Communities Matter.
Toi is honored to represent working families, children, and senior citizens who rely on her to help keep them safe. Toi believes that legislators should support responsible budget solutions during this national economic crisis. That is why she led by example by voting to reduce her pay by nearly 5%. Toi has cut billions of dollars from the budget. She was successful in spearheading the Illiana Expressway project and was a fierce supporter in creating green jobs that cannot be outsourced. Toi knows that more work needs to be done. Going forward, Toi will continue to work with the business community to create jobs. She is open to extending and expanding successful tax credit programs that have a proven success rate in creating good jobs. Toi also believes that the legislature needs to make targeted cuts to slim the bureaucracy in government, renegotiate state leases, and get the best value for each hard-earned taxpayer dollar.

Toi’s Job Creation efforts:

• Spear-headed the Illiana Expressway project, which will create 3,000 construction jobs and over 10,000 long-term jobs (Senate Bill 3659)
• Championed legislation that would give tax credits to small businesses that create new jobs (SB 1578)
• Created a new abandoned property relief program to help municipalities with removal costs of vacant homes (SB 3739)
• Supported the creation of Illinois-grown Green energy (House Bill 6202)

Toi’s Accomplishments for Government Reform:

• Removed Rod Blagojevich and banned him from ever holding office ever again
• Co-Sponsored a Constitutional Amendment to allow citizens to recall corrupt and incompetent governors
• Reformed Cook County government by reducing the number of votes needed to override the Board President’s veto, allowing the County Board to roll back the Todd Stroger Sales Tax (House Bill 4625)
• Pushed landmark campaign finance reform that finally put caps on contributions from individuals, businesses, labor unions, and political action committees (PA 96-0832)

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Families Matter.

As a mother of three children who attend local public schools, Toi is not just paying lip service when she demands improvements in education. As someone who has spent time in the classroom, Toi understands that we need to give students the resources they need to learn and teachers the resources they need to teach. She believes we need school funding reform, swapping local property taxes for statewide income tax to put teachers in the classroom, improve the quality of education our children receive and protect homeowners.

Toi’s Accomplishments for Education:

• Fought to increase public education funding and spoke out against the Governor’s education cuts (HB 174)
• Fought for teacher performance standards and principal training (SB 315 & SB 226)
• Led the charge to institute standards and oversight for after school programs at public schools (SB 3543)
• Created a nutrition and physical activity best practices database to guide local school districts. (PA 96-1223)

Toi’s Efforts to Protect Consumers:

• Pushed to allow retailers to post product recall or warning notices online for cribs, toddler beds, car seat, high chairs, and more. (HB 964)
• Created the Farmers’ Market Technology Improvement Program Act, which allows the usage of LINK cards at farmers’ markets (HB 4756)
• Protected consumers from debt settlement companies (HB 4781)

Toi’s Legislative Accomplishments that Help Families

• Fought for property tax relief (HB 174)
• Created a foreclosure prevention program (SB 3739)
• Fought to expand protections for workers facing gender-based wage discrimination (HB 3634)

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People Matter.

Toi believes that her first responsibility as a legislator is to help keep families safe. She along with Attorney General Lisa Madigan led the charge to create legislation that requires the police to test rape kit evidence. Named the Illinois Crime Commission’s Legislator of the Year, she is fighting to equip first responders with the latest technology to protect our neighborhoods and businesses. Sitting as the Vice-Chair on the Senate Committee on State Government and Veterans Affairs, Toi works hard to ensure that our veterans receive the care that they’ve earned. She also understands that the vital services that reach our must vulnerable citizens should not simply be slashed- that those cuts should be a last resort.

Toi’s Efforts To Promote Public Safety:

• Pushed the Sexual Assault Evidence Submission Act to require law enforcement to test rape kits (SB 3269)
• Imposed tougher penalties for domestic aggravated battery (HB 596)
• Fought to make the Internet safer for children by sponsoring legislation that gives law enforcement the tools necessary to trap sexual predators on the web without exposing any minors to abuse (HB 5321)
• Strengthened penalties for false 9-1-1 calls (HB 6101)
• Supported “Jasmine’s Law” which gives judges the discretion to increase the sentences of criminals using alcohol to sexually assault minors (SB 1020)

Toi’s Accomplishments in Honoring Our Veterans:

• Supported legislation to help active duty military members fight foreclosures (HB 3762)
• Drafted a law that expanded the list of eligible persons under the Family Military Leave Act (SB 3818)
• Created the Division of Family Affairs within the Department of Military Affairs to assist military families by providing advocacy and support (HB 4213)
• Pushed a bill that would improve medical support on army and air National Guard bases (HB 820)

Toi’s Accomplishments to Protect Seniors:

• Fought to make prescription drugs more affordable (HB 366)
• Fought against budget cuts to vital senior services
• Expanded the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Illinois Home Weatherization Program (IHWAP) to help with rising energy costs (HB 2360)
• Required the Department on Aging and Department of Public Health to develop a plan to restructure to their programs to better serve all older adults (HB 752)

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