CHICAGO — As fears of potential changes to federal immigration policy are growing, State Senator Natalie Toro is hosting a “Know Your Rights” Workshop for immigrant adults in Chicago to spread awareness of the protections offered to new arrivals by Chicago and the state.

“Despite the fearmongering rhetoric used by some elected officials, immigrants in Illinois have protections against unfair treatment by border control agents,” said Toro (D-Chicago). “This workshop will give immigrant adults beneficial tools so they can protect themselves from exploitation, as they are entitled to many rights under Illinois law and Chicago mandates.”

The “Know Your Rights” Workshop will take place on Dec. 21 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Portage Cragin branch of the Chicago Public Library, located at 5108 W. Belmont Ave. Attendees will hear from immigration law experts and receive handouts outlining how to best respond if an agent approaches their property, with or without a valid judicial warrant.

SPRINGFIELD — People with family obligations will soon be protected from discrimination from their employer, thanks to a new law sponsored by State Senator Natalie Toro.

“Having family responsibilities does not make a person unable to fulfill their work duties,” said Toro (D-Chicago). “Overlooking someone for an opportunity or promotion because of their obligations outside of work should never have been allowed, and I am glad this law will protect working families from unjust treatment.”

Previously, Illinois employment law prevented discrimination based on gender, race, sexuality and other characteristics, but did not explicitly protect people with family obligations from workplace discrimination. Family obligations include providing care for family members, such as young children, older adults and people with disabilities. This means that prospective employees with children could have been passed up for job opportunities in favor of applicants without children or family caregiving obligations because caregivers were an unprotected class.

SPRINGFIELD — After a 16-year-old was struck and killed by a car while riding his bike in the local community, State Senator Natalie Toro began advocating for changes to enhance bike lane safety. Today, her measure encouraging local governments to clearly label the safety features in designated bike lanes and create bicycle transportation plans was signed into law.

“Many of us commute on our bikes daily. Without high-quality infrastructure, we are frequently putting ourselves in danger just to get to work, visit friends or get home, which shouldn’t be the case,” said Toro (D-Chicago). “This law will ensure cyclists are better protected from vehicle traffic and better prioritized in future infrastructure planning as biking is an essential mode of transportation for thousands in Illinois.”

Cyclists frequently use maps of existing bike lanes when planning safe routes to ride. However, “bike lanes” have a variety of definitions — including lanes safely blocked off from motor traffic with barriers, but also lanes only separated by drawn lines that may be utilized by parked cars or people pulling over. Without more transparency about the safety features of designated “bike lanes,” cyclists have chosen routes without knowing they may be much closer to motorists without barriers to protect them — lanes that report significantly more accidents and injuries to bikers.

SPRINGFIELD — State Senator Natalie Toro’s legislation to protect people with disabilities from violent encounters with police has just become law.

“Autism sensitivity training will make interactions with police much more comfortable for people with disabilities and prevent tragic misunderstandings,” said Toro (D-Chicago). “Through learning about the unique communication challenges people with autism may face, especially in stressful situations like encounters with police officers, members of law enforcement will be able to respond with empathy and de-escalate before a situation turns tragic.”

People with autism may experience unique challenges when interacting with police. Without proper training on how some people with autism communicate, law enforcement officers may interpret their behavior as being noncompliant with questioning or instructions. This has caused interactions between law enforcement and individuals with autism to escalate quickly, resulting in unnecessary use of force, trauma and even death.