SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) released the following statement in response to labor complaints from workers athe El Milagro tortilla factories:

“I am outraged by the claims from the workers at El Milagro. Exploiting worker’s rights through poor treatment and low wages is unacceptable in any capacity, and even more so during a pandemic that has severely impacted the communities on the Southwest side of the city of Chicago.

“Even before the pandemic, many working families were struggling to make ends meet—so to learn that working conditions have only worsened is extremely disheartening. People’s livelihoods are at stake, and the workers and our communities deserve better.

“As a former organizer and union member, I stand with all workers in the fight against workplace exploitation and those fighting for their rights, because worker rights are human rights.”

CHICAGO – To protect first-generation college students and families from predatory business practices, a new plan offered by State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) that creates transparency and fairer guidelines for educational planning services was signed into law.

“This measure reels in bad actors that prey on low-income and first-generation students,” Villanueva said. “Families must have options to get out of deceptive, long-term contracts when these services are offered by the state free of charge.”

The new law requires educational planning service providers to disclose that similar services may be available at no charge from the state, allow consumers to choose which services they wish to receive and allow consumers to cancel services at any time. Consumers will also receive a full refund for services not yet provided under the law.

Read more: New law will protect college students from predatory college planning servicers

CHICAGO – To keep women and children safe, legislation introduced by State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) that would establish the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee was signed into law today.

“Families are counting on us to take proactive steps to prevent domestic violence,” Villanueva said. “Our plan creates dedicated teams of advocates and survivors to craft violence prevention policy in every corner of the state. These review teams will save lives and I am grateful to the governor for his commitment to keeping women and children in Illinois safe.”

Read more: Villanueva creates domestic violence committee to protect families

AURORA – To protect the wellbeing of immigrant communities, Illinois will reinstate the Immigrant Impact Task Force thanks to a new law introduced by State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago).

“This task force will help determine where improvements can be made in how the state invests in immigrant communities,” Villanueva said. “We must address systemic disinvestment in our communities across the state and continue building a recovery that works for all Illinoisans, regardless of status.”

Read more: Villanueva reinstates Illinois Immigrant Impact Task Force