SR1353 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR1353 LRB103 43739 ECR 77150 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to honor our colleague, State Senator Natalie Toro, on her esteemed service as a member of the Illinois General Assembly and to thank her for her dedication to the State and her community; and

WHEREAS, Senator Toro was born on the northwest side of Chicago into a Puerto Rican immigrant family; and

WHEREAS, Senator Toro is a lifelong resident of the 20th Senate District, and she attended Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and eventually worked at elementary schools to support and shape the future of her community; and

WHEREAS, Senator Toro was inspired to pursue a career in public service by her grandfather's commitment to fighting injustice, opening a credit union that served Latinos when other local banks denied them service because of their ethnicity, and by witnessing her parents' involvement in local unions; and

WHEREAS, Senator Toro earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education from Northeastern Illinois University in her district; and

WHEREAS, Senator Toro began her career as a teacher at Schmid Elementary School in 2015, and she worked at CPS schools for eight years, achieving tenured status after four years by demonstrating effective teaching and by having a positive impact on student learning before deciding to pursue her interest in working as a government official; and

WHEREAS, Upon arriving in Springfield in 2023, Senator Toro began to champion issues important to her and her community, including early childhood education, housing affordability, reproductive health care, and violence prevention; and

WHEREAS, Senator Toro also advocated for people with disabilities, fighting for and passing legislation requiring police officers to undergo training to better interact with people with autism in order to minimize escalated encounters between law enforcement and people with disabilities due to misunderstandings; and

WHEREAS, Following the tragic death of a teenager in her district who was struck and killed by a motorist while biking, Senator Toro passed legislation encouraging local governments to develop bike safety plans that would better inform residents about the safety features on each bike route as well as improve infrastructure to prioritize the safety of cyclists and pedestrians; and

WHEREAS, Senator Toro also passed legislation that prohibits workplace discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on family obligations, allowing employees to be evaluated for the merits of their work and not assumptions based on their home lives; and

WHEREAS, Senator Toro served as a member of the Progressive Caucus, the Women's Caucus, and the Latino Caucus, and she led roundtable discussions at events celebrating the Latino Caucus' work to enact legislation to better support her community; and

WHEREAS, Senator Toro has provided the Illinois Senate with her unique perspective as an educator who has witnessed issues in Illinois public schools and is passionate about fixing them, and her kindness is present in every interaction she has; and

WHEREAS, Senator Toro is bidding farewell to the Illinois Senate after dedicating her time to the 20th Senate District and the people of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, Senator Toro plans to continue advocating for the issues closest to her heart, including access to reproductive health care, labor rights, education, and disability rights; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we thank Senator Natalie Toro for her dedicated service to the people of Illinois and her contributions to the State; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Senator Toro as a symbol of our gratitude with our best wishes for her future endeavors.