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Biography
Native of Washington, D.C., a licensed real
estate broker and insurance agent; Rep.
Yarbrough is a full time legislator. She has a
B.A. in Business Management from Chicago State
University and an M.A. in Inner City Studies
from Northeastern Illinois University. She has
served on numerous boards, enhancing the quality
of life for citizens and has received many
prestigious awards highlighting her advocacy,
community service and legislative work. In 2011,
she was selected for the position of Assistant
Majority Leader in the House, a role that will
allow her to be a stronger advocate for her
district and the people of Illinois.
Starting her sixth
term as State Representative of the 7th
District, which includes Chicago’s west-side and
Proviso western suburbs, Rep. Yarbrough chairs
the Housing Committee in the Illinois House, and
serves as a member of the Elementary and
Secondary Education, Environmental Health,
Insurance, and Mass Transit committees.
In 2009 she helped
pass the most significant package of ethics
reform in many years, getting to the heart of
the “pay to play” apparatus that allowed our
former governor to sell Illinois to the highest
bidder. She also passed the first comprehensive
public works program in ten years to create jobs
and stimulate the economy through infrastructure
improvements.
Karen’s
legislative themes have been public health,
public safety, and social justice. She has been
a stalwart fighter to increase assistance for
those incarcerated, and funding for programs
that provide a “Second Chance.” She has been
the leading spokesperson in Springfield for
Cease-Fire, the innovative anti-violence program
that relies on cooperation and community
involvement rather than police force and
violence. In 2007, Karen successfully fought
the tobacco lobby as the chief sponsor of “Smoke
Free Illinois” and made Illinois the first
Midwestern state to go “smoke-free.” She’s
taken on powerful real estate interests in her
pursuit of “source of income” legislation that
prohibits landlords from refusing to rent to
those on subsidies. Recently she sponsored
“Quality of Life,” a bill using lottery money to
fund groups that treat individuals with
HIV-AIDS.
In 2011,
Yarbrough, as chief House Sponsor helped make
history by passing legislation to end the death
penalty in Illinois, legislation that was signed
into law by Gov. Pat Quinn making it the 16th
state to do so.
Karen and her
husband, Henderson, the Mayor of the village of
Maywood, have a blended family of six and share
twelve grandchildren.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
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The
Unsung Heroine Award --- Cook County Board
President John Stroger
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Illinois Reaches Out Volunteer Recognition
Award---Illinois Chamber of Commerce
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Uplift Human Service Award----Maywood United
Way
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Civic Award
-----Proviso Area NAACP
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2001 Legislative Award ---- National
Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice
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Legislative Advocacy Award ----- Illinois
Council Against Handgun Violence
-
Graduate of the
Bow hay Institute for Legislator Leadership
Development
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2004 Better Housing Leadership Award ----
Lawyers Committee for Better Housing
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Legislative Service Award ----- The American
Lung Association
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Best Legislative Voting Record --- IVI—IPO
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Catch Your Breath Legacy Award ---- American
Lung Association
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Member - Henry Toll Fellowship Alumni
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Legislative Lifesaver Award ---- American
Heart Association
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Harvard University Kennedy School of
Government --Graduate of Senior Executives
in State and Local Government Program
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Democratic
Legislator of the Year ---Illinois State
Crime Commission
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Leadership and
Commitment for Civil Rights and Freedom ---
Progress Center for Independent Living
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The
President's Award for Outstanding
Contributions - NOBLE Women
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Community
Service Award - Rocks Coordinating Committee
(for Quality of Life legislation, Public Act
95-0674)
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Illinois
Legislative Black Caucus Award
-
Illinois
Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty,
Award
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