Born and raised on the Northwest Side of Chicago, State Senator Omar Aquino (D-Chicago) is a dedicated health care and social justice champion. One of the youngest elected to the Illinois State Senate in 2016, Aquino has spent his seven years in office fighting for working families across Illinois.

 

Aquino earned his B.A. in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Loyola University Chicago. Before coming to the Senate, he worked as a bilingual case manager at the Jane Addams School of Social Work, worked as a Legislative Assistant in the Illinois House of Representatives, and was the Outreach Coordinator for then-Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth.

 

With his lived experiences and equity-driven perspective, Senator Aquino is committed to addressing the needs of his community and leading solutions that lift up Illinois families. Thanks to his work, tens of thousands of Illinoisans now have access to health care, regardless of their immigration status. He led the fight to expand Medicaid services to noncitizens in Illinois – making history and positioning Illinois as a health equity leader – and continues to advocate for health care access in underserved communities.

 

Aquino also led the fight to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit in Illinois. He passed the EITC permanent expansion, enabling Illinoisans to receive 20% of the federal tax credit. The measure puts working families’ hard-earned dollars back in their pockets and expands eligibility to taxpayers who hold an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number rather than a Social Security number.

 

Beyond the hallmark EITC and health care expansions Aquino led, he has also championed laws to protect students from debt relief scams, expand affordable housing, safeguard voting rights, protect workers from wage theft and empower immigrants and refugees.

 

Aquino currently serves as Majority Caucus Chair, co-chairs the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation and serves as vice chair of the Senate Executive Committee. He has also co-chaired the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus and was previously chair of the Senate Labor Committee.

 

Aquino and his wife reside on the Northwest Side of Chicago and are the proud parents of twins.