 During her tenure in the Senate she chaired the Health & Human Services Committee, where she helped author and pass legislation guaranteeing healthcare to every child and universal pre-K to every four-year-old.She also chaired the Labor and Commerce Committee, where she led the successful effort to increase the minimum wage in Illinois and pass the Equal Pay Act, which increased the number of women covered by equal pay protections and provided for strong state enforcement.She was an acknowledged leader on a wide range of progressive issues.