MARSEILLES, Ill. – State Rep. Lance Yednock, D-Ottawa, hosted his first meeting of his Veterans Advisory Council meeting at the Marseilles American Legion to help local veterans understand their benefits and rights in Illinois.

“I want to make sure that local veterans are able to access the services that are owed to them by Illinois,” Yednock said. “These selfless men and women sacrificed so much to keep our communities safe and protected from tyranny. Events like these are one way we can give back to our veterans.” 

“Representative Yednock has vowed to be a fighter for our local veterans, and it is my hope that his colleagues in Springfield will work toward bipartisan solutions that help our local veterans,” said Steven Kreitzer, Superintendent of the LaSalle County Veterans Assistance Commission. “There will be more meetings for veterans and advocates to attend throughout LaSalle County. I encourage everyone who has an stake in veterans issues to participate and voice their concerns.”

Yednock partnered with the LaSalle County Veterans Assistance Commission to update Illinois Valley veterans on the benefits that are available to them as well as assist them with critical property tax exemptions and more. Yednock wants to hear directly from local veterans in an effort to create new legislation to further benefit them. Yednock’s Veteran Advisory Council Meetings are as follows and each will start at 6 p.m.:

Yednock will be hosting additional meetings for his Veterans Advisory Council, which are free to attend:

• Wednesday, November 20 at the Ottawa VFW located at 1501 La Salle St.
• Wednesday, January 22 at the LaSalle VFW located at 2325 Donahue St.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus released the following statement in response to the passage of a gradual minimum wage increase for working families across Illinois:

“The reality is that the communities we represent are struggling: rents have increased, education costs have skyrocketed, Donald Trump has made healthcare less affordable, and incomes have stayed the same. It is unacceptable that nearly 80 percent of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck, so providing working families across Illinois a raise is long overdue.

“Our vote today to increase the minimum wage is an important step towards equity, ensuring the dignity of working families and addressing the decades of growing income inequality. For too long, big multinational corporations have seen record profits while wages have remained stagnant for working families. A significant portion of Latinos work for hourly wages, so increasing the minimum wage to a living wage will pull thousands of families out of poverty. Higher wages will also help address pay inequities for Latinas as a significant portion of minimum wage workers are in industries dominated by women.

“Expanding opportunity for working families and small businesses is not an either or. The passage of this legislation is the smart thing to do as higher wages will generate billions of dollars in new economic activity for local businesses across the state. We look forward to continue working on the issues impacting our community to ensure that Illinois is truly a place for Latino advancement.”

The Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus is a collective of legislators who represent districts throughout the state of Illinois and advocate on behalf of Latino families and the state’s vibrant immigrant community.

AURORA, Ill. – The Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus released the following statement in response to Gov. Pritzker’s proactive approach to combat Donald Trump’s bigoted agenda by requiring the Department of Human Services to expand access to Welcoming Centers for immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, ensuring they know their rights:

“Today’s executive could not have come at a better time, given that Donald Trump is holding the federal government hostage unless he gets funding for his bigoted border wall. Thanks to the leadership of Governor Pritzker, Illinois is letting the country know loud and clear that we welcome all immigrants.

“This order is a step in the right direction as it will ensure that immigrant families and refugees know about the resources available to them, helping them feel safe and supported by our state. We commend Governor Pritzker for his commitment to Illinois’ 1.8 million immigrants. We look forward to working with him to address the issues affecting our community by ensuring local schools get the funding they deserve, raising the minimum wage to a living wage, and expanding access to affordable health care.” 

Governor Pritzker was joined by both Latino Caucus Co-Chairs state Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez and state Sen. Omar Aquino, as well as Assistant Majority Leader Linda Chapa LaVia, state Rep. Kathleen Willis, state Rep. Celina Villanueva, state Rep. Anna Moeller, and state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit.