SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Rachel Ventura is leading a measure that would increase fines to hospitals that fail to implement a written staffing plan amidst continuous nurse negotiations at the St. Joseph Hospital in Joliet.

“There needs to be accountability for hospitals who negotiate and operate in bad faith,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “Numerous nursing strikes have gone on and yet no changes have been implemented – it’s dangerous to the patient and nurses to be understaffed.”

Senate Bill 3217 would increase fines assessed on hospitals for failing to implement a written staffing plan to alleviate staffing shortages and increase pay from $500 to $5,000. Additionally, it would increase fines for failure to comply with the written plan from $500 to $10,000 and allows the Illinois Department of Public Health to revoke or suspend licenses for failure to comply with a plan of corrections a second or subsequent time.

JOLIET – State Senator Rachel Ventura recently chose two young adults to serve as interns through a new program she started in partnership with the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice at the Illinois Youth Center - St. Charles Facility.

“One such note I took during interviews was that the DJJ candidates felt uncertain about the future and unsure about their role in the community, whereas my Stateville interns had time to self-reflect and had goals planned out,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “With this in mind, I wanted to craft an inclusive internship that would provide guidance and show them that it is possible to have a vision for a bright future – and what a better way to help than to focus on legislation that directly impacts our community.”

Current educational opportunities at the St. Charles Facility include classes for 8th grade and high school graduation, a credit recovery program, and tutoring. Additionally, they offer different career driven programs including barber skills, culinary and finance classes, forklift operation and now Ventura’s internship.

JOLIET -- As more news continues to break about the seven people in Will County who were killed by who police say was their relative, State Senator Rachel Ventura is mourning the tragic loss and highlighting resources for others families who may be facing domestic violence.

Ventura (D-Joliet) expressed deep concern following the devastating loss of seven family members in Joliet, reflecting on the necessity of preemptive assistance to avert such tragedies and the profound impact they leave on the community.

"No family should suffer through such anguish,” said Ventura. “Unfortunately, we often remain unaware of individuals' internal struggles until it's too late."

Sadly, an estimated one in five homicide victims are killed by a relative, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ventura is reminding people if they feel unsafe or see signs someone is in potential danger, help is available.

JOLIET – State Senator Rachel Ventura announced 12 school districts in the greater Joliet area have received more than $40,000 to provide resources to libraries through books, e-books, audiobooks, periodicals, multilingual materials, technology and programs.

“Quality education is a fundamental right, and providing our students with high-quality educational resources and materials is a priority of our state,” said Ventura (D-Joliet). “These grants help ensure every student has access to the best resources to improve their academic career and become lifelong learners.”

Based on a statutory formula, school districts receive $0.885 per student enrolled at each school with a qualified library. Funding for the School District Library Grant Program originates from the General Reserve Fund and is appropriated for this purpose by the Illinois General Assembly.

The following school districts in Ventura’s district received a total of $40,325: