Health are suffering and being forced to discontinue vital programs.

“Lawmakers have a responsibility to the people back home and to fix this mess. Today we took the needed steps to get this done.”

Parents throughout Illinois may soon have greater resources available to them to ensure their children are in safe hands.

State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) passed a measure through the Illinois Senate on Tuesday that would require the Department of Children and Family Services to establish and maintain an online searchable database with information on reports of child abuse or neglect in day care facilities.

“Parents have the right to know their children are in safe hands,” said Castro. “We need to make sure day care facilities are providing a safe environment. If a facility has been cited for neglect or has had its license revoked, that information should be made public so parents are able to make sure their children aren’t being put in a potential harmful situation.”

The measure would require the DCFS database to go back five years and show if a day care entity has had its license revoked or surrendered by the department during a child abuse neglect investigation, or if its license renewal was denied.

The measure, House Bill 2388, passed the Senate on Tuesday and now goes to the governor’s desk for approval.

The Illinois Senate voted on pieces of the bipartisan grand bargain today in another attempt to keep discussions going and solve the state’s budgetary issues. State Senator Cristina Castro (D-Elgin) released the following statement:

“Yesterday, we worked to pass components of the grand bargain that would help get the state back on track. While we were able to have some success with passing a budget bill, there are still significant negotiations that need to occur to get the state heading in the right direction and to see a full budget plan materialize. There is no easy solution, but I stand committed to working with my colleagues to see this through.”