State elected officials heard testimony this week regarding abuses at DCFS residential facilities. The Joint Senate and House Committee hearing is to be the first of several such hearings, a move led by Senate Majority Caucus Whip Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago).

"We made strides by inviting everyone from the agency director to the children the agency serves to discuss this issue from all sides. This was just the beginning. We will hold several hearings until we find legislative solutions to radically change DCFS," Hunter said.

State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) and Steve Pemberton, author and Walgreens executive, received the Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities (TASC) Leadership award for being a consistent champion for addiction treatment and fair criminal justice policies.

Hunter described the challenges Illinois is facing, including the struggle to promote equality in the criminal justice system and highlighted some of the successful legislative partnerships between her and TASC.

Early this morning Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, an Illinois icon, passed away at the age of 70. In a released statement, State Senator Mattie Hunter remembered Topinka's contributions to women, minorities and the state as a whole.

"My condolences go out to Judy Baar Topinka's family and loved one during this difficult time. Judy was a strong and respected leader in Illinois. She had many friends and supporters from the African-American community. She will be missed, though her legacy of passionate independence and fierce loyalty lives on."

Topinka served as the Illinois state comptroller for three years and was the first woman to become state treasurer, serving in the position for 12 years. The Chicago native gained a reputation for leading the state in a bipartisan fashion and holding a strong commitment to her job.

The memory and legacy of Judy Baar Topinka will forever shape the state's history.

Following the voter's lead, State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) has been in support of Assistant Majority Leader Kimberly A. Lightford's push to gradually raise Illinois' minimum wage to $11 per hour over the next four years.

"The people have spoken," said Majority Caucus Whip Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago). "Making Illinois' minimum wage a living wage will help lift families out of poverty, and it will decrease reliance on state and federal aid. It's time Illinois stands together and honors the overwhelming majority of residents who supported raising the minimum wage."