About Cynthia Soto

I entered the General Assembly after my first successful campaign in 2000 as an outsider and a candidate who was independent of machine politics. I have worked to maintain that independence while working to improve the lives of not only those in my district but of all residents across Illinois. I believe that the state has made tremendous strides and made an Illinois a better place to live, work and raise our families, but I know that more needs to be done and I believe that I have much more to offer to help the state accomplish its goals. We are going through a very challenging time and I believe that it is important for those with legislative experience to get the state back on track. Since taking office, as a member and chair of education appropriations committees, I have helped to pass budgets that implemented early childhood education and provided record funding for K-12 education. I’m proud of helping to pass a law guaranteeing to every child access to healthcare with the passage of the AllKids program. We have strengthened laws to keep our children safe from dangerous sexual predators, such as requiring offenders to wear electronic monitoring devices, and we have passed laws to help keep families from losing their homes to foreclosure through greater education on avoiding predatory home loans. My most important goals are to help to get the state back on sound financial ground, create jobs and revitalize our economy, improve our mass transit systems, strengthen our education and pension systems and reduce our pension liability, and control state spending. It will be important for us to monitor the ethics and campaign contribution reforms we have made and make improvements if necessary.

I was the sponsor of the living wage act to ensure that employees working for companies receiving state contracts receive fair wages of at least $8.20 an hour. This was the first time such legislation had passed a legislative chamber. I also worked to provide access to quality and affordable health care for low-income working families in Illinois by sponsoring and passing the Family Care program as well as extending Medicaid coverage to low-income women for the treatment of breast or cervical cancer. This year, I sponsored a law creating a task force allowing parents and community organizations to give input before local schools can permanently close.

Biography

• Born and Raised in West Town.
• Married, 3 children, 2 grandchildren
• Administrative Supervisor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office, Child Support Enforcement Division. Worked at the State’s Attorney’s office for 18 years.
• State Rep 4th Dist from 2000-Present
• Chair of the Higher Education appropriations Committee
• Vice Chair to Labor Committee
• Elementary Secondary Appropriaitions Committee
• Public Safty appropriations
• Sits on Mass transportation committee and Transportation bridges roads and rail Committee, committee of Financial Institutions