SPRINGFIELD – An alarming one in five undergraduate college women will become a victim of rape or attempted rape.

“College represents new experiences and new beginnings for thousands of young women and men each year,” Senator Toi Hutchinson (D – Chicago Heights) said. “Unfortunately, too many of those students will become victims of sexual violence that can have negative effects lasting a lifetime.”  

While there have been efforts at the federal level to deal with the issue of sexual violence on campuses, universities have been left with a patchwork of recommendations and proposals without clear guidance on how they can reduce the incidents of violence on their campuses and effectively deal with the aftermath of sexual assaults.

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SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Toi Hutchinson (D – Chicago Heights) released the following statement on news the Illinois Supreme Court ruled pension reform measures contained in Senate Bill 1 are unconstitutional:

“Today’s court ruling solidifies that we cannot ignore our Constitution’s clearly laid-out protection of pension benefits. While today’s ruling does increase pressure to find a consensus towards solving our budget crisis, it allows us to craft solutions based on real figures, no longer banking on artificial savings from a plan that is unconstitutional.”

Senator Toi Hutchinson (D – Chicago Heights) joined Senator Karen McConnaughay (R – St. Charles) and organizations from across the state who work to eradicate human trafficking at a ceremony today in the Capitol.

“Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery that primarily exploits young women by forcing them into involuntary servitude and prostitution,” Hutchinson said. “It’s all too easy to think of this as an abstract, global problem, but the truth is that this is happening in our own backyards. It’s unacceptable, and it’s time to speak up.”

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SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Toi Hutchinson (D – Chicago Heights) supported a plan in the Senate today restoring nearly $30 million in cuts Governor Rauner made to social service agencies earlier this month.  

“This plan prevents layoffs at social service agencies and ensures we are not starting a chain reaction where lost jobs leads to a loss in economic activity in our state,” Hutchinson said. “For every dollar lost in public spending, we lose $1.30 in private sector economic activity. When local jobs are lost, it not only affects social service providers and their clients but also restaurants, dry cleaners and a host of other small businesses. The impact on the local economy is real and we cannot forget that.”

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