State Senator Omar Aquino joined Governor JB Pritzker at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture to announce the creation of Puerto Rico Town as an official State-Designated Cultural District.

“In Illinois, diversity is our strength, and the State-Designated Cultural Districts Program is shining a much-deserved light on some of our state’s most culturally and historically rich communities, including Puerto Rico Town,” said Aquino (D-Chicago). “These designations will help Illinoisans celebrate our lineage and traditions of our communities.”

Launched in 2023, the State-Designated Cultural Districts program aims to uplift the unique contributions of historic cultural districts with the overarching goal of increasing economic development opportunities. The purpose of the program is to support the preservation and development of history and culturally significant structures, traditions and languages, foster local cultural development and education, provide a focal point for celebrating communities’ unique cultural identities, and promote equitable growth and opportunity without generating displacement.

The new district in Humboldt Park — also known as Puerto Rico Town — will be led by efforts from the Puerto Rican Cultural Center. Cultural Districts are eligible to apply for $3 million in funding that will be tailored to fit the needs of the individual district and support the goals of the program to foster economic development and help preserve their unique cultural identities.

Under a proposal announced Wednesday by State Senator Omar Aquino and State Representative Marcus C. Evans, Jr., working parents in Illinois earning the median income or less could soon have the option to claim a state-level child tax credit on their state income taxes.

“The Child Tax Credit I am proposing this year would put money back in working-class parents’ pockets,” said Aquino (D-Chicago). “That little bit of extra change helps families stay afloat, provide a good education for their children, and re-invest that money right back into our local economy. It’s why studies show that just this investment in our families would pay dividends, by creating a $1 billion surplus in our economy.”

Senate Bill 3329 would create a state-level child tax credit for eligible low- and middle-income families. Families would receive a $300 tax credit for each child under the age of 17. The proposal would benefit joint filers earning less than $75,000 and single filers earning less than $50,000. If passed, Illinois would become the 15^th state to enact a state-level child tax credit.

Local governments: Don’t miss out on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District’s Stormwater Partnership Program. This program can help government organizations address flooding by paying for the construction of stormwater infrastructure on public property in Cook County, including localized detention, upsizing storm sewers and culverts, pumping stations, establishing drainage ways and implementing green infrastructure. These projects can reduce flooding and prevent damage to residential homes and businesses.

The MWRD will review applications and select projects for partnerships. The selected partner is responsible for their project's design, contract advertisement and award, construction, and long-term maintenance.

Learn more about who can apply, what projects are eligible, how funding can be used and general partnership requirements on the MWRD website. Interested local government entities must submit a pre-application form by Sunday, Feb. 11 to be considered for the program – click here to view the form.

For questions regarding the Stormwater Partnership Program or how to apply, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

To help small businesses and their employees continue to recover from the economic hardship of the pandemic, State Senator Omar Aquino announced that 22 local restaurants are set to receive $915,000 in the latest round of Back to Business grants.

“Our local restaurants and the employees we rely on have overcome so many challenges in the last few years,” said Aquino (D-Chicago). “Beyond simply surviving through the pandemic, this support enables them to actually thrive.”

The Back to Business grant program provides recovery grants for small businesses throughout the state with an emphasis on businesses in the hardest-hit industries. This round of funding will award $915,000 to 22 restaurants in Aquino’s district.

“The difference between 22 local restaurants being able to support their employees or not is everything to our small business community,” said Aquino. “From the owners to the employees and their families, every dollar we put back into our communities makes a positive impact.”

Businesses around the state were awarded $175 million in this round of funding. In total, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has provided over $535 million to more than 15,000 businesses since the start of the pandemic.

To learn more about the Back to Business grant program, visit DCEO’s website.