SPRINGFIELD – A new law sponsored by State Senator Javier Cervantes will expand real estate licensing in Illinois to brokers licensed in another state.

“We are modernizing our real estate practices in Illinois and with this measure we can promote greater diversity in the market to better serve residents,” said Cervantes (D-Chicago). “Allowing more brokers and managers from other states to operate in Illinois would benefit our residents and the businesses wanting to operate in our state.”

The new law, Senate Bill 3740, will require brokers and managing brokers licensed in another state who are applying for licensure in Illinois to follow specific guidelines to obtain licensure.

SPRINGFIELD – Increasing resources for family counseling, State Senator Javier Cervantes new law will allow out-of-state marriage and family therapists to obtain licensure in Illinois more easily.

“When I hear about the need for constituents to be able to access therapeutic resources I am hopeful this law will make them more widely available,” said Cervantes (D-Chicago). “We are expanding therapy options around the state to allow out of state counselors to bring their practice to our residents without so much red tape in between.”

The new law, Senate Bill 3211, will allow the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to issue a license to a marriage and family therapist applicant has been licensed independently in another US jurisdiction for at least 30 months during the last five years preceding the application. Applicants who meet this requirement would not have to submit proof of completion of education, professional experience, and supervision. An applicant would be required to submit certified verification of licensure from their previous jurisdiction.  

SPRINGFIELD – Advocating for immigrant employees, State Senator Javier Loera Cervantes’ new law will protect marginalized workers from unfair enforcement action during their employment.

“Many immigrant employees have run into a problem where their documentation may have misinput their name with slight differences of dashes, spaces, letters with or without an accent, only to be flagged during the work verification process,” said Cervantes (D-Chicago). “With this law, we can correct bureaucratic errors that would otherwise be detrimental to their income and livelihoods. By adjusting the system to allow workers more time to correct issues with documentation, we can make a huge impact for marginalized workers across Illinois.”

Federal immigration law requires employers to verify the legal work status of their employees through the E-Verify system. E-Verify compares information from an employee’s I-9 Form to records available to the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to confirm eligibility. If discrepancies are found, immigrant workers have the possibility of receiving a “no match” letter for a variety of reasons, including instances where the individual changed their name due to marriage. Many employers terminate employees upon receiving this notice, even though they could be legally working in the United States.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Javier Cervantes is making it easier to cancel unwanted gym memberships thanks a new law that will streamline how people can cancel a contract.

“This will prevent automatically renewing payments from sticking with consumers after they have moved and may no longer use the service,” said Cervantes (D-Chicago). “We want to modernize business practices and give residents an easier way to cancel their gym subscriptions.”

Under the new law, businesses offering physical fitness services, like gym memberships, would have to allow customers to cancel their contract either online or by email, instead of only by mail or in-person.