Hernandez: Much Work Remains to Lift Up Working Families, Protect Immigrant Community

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez, D-Cicero, worked to provide local public schools millions in additional funding as a result of the monumental education funding reform passed last summer, protect immigrant communities from Donald Trump’s hateful agenda and fought to ensure critical services that lift up working families are funded during the spring legislative session.

“Education gives every child a foundation to succeed and provide for their families and community, which is why I supported a budget that provides millions in additional funding for our local schools,” Hernandez said. “Time after time, the governor has chosen to play political games rather than work with us to ensure every child receives the tools they need for a bright future.”

Hernandez worked to ensure that the Illinois Board of Education (ISBE) allocated the $21.9 million in additional funding local public schools were entitled to after months of unnecessary delay. Under the new formula, more state funds are being provided to districts with greater need. The Hernandez-backed Senate Bill 1947, not only fully funded Bilingual Education for first time in decades, it is providing schools in the 24th District the following in additional funding:

• J. Sterling Morton High School District 201— $9,130,867
• Cicero School District 99— $8,271,310
• Berwyn South School District 100— $3,040,904
• Berwyn North School District 98— $1,465,865

Additionally, Hernandez has worked tirelessly to fight back against Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda by being a lead sponsor of the Illinois TRUST Act, which are the strongest state-level protections in the country for undocumented immigrants, expanding protections for immigrants that are victims of crimes like domestic violence, and standing up for Illinois’ 42,000 Dreamers every step of the way since the rescinding of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Hernandez also supported a bipartisan, balanced budget that cuts wasteful bureaucracy, reverses Gov. Bruce Rauner’s extreme cuts and invests the state’s limited resources in critical services like lifesaving cancer screenings for women, and the Child Care Assistance Program, which helps reduce the cost of childcare for working families.

“Donald Trump’s hateful agenda has devastated immigrant communities across the country, so we must continue fighting at the state-level to ensure families aren’t torn apart,” Hernandez said. “Much more work remains to be done and I encourage Governor Bruce Rauner to come out from the shadows where he has been hiding since Donald Trump became president and work with us to protect the immigrant community and support a budget that lifts up working families.”