Villanueva law to increase business loan opportunities for underserved communities

• Small Business
• Local business
• SB 3807
• DCEO

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Celina Villanueva’s measure to allow minority-owned, women-owned and veteran-owned businesses to apply for up to $2 million in loans was signed into law Friday.

“We must continue to uplift disadvantaged communities and provide them with greater opportunities to succeed,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “These businesses are the backbones of their communities – and to see minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses thrive means hope is on the horizon.”

Senate Bill 3807 encourages more people to apply to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Minority, Veteran, Female and Disability Loan Program by increasing the maximum loan amount from $400,000 to $2 million.

“Businesses owned by marginalized groups are typically in underserved communities and empowering these business owners means uplifting entire communities,” said Villanueva. “This law is a strategic investment to offer underrepresented communities long-term vitality.”

Senate Bill 3807 was signed into law Friday and goes into effect Jan. 1, 2025.

Villanueva champions new law making the college transfer process easier

• SB 3081
• College
• Transfer fees

SPRINGFIELD — In order to make the college transfer process easier and more equitable, State Senator Celina Villanueva championed a new law waving certain admissions fees.

“It’s important that we continue to break barriers and ensure that everyone has equitable access to education,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “Pursuing higher education is difficult enough without the burden of various transfer application fees.”

The new law requires public universities to waive admission application fees for a student transferring from an Illinois public community college if the transferring student is enrolled in the last semester of a degree program and is on schedule to graduate with a degree.

Additionally, the law encourages each public university to develop a policy to automatically waive the undergraduate transfer admissions application fees for low-income students transferring from a community college.

“With one less barrier to concern themselves with, transfer students are able to focus on the journey ahead of them,” said Villanueva. “Transfer fees and processes vary depending on the university and this law lessens the confusion.”

Senate Bill 3081 was signed into law Friday and goes into effect immediately.

Villanueva law upholds lifesaving reproductive rights

• Health care
• Reproductive Rights
• HB 581

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Celina Villanueva championed a newly signed law to continue to support reproductive health care, as anti-choice action threatens to infringe on people’s rights.

“These persistent anti-choice attacks are intolerable and protections are absolutely necessary,” said Villanueva (D – Chicago). “Women throughout Illinois and beyond have a constitutional right to access vital life-saving care and medically necessary services.”

House Bill 581 protects Illinois patients from another pending Supreme Court rollback of reproductive rights by ensuring Illinois hospitals must provide any medically necessary services—including abortion services—to stabilize a patient at risk of severe injury or death. 

Villanueva’s measure came as the Supreme Court heard Moyle v. Idaho. This case questioned whether Idaho’s total abortion ban is exempt from the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. Idaho argued that it should be exempt, which would have undermined critical patient protections in cases of severe pregnancy complications. The Supreme Court dismissed the case – putting it back in the hands of Idaho’s Ninth Circuit Court. However, it is expected the case will once again be heard before SCOTUS in the future – further securing the need for Illinois to ensure these protections remain in place and impose civil penalties on hospitals that refuse to provide lifesaving abortion procedures through House Bill 581.

“Maintaining and reinforcing measures that ensure the well-being and inalienable rights of women in Illinois will always be a priority,” said Villanueva. “By strengthening our reproductive health care laws to support the delicate process of bringing life into this world we are able to protect women in a nation that is committed to denying our rights.”

House Bill 581 was signed into law Wednesday and is effective immediately.

Villanueva law safeguards reproductive health care records

• Health care
• Reproductive Rights
• HB 5239

SPRINGFIELD — A new law from State Senator Celina Villanueva will ensure reproductive health care records are not being improperly disclosed.

“As we navigate the war on reproductive rights, preventative laws like this are essential in counteracting restrictive and overarching laws of other states,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “As a safe haven state, it is our responsibility to reinforce state-level protections where federal protections have failed us.”

Last year Villanueva led House Bill 4664 – a law to shield out-of-state patients and in-state providers from legal action originating from other states regarding abortions performed here.  To expand upon that measure and provide further protections, Villanueva championed House Bill 5239 this year.

The law will ensure that location information and health records for reproductive health care performed in Illinois will not be subject to the Freedom of Information Act. Further, it will ensure that units of local governments could not assist in imposing a civil or criminal liability against a person or provider who received reproductive or gender affirming care in Illinois. 

“While federal protections are important, they have made it clear that state-level protections are crucial in safeguarding reproductive rights,” said Villanueva. “This law stands to uphold state autonomy as we continue to make reproductive healthcare a priority.”

House Bill 5239 was signed into law Wednesday and is effective immediately.