- Published: Tuesday, August 07, 2018 04:09 PM
Senator Jacqueline Collins stood alongside her legislative colleagues and advocates today to call on Gov. Bruce Rauner to sign a law creating a new council dedicated to the research and investigation of the social and economic factors that hold back women and girls in society.
“The Illinois Council on Women and Girls will study the things that hold back half of our population from achieving their full potential, and it will periodically report on ways we could tear down the barriers that hold back our sisters and daughters,” Collins said, addressing reporters at a press conference at the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago. “In doing so, it will start the conversations that result in change. I urge Rauner to be part of the change we want to see in the world and to sign House Bill 5544.”
Submitted to the governor June 19, the legislation, which passed the General Assembly with bipartisan support, must be acted upon within the next two weeks. Collins and partner organizations Women’s March Chicago, Cause the Effect, Planned Parenthood Illinois Action, Equality IL, CNOW, YWCA- Metro Chicago, Chicago Foundation for Women, United State of Women, Women Employed, Men4Choice, Northwestern Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing, HerStory Chicago and the Chicago Center for Arts and Technology all urged Gov. Rauner to sign the legislation rather than allow it to languish for two weeks before automatically becoming law.
“This is really the start of our activism, using social media to convey to the governor that he needs to sign the bill,” Collins said.
