Each spring, the CBF chooses two days to invite our dedicated volunteers to go to Springfield to join in the CBF’s advocacy work. This year, on April 30th and May 1st, members of the CBF Advocacy Committee and Young Professionals Board traveled down to advocate for access to justice initiatives and learn more about how Springfield works.
The CBF team started our morning off at a committee hearing, where CBF Senior Manager of Advocacy & Engagement Angela Inzano testified in favor of SB1526, our most recent plain language initiative. After that bill was voted out of committee favorably, we traversed the Capitol, meeting with state Senators and Representatives, as well as senior staff in the Governor’s Office, including incoming CBA President and Deputy Governor Jesse Ruiz.
No trip to Springfield would be complete without some fun and sightseeing, so we rounded out the trip with a visit to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and the Illinois Supreme Court before boarding the Amtrak back to Chicago.
Thank you to the legislators and government officials who met with us and are leading the charge on these efforts, and thank you again to our committed volunteers and partners for their advocacy on these important access to justice issues.