Karina Villa is a Democratic Illinois state senator for the 25th District. The 25th district, located in the Chicago metropolitan area, includes all or parts of Aurora, North Aurora, Batavia, West Chicago, South Elgin, Wayne, and Bartlett. Villa is the Chair of the Senate Public Health Committee and was previously a member of the Illinois House of Representatives.
Prior to her election to the Illinois House of Representatives, she was a member of the West Chicago District 33 Board of Education.
Illinois House of Representatives
Villa defeated DuPage County Board member Tonia Khouri in the 2018 general election to succeed retiring incumbent Republican Mike Fortner in the Illinois House of Representatives for District 49.
Committee assignments
In the 101st General Assembly, Villa sat on the House Committees on Appropriations - Elementary and Secondary Education; Elementary and Secondary Education School Curriculum Policies; Healthcare Availability and Access; Mental Health; Veterans' Affairs; and Labor and Commerce.
Illinois Senate
In 2020, incumbent State Senator Jim Oberweis announced that he was vacating his seat to run for the Republican nomination to challenge Lauren Underwood in the 2020 election for Illinois's 14th congressional district. Villa chose to run for the open seat and defeated Republican candidate Jeanette Ward. Villa was succeeded by fellow Democrat Maura Hirschauer.
In 2022, Villa was reelected to the Senate in a redrawn 25th district that included far more of central Aurora and left out St. Charles, Oswego, and Yorkville. She defeated Republican Heather Brown. During the campaign, Villa maintained her support for the SAFE-T Act, which Brown opposed, and campaigned alongside Governor JB Pritzker, U.S. Representative-elect Delia Ramirez, and state Representative Maura Hirschauer.
Committee assignments
In the 102nd General Assembly, Villa was the vice-chairperson of the Senate Behavioral and Mental Health Committee. She also served on the Committees on Agriculture; Education; and Pensions.
In the 103rd General Assembly, Villa is the Chairperson of the Public Health Committee. She also sits on the Committees on Agriculture; Appropriations; Behavioral and Mental Health; Health and Human Services; Human Rights; and the Special Committee on Pensions.
Votes and legislation
Workers' rights
Voted in favor of raising the state minimum wage to $15 an hour
Co-sponsored HB 834, which required employees to be paid equally
Voted in favor of HB 1653, which would have increased penalties for employers who commit wage theft Voted in favor of SB 471, which established worker protections for health emergencies Co-sponsored HB 2455, which would have authorized worker compensation for essential and frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic
Voting rights
Voted in favor of allowing people in jail who have not been convicted of a crime to vote Voted in favor of SB-1970, which authorized student absences for voting Voted in favor of expanding absentee voting for the 2020 general election Co-sponsored HB 1871, which would have expanded ballot drop-boxes and curbside voting
Education
Voted in favor of SB 10, which increased the mandatory baseline salaries for public school teachers in the state Sponsored HB 2691, which authorized tuition assistance to students who are trans or undocumented Co-sponsored HB 2265, which requires civics education to be taught in grades 6, 7, and 8 Co-sponsored HB 246, which requires public schools to teach about prominent LGBTQ+ historical figures Co-sponsored HB 2170, which requires school curriculum to emphasize Black and minority group contributions Co-sponsored SB 817, prohibiting school discrimination against certain hairstyles Co-sponsored HB 158, which requires schools to provide free period products in school bathrooms
Police and prison policy
Voted in favor of HB 1613, which requires police to keep records on racial profiling Voted in favor of allowing people in jail who have not been convicted of a crime to vote Sponsored HB 2040, which prohibits private prisons and jails in Illinois Voted in favor of abolishing cash bail
LGBTQ+ rights
Co-sponsored HB 246, which requires public schools to teach about prominent LGBTQ+ historical figures Voted in favor of HB 3534, which added a nonbinary gender marker option for state ID's