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Key Issues

Improving Education

Ensuring Access to Early Childhood Education

Funding Early Childhood Education Crespo knows education is the key to a bright start for our children and education starts at birth. HB4440 raised the funding of Early Childhood Education, especially for those ages 0-3, so that students of all ages are gaining the knowledge that is necessary to continue their life-long journey of education.

Helping Local Residents Access Higher Education

In cooperation with Elgin Community College, Harper College, and Chicago-Cook Workforce, a new Education and Workforce Center extension site has been created to benefit our constituents. This new site offers English as a second language, adult basic education, and GED classes in both English and Spanish. Career resources, workshops, training assistance, volunteer, and job opportunities are also available via an onsite WorkNet® Center. The site opened in August 2014!

Standing up for Seniors

Keeping Costs Low
Rising property taxes, license registration fees, and prescription drug costs threaten the independence and security of senior citizens living on a fixed income.

To help seniors in need, Crespo worked to amend the Property Tax Code with HB0972. It states that any person who has been granted a senior citizen homestead exemption need not reapply for the exemption every year but would rather automatically receive the exemption each year after the first year they were approved for it.

Rights of Seniors
Seniors living in nursing homes have the same rights as anyone who owns a home. SB3450 lists their rights so the residents feel empowered to stand up for themselves. Some of the rights are access to quality health care, a simple appeals process if they feel they are not receiving quality services, and the right to make decisions about their own care. Crespo, along with many other representatives know how important it is to empower their constituents and this bill does just that.

Access to Healthcare

Joining the Fight Against Breast Cancer
Over 7,000 Illinois women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and approximately 1750 Illinois women will die of the disease this year. Rep. Crespo sponsored House Bill 147 to require insurance companies to cover comprehensive clinical breast exams for all Illinois women. Crespo also co-sponsored Senate Bill 1365 to encourage the use of ultrasounds as an additional and accessible tool to detect breast cancer. With the help of early detection, we can begin to reverse these startling statistics. Both bills signed into law.

Fighting Cancer
Seniors living in nursing homes have the same rights as anyone who owns a home. SB3450 lists their rights so the residents feel empowered to stand up for themselves. Some of the rights are access to quality health care, a simple appeals process if they feel they are not receiving quality services, and the right to make decisions about their own care. Crespo, along with many other representatives know how important it is to empower their constituents and this bill does just that.

Fiscal Responsibility

Passing the State Budget
By relying on his background in business, Rep. Crespo worked hard this year to pass a state budget that provides for important services like health care and education, but forces the state to live within its means by restoring fiscal accountability and responsible spending.

Helping Our Community Generate Millions of Dollars in New Revenue
To improve the local economy, Rep. Crespo sent legislation to the governor (House Bill 876) that would generate millions in revenue for the Village of Hoffman Estates by enabling the Hoffman Estates Park District to maintain their partnership with the Chicago Wolves. This partnership provides the Wolves with exclusive use of certain facilities and billboard advertising space along Interstate Highway 90, generating the funds needed for the park district to increase accessibility to the Community Center and Ice Arena (CCIA), which includes an indoor ice skating arena, senior citizen center, expanded fitness center, aerobic/dance studio and renovated pre-school and youth program rooms. Signed into law.

Transportation

Passing the State Budget
Rep. Crespo knows many people live on fixed budgets and rely heavily on public transportation to get to and from work, the doctor or to go grocery shopping. Crespo was instrumental in bringing improvements to the Hanover Park Metra station and has been working with PACE and local municipalities to find a regional solution to the mass transit funding crisis that does not overcharge consumers or increase taxes and fees.

Keeping Families Safe

Cracking Down on Sex Offenders
Rep. Crespo wants to keep our kids safe from child predators. That’s why Crespo supported House Bill 1548 which requires sex offenders who used violence or the threat of force to commit their crimes to wear a GPS bracelet for the rest of their lives. This measure will help law enforcement agencies monitor their whereabouts and make sure that they do not go near prohibited areas, like schools and daycare centers. Passed House.

Fighting Back Against Gang and Gun Violence
Rep. Crespo sponsored House Bill 438, which, through a collaborative effort with state and local law enforcement and the state board of education, provides for school based gang resistance education and training. Signed into law.

To keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of criminals, Crespo pushed for a ban on military-style assault weapons (House Bill 873, pending in House) and supports common sense gun safety measures like criminal background checks on all gun purchasers.

Protecting Children from Online Danger
Child predators use many tricks to victimize unsuspecting children. A common method used by online predators to evade detection is encryption, which is altering a file by using a secret code to prevent law enforcement from tracking down the person sending the file or using the computer. Rep. Crespo is the chief sponsor of House Bill 3477, which sets stiffer penalties for those who use encryption to commit a criminal offense. This measure will protect children from the deceptive practices of predators on the Internet and enable judges to impose more serious sentences on child pornographers. Passed House.

Contact information

IL. State Representative District 44

1014 E. Schaumburg Road

Streamwood, IL, 60107

Phone:   (630) 372-3340

Email:   Fred@FredCrespo.com