SPRINGFIELD – Following 20 years of service in the Illinois Senate, Assistant Majority Leader Jacqueline Y. Collins retired her seat at the end of her seventh term in office.

“It has been my honor to fight in the Illinois Senate for policies that reduce inequality, expand opportunities and strengthen our community,” said Collins (D-Chicago). “Looking back, I am proud of the accomplishments we achieved together to take on the status quo, stand up to corporate interests and reform oppressive systems.”

Senator Collins spent her career pursuing economic, racial and social justice for underserved and disinvested communities. Her major legislative accomplishments include making Illinois the first in the Midwest to ban “ghost guns”; the historic Predatory Loan Prevention Act and the Illinois Community Reinvestment Act; the Mortgage Rescue Fraud Act; the landmark Sudan Divestment Act; and the 2005 Payday Loan Reform Act; among more than 200 other pieces of legislation.

Collins served as the longtime chair of the Senate Financial Institutions Committee, and most recently as chair of the Senate Criminal Law Committee, and as a member of the Senate Transportation Committee during her tenure in the Illinois Senate. She served in Senate leadership since 2017 as Majority Caucus Whip, Deputy Majority Caucus Chair and finally as Assistant Majority Leader.

“I am forever grateful for the opportunity to have served our community and look forward to continuing that service in new ways,” Collins said. “Thank you for your continued support these past 20 years.”

Senator Collins will continue her legacy of community service after two decades in state government. As a proud member of the Faith Community at Saint Sabina Church, Collins will remain an active advocate on behalf of her community.

SPRINGFIELD – Assistant Majority Leader Jacqueline Y. Collins was joined by advocates and co-sponsors to urge the passage of the Pawn Broker Regulation Act on Wednesday.

“Last year I passed the Predatory Loan Prevention Act to cap absurdly high interest rates and protect consumers,” said Senator Collins (D-Chicago). “We must expand the law to cover loans from other servicers so that working people are not taken advantage of and have the opportunity to build lasting economic stability.”

Collins’ Predatory Loan Prevention Act prohibits lenders from charging more than 36% APR on consumer loans. Before the passage of this historic consumer protect law, the average APR on a payday loan in Illinois was 297% and the average APR on a title loan was 178%. Shortly after the PLPA was passed, a preliminary injunction was issued in Sangamon County which excluded pawn brokers from coverage under the law. Senate Bill 4241, the Pawn Broker Regulation Act, intends to expand the PLPA to include pawn brokers.

“Enough is enough. Illinoisans are fed up with loans that charge triple digit interest rates and prey on vulnerable families,” said State Representative Sonya M. Harper (D-Chicago), sponsor of the legislation in the Illinois House. “Fortunately, all we need to do is pass legislation that will fix this problem.”

Senate Bill 4241 awaits committee assignment.

Thank you to all who joined our panel discussion on the SAFE-T Act. There is a lot of misinformation out there, so I was happy to partner with the Faith Community of Saint Sabina to give our community a chance to learn the facts directly from the law's sponsors, crime survivor advocates and public safety experts.

CHICAGO – State Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins announced that school districts across the 16^th District will receive over $30 million in additional funding to help address the financial challenges of recent years.

“This funding will help our local schools invest in students, who have endured much the past few years,” said Collins (D-Chicago). “As the school year kicks off, I encourage schools to use this investment for our most at-risk youth.”

The funding comes from the 2017 Illinois Senate Democrat-backed evidence-based funding formula – an overhaul of the way the state funds K-12 education. The law made school funding more equitable by calculating the needs of individual school districts and basing its state revenue on those needs. The formula takes into account a district’s total enrollment, poverty rate, the number of special education or English language learners, among other factors.

Read more ...