Villanueva law to create Office of Economic Equity and Empowerment

• DCEO
• HB 859
• Office of Economic Equity and Empowerment

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Celina Villanueva’s measure to create the Office of Economic Equity and Empowerment was signed into law Friday – furthering her commitment to uplifting minority, women, veteran and disabled business owners.

“The Office of Economic Equity and Empowerment will ensure that equitable resources and opportunities will remain available to businesses owned by minorities, women, veterans, and those with disabilities,” said Villanueva (D–Chicago). “These necessary previsions protect the future of underrepresented businesses across the state.”

Senate Bill 859 creates the Office of Economic Equity and Empowerment within the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, further protecting equity initiatives. While DCEO has the Office of Minority Economic Empowerment, it is not written into law. Villanueva’s law will preserve equity initiatives through the formal establishment of the office, and continue its current efforts supporting underserved business owners.

“Protective approaches are essential when discussing the progress of our state as far as equity and inclusion is concerned,” said Villanueva. “Planning ahead safeguards the future for businesses in marginalized communities.”

Senate Bill 859 was signed into law Friday and goes into effect Jan. 1, 2025.

Villanueva law to protect driving privileges

• HB 277
• Court notice

SPRINGFIELD – A new law, championed by State Senator Celina Villanueva, will allow driver’s license holders more notice for court appearances prior to suspension.

“Drivers are not receiving notice of court dates and unknowingly having their driving privileges revoked. This is a major issue that leads to severe consequences,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “This law will allow drivers the curtesy of electronic notice of court dates to reduce the possibility of suspension or further legal issues.”

Under House Bill 277, if a person fails to appear in court, the court may text, call or email the person's last known contact information with notice regarding the continued court dates. The notice will include a statement that a future failure to appear could result in a warrant or consequences affecting their driving privileges. The current penalty for failure to appear in court is immediate license suspension by the Secretary of State.

“In this digital age where we are likely to get unknown driving citations due to cameras on every corner, we need to make sure people are being notified in the same manner and snail mail is simply unreliable,” said Villanueva. “Driving privileges are a necessity and this will reduce the possibility of legal penalties and cycles of legal non-compliance.”

House Bill 277 was signed into law Friday and goes into effect Jan. 1, 2025.

Villanueva law protects the DNA rights of crime victims

• SB 1168
• DNA rights

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Celina Villanueva championed a new law to provide additional protections to crime victims.

“This law protects survivors’ rights as they make the delicate decision to seek justice by trusting the system with their DNA,” said Villanueva (D-Chicago). “By providing this protection, survivors are able to avoid possible systemic retaliation of misuse of DNA evidence by the criminal justice system.”

The new law, formerly House Bill 1168, prevents DNA evidence collected from a crime victim from being entered into any DNA database.

Villanueva passed this legislation in response to a case in San Francisco where a rape survivor voluntarily provided her DNA to law enforcement to bring her attacker to justice. However, her DNA was put into a database without her consent – and was tested against crime scene DNA for years.

Villanueva’s law protects crime survivors against unreasonable searches and seizures under the Fourth Amendment.

“This is just another instance of how survivors may be targeted by having their DNA put into a system that insists on treating them like criminals,” said Villanueva.  “It’s important that we work to change these practices so as not to discourage people from reporting their attackers.”

House Bill 1168 was signed into law Friday and goes into effect Jan. 1, 2025.

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.