In an attempt to gather a comprehensive collection of racial data, police statewide would be required to identify, as accurately as possible, the ethnicity of all arrested under legislation State Senator Mattie Hunter  passed out of the Illinois Senate Wednesday.

“Previous to 2010, state police identified 99 percent of those arrested as either ‘Black’ or “White,’ leaving all other populations unaccounted for and ignored,” Hunter stated after the Senate approved the legislation unanimously. “With this measure, we will achieve greater documentation and understanding of the individuals being arrested in Illinois, for what particular crimes and be able to identify specific trends in arrests and incarceration.”

State Senator Mattie Hunter today proudly spoke out in support of Small Contractor Bridge, a new loan program that has been created (greatly in response to her efforts) to help small contractors as they compete for public works projects.

Hunter has been vocal for the past several years in respect to identifying the problem of and addressing the need for small business loans and allowing for minority contractors’ participation in bidding on public works projects. She has advocated in the General Assembly for small and minority businesses, having supported in the past programs working to leverage state resources to aid businesses in competing on an equal playing field. Hunter was also among the first to identify the need for a state solution through a working capital program for M/W/DBE (minority-owned, women-owned and disadvantaged business enterprises) contractors who find themselves unable to bid on public work projects due to high financial barriers and lack of access to working capital.

While mammograms have increasingly become a standard part of health care, many are not aware of the issues related to dense breast tissue. For instance, dense breast tissue makes it harder for doctors to accurately read cancer-screening mammograms and can be associated with increased breast cancer risks.

State Sen. Mattie Hunter is trying to raise awareness through education. She is the chief sponsor of a proposed law that would require doctors to inform individuals if dense breast tissue is found and provide them information about what it means.

State Senator Mattie Hunter saw her efforts pay off when her sponsored legislation promoting youth employment and jobs passed the Senate Tuesday. 

“With Illinois’ dismal current economic climate, college graduates are having difficulty finding gainful employment, much less adolescents just being introduced to the work world,” Hunter said. “This legislation will assist youth employment and help lay a foundation for cleaning up the youth violence and public safety issues devastating our communities.”