Certain township mental health boards – or 708 boards – could soon begin collecting the revenue they need to operate, thanks to a measure sponsored by State Senator Cristina Castro.

“It is clear that residents of Schaumburg and Elgin townships, and others, value mental health services and want to incorporate community input in the form of 708 boards,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “Senate Bill 690 allows those communities to move forward with the mental health boards—ensuring they can begin funding these critical services as their residents intended.”

Senate Bill 690 is in response to a technical error in several township mental health board referendums that occurred in 2022. Existing law dictates that any 708 board approved by voters after May 13, 2022 must adhere to the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law and include language in the referendum about the financial impact on homeowners. Boards approved via referendum in the 2022 general election in Addison, Elgin, Lisle, Naperville, Schaumburg and Wheeling townships and Will County did not include the required PTELL language. Without this language, municipalities would not be able to levy taxes for the board until 2025.

The legislation extends the grandfather date to capture boards approved without the PTELL language. This will allow those municipalities to move forward with levying the tax necessary to fund the boards without having to submit another referendum to township residents. The measure also prevents a township from resubmitting the question for approval in 2024 if a community mental health board was already approved via referendum in 2022.

Castro’s district includes Schaumburg and Elgin townships. Senate Bill 690 passed both chambers of the General Assembly.

Legislation championed by State Senator Cristina Castro that will make it easier for veterans, women, minorities and people with disabilities to secure state contracts and economic opportunities through a streamlined procurement process is headed to the governor.

“Through these fixes, we are cutting red tape, providing flexibility in contracting and helping Illinois’ business environment to be more efficient,” said Castro (D-Elgin), co-chair of the State Procurement Task Force. “It’s just common sense to ensure our public dollars are used to the maximum extent and benefit every community.”

Under the legislation, corporations that hold state contracts would be subject to additional transparency requirements to ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent with a diverse range of contractors and suppliers. The measure also enhances transparency in the Business Enterprise Council by requiring the annual small business report to be made public. Further, it expands the veteran-owned small business criteria to include businesses earning up to $150 million annually, rather than $75 million.

In the months following the governor’s amendatory veto of the original legislation in August, the bill’s sponsors have worked with advocates, agencies and the governor’s office to bring forth a solution that ensures streamlining and transparency are at the forefront of its provisions.

“By working across the aisle with members of the General Assembly, state agencies, universities, small business owners and others, we are able to make our procurement process more equitable for women and minority- and veteran-owned businesses,” said Castro. “In addition to expanding opportunities for minorities, veterans and people with disabilities, this legislation provides additional time for contractors to remedy procurement issues and gives further support to the University of Illinois in its procurement process.”

Among other provisions, Castro’s legislation makes a number of changes to improve state contracts for veterans, women, people with disabilities and minorities, streamlines the procurement process, and grants flexibility to universities, small businesses and contractors. It also permits the state to enter into contracts with nonprofit agencies that serve people with disabilities.

House Bill 2878 passed both chambers of the General Assembly and moves to the governor for final action.

State Senator Cristina Castro led a measure to establish a clearly defined and uniform number of appeal days so that all Cook County taxpayers can rely on sufficient time to file, define, argue and support their property assessment appeals.

“Tax-paying homeowners should be able to count on their local government for consistency and be able to voice their concerns when their property assessment goes up—as many are experiencing this year,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “This is an opportunity to stand up for Cook County homeowners, especially northwest suburban taxpayers who are seeing increases across the board, and make the property assessment appeals process more simple and flexible.”

Senate Bill 1988 requires the Cook County Assessor to continue accepting appeals from a taxpayer for at least 30 business days after the date the increased property assessment was mailed or published on the assessor’s website.

The Cook County Assessor’s filing deadlines for taxpayer complaints can change from year to year and, in practice, from township to township. While the assessor’s office this year established a deadline of 30 calendar days for filing complaints, the available business days for filing were different in each township. In one township this year, the filing period was open from July 1 to Aug. 2—encompassing one holiday and 10 weekends, leaving only 19 business days available for filing. In another township, the filing period was open from Aug. 1 to Sept. 1—encompassing eight holidays and leaving 22 business days available for filing. Castro’s measure establishes uniform filing periods to ensure homeowners have adequate time to address their complaints to the assessor.

Senate Bill 1988 passed both chambers of the General Assembly and heads to the governor for final consideration.

A longtime supporter of making Illinois more humane for not only residents, but for animals, State Senator Cristina Castro was honored with a perfect score from the Illinois Humane Society for the 2023 Illinois Humane Scorecard.

“We have made great strides in Illinois in supporting animal rights,” said Castro. (D-Elgin). “I am grateful to have received this designation from the Illinois Humane Society and look forward to continuing my work to ensure that animals in our community are protected.”

The scorecard tracks Illinois legislators’ voting records on five key pieces of legislation, all of which Castro supported during the spring legislative session. The measures include one that prohibits toxicological tests on dogs and cats, another which makes it a Class B misdemeanor for a person to encounter a bear or primate, and one to end home and renter insurance discrimination based on a dog’s breed, among others.

Castro received a 100% score, meaning she took the pro-animal position through vote or co-sponsorship for all five of the measures.

“We should continuously strive for a more humane Illinois – for both people and animals,” said Castro. “The legislation we passed addresses that head-on – ensuring animals are treated with dignity.”

For more information on the Illinois Humane Society Scorecard, click here.