State Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago) recently appeared on Politics Tonight to give her reaction to the Governor’s State of the State address.  Senator Steans discussed her thoughts on the Governor’s job creation plans as well as on proposals for further pension reform measures for teachers and state employees. 

Click here to view Senator Steans full interview with Politics Tonight.

SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-16^th) has introduced legislation that will allow Illinoisans to continue to play the Quality of Life scratch-off lottery game after the end of 2012. The “Red Ribbon Cash” game has raised over $2.4 million for prevention education and treatment. If Senate Bill 2971 becomes law, it will continue to fund the fight against HIV/AIDS for five additional years.

“Four years after the legislature voted to fund organizations on the front lines of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, the number of new infections has decreased nationwide, but this devastating disease is still ravaging vulnerable communities, particularly minority women,” Sen. Collins said. “The proceeds from the Quality of Life scratch-off game are helping non-profits save and prolong lives in the populations with the highest risk and we should allow these groups to continue their vital work.”

In Illinois, 53.4 percent of new AIDS diagnoses in 2009 were among African-American residents, although only 14.5 percent of Illinois’ total population is black. More than four times as many African-American women are living with HIV in Illinois as white women, and three out of four women in Illinois diagnosed with HIV in 2009 were black.

Read more: Senator Jacqueline Collins Introduces Extension of Lottery Game to Fund Fight Against HIV/AIDS (VIDEO)

What war is the president of the University of Illinois fighting? He makes twice as much as the President of the United States and that is unacceptable

- Sen. Sandoval

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Illinois State Senator Martin A. Sandoval is continuing his fight to make higher education tuition affordable and accessible to everyone in Illinois.

In a recent interview with ABC 7 in Chicago, Sandoval pondered, “What war is the president of the University of Illinois fighting? He makes twice as much as the President of the United States and that is unacceptable.”

The actions of the University act as case-study of unapologetic vanity. The administration has demonstrated a startling sense of grandiosity in the face of struggling Illinois students dealing with skyrocketing tuition rates.

Read more: Sandoval fights to make public universities more accessible and affordable

Legislation that could affect thousands of students in the lowest performing elementary schools in the City of Chicago passed the Illinois Senate this week.  The measure, sponsored by Senator James Meeks (D-Chicago), would offer private-school vouchers to children in Chicago’s 49 lowest performing schools – 10 percent of the schools in the city.

Senate Bill 2494 could serve as a tentative model for future development in Illinois’ educational system.  If passed, the pilot program would begin in the 2011-2012.  In 2014, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) would evaluate the program and report their findings to the General Assembly. Families would be able to apply for vouchers from ISBE.

Read more: School Vouchers Legislation Passes Senate Chamber

 Jose Sanchez, Norwegian American Hospital’s new CEO, will be Chicago’s only Latino to lead a hospital

CHICAGO, Illinois - This week, Norwegian American Hospital established a welcome milestone for Chicago’s Latino community by naming Jose R. Sanchez as its new President and CEO.  Sanchez, who has built a distinguished 30-year career as a health care executive and urban health care expert, will be the city’s only Latino to serve as a hospital CEO.

Read more: Delgado Welcomes Urban Health Care Expert To Chicago

Concerns voiced by public bodies from across the State regarding the Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA") led to the passage of House Bill 1716, sponsored by Senator Don Harmon (D-Oak Park). This legislation makes several changes to the system of processing FOIA requests while still protecting the core purpose of this widely used transparency tool.

Read more: FOIA Concerns Addressed with Harmon Legislation