Canty Streamlines Childcare and Early Childhood Education, Takes Steps to Strengthen Public Safety

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Following a successful legislative session, numerous new initiatives led by state Rep. Mary Beth Canty, D-Arlington Heights, including laws giving fire fighters the tools they need to do their jobs, major reforms to early childhood education and childcare, and smart investments in public safety and property tax relief, will help build a stronger Illinois.

“As our community’s representative in Springfield, I was determined to strengthen public safety, ease property tax burdens, and help build a better childcare system that works for families,” Canty said. “The fiscally responsible budget I helped craft this year puts tens of millions of new dollars towards supporting first responders, strengthens domestic violence survivor advocacy groups, and cracks down on sexual assault. There are also substantial investments in education to help families and the next generation, while giving local governments the funding they need to get serious about property tax relief.”

Continuing her effort to rebuild Illinois’ fiscal house, Canty advocated for a budget that looks line-by-line through spending to cut nearly $75 million in administrative costs in order to invest state resources in the services local families value while growing the state’s rainy day fund. Canty also voted to eliminate a state sales tax on groceries.

Illinois’ new budget invests $148 million to purchase body cameras and resources vital for law enforcement, such as recruiting, training, and retaining new officers,  and $20 million for domestic violence survivor advocacy groups. $748 million for early childhood education will also provide thousands of low-income families with the start their kids need to fulfill their potential. That will be accompanied by a new $50 million Child Tax Credit, for which Canty was a vocal advocate, to help families with young children face rising costs, while a $10 million dollar investment will eliminate $1 billion in medical debt.

Canty played a major role in passing Senate Bill 1, a measure that streamlines childcare services and unites various programs under one banner by creating the Department of Early Childhood. Canty is helping families access the support they need, when they need it, while laying the foundation for further development of the best early childhood education system in the country. “Streamlining childcare in Illinois by uniting essential early childhood services under one banner will cut costs, create a more straightforward process for parents, and reshape long-term childcare processes in Illinois,” Canty said. “These reforms are going to benefit Illinois families in both the short- and long-term.”

“I will always be committed  to making our community a safer place,” Canty said. “Whether that’s in the form of ensuring law enforcement have the tools they need, cutting the red tape preventing fire fighters from doing their jobs, or making sure sexual assault survivors don’t face retaliation for coming forward, public safety is a priority for me.”

Working with representatives of fire protection districts, Canty also passed House Bill 4359, which explicitly allows for those districts to save money for long-term purchases essential to their responsibilities in emergency medicine and search and rescue operations.

“I’m committed to cutting property taxes for the sake of people in our community bearing unnecessary financial burdens,” Canty said. “Coming together with stakeholders to find smart approaches to curbing these costs and making lives of working families easier.”

Canty helped pass Senate Bill 3455, which forms a panel of lawmakers and stakeholders to study the best approaches to cutting property taxes.