Castro pension consolidation law upheld by Illinois Supreme Court

In a unanimous decision issued Friday, the Illinois Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of local pension fund consolidation contained in a 2019 law sponsored by State Senator Cristina Castro.

“This is a victory for taxpayers and first responders across Illinois,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “This consolidation is already producing positive returns, underscoring the importance of addressing our state’s most pressing financial issue.”

Castro’s law – which passed under Senate Bill 1300 – enabled downstate fire and police pension funds to be consolidated into two separate funds over a 30-month period beginning in January 2020. Since the law took effect, the Firefighters’ Pension Investment Fund has added more than $40 million in value through investment returns and seen a reduction in fees and expenses of $34 million. This has led to a reduction in statutory minimum contributions, saving money for local governments and taxpayers.

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Castro selected for national innovation fellowship

WASHINGTON, DC – Future Caucus announced Wednesday that State Senator Cristina Castro was selected to be a member of the inaugural class of Innovation Fellows, taking part in the nationwide fellowship for Gen Z and millennial state legislators.

“Bringing together the next generation of leaders to learn from each other, develop effective governing skills, advance legislation and overcome partisan divisions is what strengthening our democracy is about,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “I’m excited to get to work solving some of the most pressing issues of our time with a diverse cohort of legislators from across the nation.”

Rooted in the understanding that polarization presents new and unique obstacles to modern policymaking, the Innovation Fellowship cultivates the next generation of national leaders with the skills to build bipartisan coalitions and pass effective legislation. Through hands-on research, interactive workshops, expert mentorship and real-world application, the group of lawmakers will enhance their ability to craft durable policy solutions that adapt to ever-changing realities.

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Castro announces nearly $70,000 in library grants for local school districts

State Senator Cristina Castro announced four local school districts are receiving nearly $70,000 in state grant funding to provide resources to libraries, including books, e-books, audiobooks, periodicals, multilingual materials, technology and programming.

“Libraries open doors to invaluable new experiences, skills and perspectives for all students,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “Access to high-quality, multilingual library resources begins with investments at the local level which provide a foundation to build on in the future.”

Based on a statutory formula, school districts receive $0.885 per student enrolled at each school with a qualified library. Funding for the Illinois Secretary of State’s School District Library Grant Program is appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly.

The following school districts serving students in Castro’s district received a total of $69,784:

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New Castro law paves the way for increased diversity, efficiency in state contracting

• Procurement

A new law sponsored by State Senator Cristina Castro addresses a number of procurement issues and aims to increase diversity and efficiency throughout the state’s commerce process.

“Ensuring our state agencies, universities, vendors, suppliers and minority contractors can contract and complete projects more efficiently, transparently and sustainably is at the core of this law,” said Castro (D-Elgin). “Streamlining the process and expanding supplier diversity measures opens the door to new opportunities for veteran- and minority-owned contractors — not just the big firms — who have worked for years to secure contracts to work on important projects in our state.”

The law makes a number of changes to streamline the procurement process. It subjects corporations that hold state contracts to additional transparency requirements and enhances transparency in the Business Enterprise Council by requiring the annual small business report to be made public.

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