SPRINGFIELD – With Kankakee students finishing the final week of school this week, State Senator Toi Hutchinson (D-Chicago Heights) supported a plan that will provide increased funding to area school districts when students return in the fall.  

“Increasing state funding for our schools is an investment in our economy’s future,” Hutchinson said. “With school districts relying heavily on local resources, increasing state aid also ensures we are not increasing the property tax burden on working families.”

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SPRINGFIELD - The Senate gave final approval today to a measure that will prevent and ensure proper response to sexual assaults that occur on college campuses.

“Schools should be prepared to respond to sexual assaults immediately, which means helping survivors understand their reporting options, access health care or even provide alternate housing options,” Senator Toi Hutchinson (D – Chicago Heights) said. “We must do everything in our power to protect students and respond with every single resource at our disposal. Sexual assault cannot be tolerated anywhere.”

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 – 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.”