Governor Blagojevich signs the Commission on the Elimination of Poverty Act

The Commission on the Elimination of Poverty, House Bill 4369, is being signed today by Governor Blagojevich, making the Commission on the Elimination of Poverty a reality. Thanks to all our work, Illinois has become the first state in the nation create a formal state body focused on ending poverty consistent with international human rights standards.

This important victory is the result of the hard work of individuals and organizations throughout Illinois. Your calls to legislators, attendance at action forums, endorsement of the campaign, and other actions have all added up to this achievement.

But this is only the beginning. The commission in and of itself will not end poverty. It is our continued collective efforts to work with the commission and hold it accountable, as well as expanding the breadth and depth of engagement in the From Poverty to Opportunity Campaign throughout Illinois that will allow us to realize human rights in Illinois.

In the coming weeks and months, we will need to work together to make sure the commission gets to work, that all our voices add to the substantive plans the commission is to develop, make sure those initiatives are put in place to impact the most vulnerable in Illinois.

** Governor Blagojevich establishes landmark Commission to reduce poverty in Illinois