Senator Lightford had the great pleasure of  attending the graduation ceremony of this semester's Kimberly A. Lightford Saturday University students. In partnership with The Black Star Project, Senator Lightford sponsors this community-based program, which is a free comprehensive learning system that provides opportunities for students, parents and community agencies to take control of and improve academic outcomes. Saturday University focuses on implementing active learning techniques and features math, reading and writing courses taught by committed and engaged instructors. The students received outstanding achievement certificates and awards for accomplishments achieved throughout the semester.

See photos from the students' graduation ceremony below.

In response to the meeting Governor Bruce Rauner held with legislative leaders Tuesday, State Senator Kimberly A. Lightford (D-Maywood) released the following statement.

The people want results and so do I. They’ve had enough of the blame game.

They want services to be restored for children and the mentally ill. They want to feel safe in their homes and on sidewalks. They want college students to continue to go to school, and they want roads to be clean and safe for the winter upon us. We want a balanced, responsible budget now.

A meeting is a necessary first step of many on the path to finally producing fruitful solutions to the budget impasse and ending the pain that has come with it. And Governor Rauner, the man behind this stubborn stalemate, has to step up to lead us to these concrete results.

I don’t know the exact date a solution will be present itself, but I do know that it has to come through tough compromise, an empathetic spirit and a keen ability to find innovative solutions to persistent problems.

The 4th Senate District Committee attended Bethel New Life Church's annual Thanksgiving service event on the Westside of Chicago to support area residents with food donations & supplies, providing meals for senior citizens for the holiday season.

Every year, Maywood motorists have paid thousands of dollars in state gas taxes, and every year, Maywood receives that revenue for important road projects and maintenance. But this year, Springfield has kept the money rather than sending it back to help pay for the road salt, snow plow repair and pot hole patching that are communities need – especially for the upcoming winter months.

“It is the duty of your state government to collect and allocate funds,” said state Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford, a Chicago Democrat who also represents area townships and municipalities, such as River Forest and La Grange Park in the Illinois Senate. “Unfortunately at the behest of the governor, your state government has only collected your tax dollars. It is high time we send back the tax money you deserve to sustain your community.”

The money can’t be sent to the communities without some kind of official authorization. In May, Gov. Rauner vetoed the Senate-approved proposal – SB 2033 – that did that. The system has been at a standstill ever since.

In 2014, Maywood received nearly $600,000 in gas tax money. Across Cook County, local governments received almost a $100 million in gas tax money last year.

Other area communities received the following amounts in 2014:
• Bellwood - $472,139.73
• Berwyn - $1,402,654.33
• Broadview - $196,372.09
• Brookfield - $469,837.33
• Forest Park - $350,731.64
• Hillside - $201,942.42
• La Grange - $384,970.53
• La Grange Park - $336,174.56
• Northlake - $305,079.84
• North Riverside - $165,178.36
• Oak Park - $1,284,340.84
• River Forest - $276,584.58
• Westchester - $413,886.61

Additional information about how much local communities are owed in gas tax money is available here.

This September, Lightford and other Illinois Senate Democrats anticipated this looming problem and again attempted to prevent it. In order provide the authority needed to send along the gas tax money back to where it belongs, the Senate approved another plan to free up those crucial dollars. Senate Democrats provided the 36 votes needed to approve it. At the direction of Gov. Rauner, all Republican opposed the legislation.

The legislation – SB 2046 – remains pending in the Illinois House.

“With winter fast approaching and the roads already getting slick with ice, it is more important now than ever, to free up these dollars to do some good here at home,” said Lightford.