ELGIN – A new mass vaccination site offering hundreds of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine is coming to Elgin’s Eastside Recreation Center starting on April 7 thanks to efforts made by State Senator Cristina Castro (D- Elgin).

“I’m so glad to see this vaccination site opening in the district I represent,” Castro said. “This site will provide vaccines to vulnerable communities in Cook and Kane Counties, especially those who have been disproportionately impacted by this awful pandemic.”

ELGIN – State Senator Cristina Castro is announcing that school districts in the 22^nd District will receive about $157 million in additional funding to help address the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I want to acknowledge all the hard work students, teachers and parents have undertaken in the last year as we all adjusted to these unprecedented times,” Castro said. “As we begin to transition to what life was like before the pandemic, I encourage schools to use this funding to help students who have been disproportionately impacted over the past year.”

The funding comes as part of the most recent federal COVID-19 relief packages. Schools, students and parents have overcome challenges that no one could have imagined before the pandemic began, including remote and hybrid learning, digital connection issues, new processes for receiving state and federal aid that normally flow through schools, and more.

SPRINGFIELD – To make sure Kane County gets its fair share of the money from legal cannabis sales, state Senator Cristina Castro won approval of legislation giving the county a new deadline to file paperwork with the state.

“One of the major selling points of legalizing cannabis sales was the revenue it would bring to local governments to support programs and services. This proposal makes sure Kane County will get its fair share,” said Castro, an Elgin Democrat.

SPRINGFIELD – To bring more tax dollars to Kane County, State Senator Cristina Castro (D- Elgin) has introduced a measure to create a new submission window for a county to submit cannabis sales tax paperwork.

“One of the major appeals of legalizing cannabis in Illinois was the amount of tax dollars it could bring to our local governments,” Castro said. “This measure would provide an additional window of opportunity for county governments to receive the taxes from cannabis sales.”