CHICAGO - State Senator Ram Villivalam (D-Chicago) released a statement following the announcement of Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval Carter’s retirement:

“I would like to thank President Carter for his years of public service and I wish him the best in his retirement.

I look forward to continuing to work with the City of Chicago, the Chicago Transit Authority and all stakeholders to ensure our region has a safe, reliable and accessible world class public transit system that is accountable to our taxpayers, commuters and all of our residents.”

SPRINGFIELD - Illinois residents could soon have a new license plate option thanks to a measure sponsored by State Senator Ram Villivalam that will showcase the 100 Club of Illinois.

“Continuing to support organizations throughout our state that regularly give back to first responders and their families is vital,” said Villivalam (D-Chicago). “Supporting them through offering license plate decals brings more awareness to the group and increases the availability of resources.”

­CHICAGO – State Senator Ram Villivalam announced that school districts across the 8^th District will receive more than $25 million in additional funding to help address the financial challenges of recent years.

“An investment in our schools is an investment in our youth and our future,” said Villivalam (D-Chicago). “This new funding will help to build a better learning environment for our students and offer them more opportunities to succeed.”

The funding comes from the 2017 Illinois Senate Democrat-backed evidence-based funding formula – an overhaul of the way the state funds K-12 education. The law made school funding more equitable by calculating the needs of individual school districts and basing its state revenue on those needs. The formula takes into account a district’s total enrollment, poverty rate, the number of special education or English language learners, among other factors.