State treasurer to issue commemorative medallions

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Ann Gillespie is marking the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, as well as Illinois’ key role in the historic moment, with a pair of measures in the Illinois Senate.

Senate Resolution 79 declares June 10, 2019, as 19th Amendment Ratification Day in Illinois. Senate Joint Resolution 28 authorizes the Illinois treasurer to issue a commemorative medallion this year to mark the anniversary of women’s suffrage.

On June 4, 1919, Congress passed the Susan B. Anthony Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, or the 19th Amendment, giving women the full right to vote. Illinois was the first state to vote to ratify the amendment on June 10, 1919.

“Women today have the ability to wield great power over the future of their communities, their state and this nation, all because women a century ago refused to give up their quest for the right to vote,” Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights) said. “Women may not be unified on every issue, but our desire to be engaged in government and informed about the world around us is what always brings us together.”

Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs said he is honored to mark the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment with a commemorative coin.

“The perseverance, hard work and sacrifice from women’s suffrage organizations, including those in Illinois, have paved the way for future generations of women to exercise their vote with strength and pride,” he said. “Let this commemorative coin serve as a celebration of the trailblazers who changed the course of history for all women.”

Fact sheet: The road to women’s suffrage in Illinois

• In Illinois, women’s suffrage movements began as early as the 1860s.
• An 1873 state statute gave women the opportunity to run for any school office not created by the Illinois Constitution. Women were given the right to vote for school officers in 1891.
• Women’s suffrage organizations, such as the Illinois Equal Suffrage Association, the Illinois Federation of Women’s Clubs, and the Chicago Political Equality League, worked for more than a decade to secure women’s suffrage in Illinois. Prominent citizens, including Jane Addams and Ida B. Wells-Barnett, were part of the women’s suffrage movement in Illinois.
• On June 26, 1913, Gov. Edward Dunne signed a law that gave women the right to vote for president and for local officers, making Illinois the first state east of the Mississippi River to give women the right to vote for president.
• The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, or the Susan B. Anthony Amendment, gives women the right to vote in all elections nationwide.
• In May 1919, U.S. Rep. James Mann of Illinois, a Chicago Republican who was born in McLean County, sponsored the 19th Amendment. It was passed by Congress on June 4, 1919. Mann was chairman of the House Woman Suffrage Committee.
• Illinois was the first state to vote to ratify the 19th Amendment on June 10, 1919. Two other states, Michigan and Wisconsin, ratified the amendment on the same day.
• The amendment cleared its final hurdle Aug. 18, 1920, when Tennessee became the 36th state to vote for it. U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the ratification on Aug. 26, 1920, ending decades of protest, marching, lobbying, picketing and civil disobedience by women’s rights advocates across the country.
• On Nov. 2, 1920, more than 8 million women nationwide voted in elections for the first time.
• Today, more than 4.2 million women are registered to vote in Illinois, accounting for more than half of the state’s 8.1 million registered voters. More than 525,000 more women are registered to vote than men, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Ann Gillespie’s plan to get more social workers into the employment pipeline quicker in Illinois passed the Senate Thursday.

Senate Bill 1888 would allow students who are completing their social work master’s degrees to sit for licensure exams in the final semester of the program, rather than having to wait to pursue a license after they have their degree in hand.

“We have a well-documented shortage of social workers in Illinois. Streamlining the process for obtaining a license will help these professionals more quickly find jobs in communities where their expertise is desperately needed,” said Gillespie, an Arlington Heights Democrat.

The legislation is an initiative of the National Association of Social Workers.

“This is such a critical bill to address the workforce shortages we are having throughout the state, but particularly in rural areas,” said Kyle Hillman, director of legislative affairs for the organization’s Illinois chapter. “If we can get social workers licensed quicker, we can get these practitioners into our agencies quicker to provide the needed mental health care in such demand.”

SPRINGFIELD – Illinois would identify gaps between workforce needs and available apprenticeship programs under a plan by State Senator Ann Gillespie that was approved by the Senate Wednesday.

Senate Bill 2024 passed with bipartisan support and no opposition. It was Gillespie’s first time presenting a bill before the Senate.

The legislation requires the state to study apprenticeship programs and workforce needs in Illinois and file a report with the General Assembly.

“My goal is to see what we can do in Illinois to close the gap between workforce needs and available apprenticeship programs,” said Gillespie, an Arlington Heights Democrat who has made career and technical education one of her priorities. “Under this plan, the state would devote more time to studying demographic and regional workforce trends so that we can better prepare to meet the needs of employers and employees in Illinois.”

Senate Bill 2024 would require the state to research existing apprenticeship programs, assess the workforce and apprenticeship needs in each region of the state, identify regional gaps, identify funding streams for programs, compile data on trends and industrial needs of each region, identify job fields that have high participation rates among diverse communities, and more.

Proponents include the Technology and Manufacturing Association, Associated Builders and Contractors and the Young Invincibles.

SPRINGFIELD – A successful grant program that is putting people to work in central Illinois would be available to community colleges in the suburbs and elsewhere throughout the state under a proposal from State Senator Ann Gillespie.

The proposal would establish the manufacturing training grant program. It is modeled in part after a job skills training initiative at Richland Community College in Decatur, which received a $1.5 million state grant in 2018. The collaboration of state, local and private resources in that community is expected to put as many as 225 people to work.

“This is a phenomenal program, and I think it could be replicated at community colleges throughout Illinois with the state’s help,” said Gillespie (D-Arlington Heights). “With the proper investment and strong partnerships, we can put people to work in manufacturing, health care and technology jobs in communities statewide.”

Read more: Gillespie sets sights on boosting career and technical education