She Runs IL 2024! — Terra Costa Howard, candidate for IL House of Representatives, District 42
She Votes Illinois is pleased to feature Terra Costa Howard, incumbent, running for Illinois House of Representatives, District 42. Follow our series, She Runs Illinois 2024!, leading up to election day as we showcase and uplift the voices of Illinois women running for public office in the upcoming election, November 5, 2024.
Tell us about yourself
I am a lawyer, a small business owner, a wife, a mother, and a tireless advocate for children and people in need. I was first elected as State Representative in 2018 and was re-elected in 2020 and again in 2022.
Born and raised in DuPage County, I have lived in the 42nd district for more than 25 years. After earning a B.A. in political science and speech communications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a law degree at DePaul University, I started my legal career as a staff attorney at the DuPage County 18th Judicial Circuit Court. There I saw firsthand how tough it can be for everyday people to navigate the complexities of our court system.
After two years, I joined the DuPage County Public Defender’s Office, where I represented children and parents living in poverty, standing up for people who were vulnerable and speaking out on behalf of my clients and their families. In 2003, I opened my own legal practice, where I defend the rights of children, elderly people, people with disabilities, and families caught in custody and visitation disputes.
I believe that public education is the cornerstone of our communities. When my daughters were attending our neighborhood elementary school, I was active in the PTA and served as a Girl Scout leader. My experience as an active, involved member of my school community gave me a firsthand look at the positive, lasting impact that a great public school system can have on children’s lives.
I put my passion for education to work for my community by running for Glen Ellyn School District 41 Board of Education in 2005. I served two terms, including two years as Board President. While on the school board, I helped to forge contract agreements that met the needs of teachers and school support staff — and taxpayers — while making sure the school district’s budget remained balanced. I also served as an adjunct professor and intern supervisor at College of DuPage, one of our country’s premier community colleges.
I worked alongside my husband, Nick, to start up a software development company based in Glen Ellyn. Through our experience in helping to build a new venture, I know the many ways that small businesses contribute to our communities and local economies, and I understand the difficulties that can confront Illinois small business owners — and their employees. I know how to create jobs, and I know what it means to make a budget and stick to it. I brought my experience as a business owner to my work as a volunteer member of the Glen Ellyn Plan Commission. From 2015 to 2018, I helped to guide smart, thoughtful development of Glen Ellyn’s businesses, parks, buildings, and streets. I now serve on the Downers Grove Economic Development Corporation, working to support community businesses and the DuPage County Convention and Tourism board to increase tourism and economic development in the county.
What are your top three legislative priorities you intend to focus on in office?
Protecting the rights of women, children, and our elderly, reducing the tax burden on working families, and making quality health care — especially mental health care — affordable for everyone.
What standards or criteria do you use to determine effective legislation, and how do you incorporate constituent input in the policymaking process?
I think the most important part of my job is listening to the people I serve. Throughout my three terms in office, I have emphasized outreach to constituents. I’ve held multiple town halls in every village in the district, including special sessions focused on taxes, behavioral health, special education, and environmental issues. I hold evening office hours for working families at sites around the district. I’ve held numerous constituent coffee hours, and I’ve also hosted Cones with Costa Howard, where constituents get free ice cream while sharing their ideas. We also conduct surveys of people throughout the district every year, to keep in touch with the priorities of our communities. Getting feedback from constituents helps to shape my legislative priorities and make sure that I’m advocating for policies that will work for the people in the 42nd district.
Does the national environment impact the legislation you would advocate for in Illinois regarding reproductive freedom and healthcare?
I was honored to play a role in passing the Reproductive Health Act, which protected the rights of women in Illinois after Roe was overturned. I am unabashedly pro-choice, and I am proud that the majority of people in our district share my view that women can be trusted to make our own decisions about our health and our lives.
What policies will you advocate for to advance women’s equality during your time in office?
I am very proud that the first woman to cast a vote in Illinois, Ellen Martin, lived in Lombard, in my district. Her example of courage in the face of male opposition inspires me as I work to make sure that women in Illinois have equal rights under the law, in every aspect of our lives.
What measures can Illinois implement to better protect women from intimate partner violence, considering high-profile cases involving the abuse and stalking of Black women like the attack on pregnant Laterria Smith and murder of her son, Jayden Perkins, by her ex-partner; and Dominique Ward’s struggles with her ex-partner’s cyberstalking?
I have worked hard in the House to help protect women from intimate partner violence, stalking, and sexual assault. I sponsored a law to extend address confidentiality in legal records to survivors of stalking and sexual assault survivors, to help keep that information out of the hands of their abusers. I also sponsored a bill to make sure that prior convictions for domestic violence can be admissible in court proceedings against abusers. As we move into the next session, I will keep on working to help keep women safe from intimate partner violence, with a focus on keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous people.
Closing comments
Illinois has always been my home, and it has been an incredible honor to represent the people of our district in Springfield over the past five and a half years. I’m running for re-election so I can keep on defending the fundamental values that are most important to the people I serve — trust, common sense, honesty, and respect for everyone.
If you would like to learn more about Terra Costa Howard and her platform or volunteer for her campaign, please check out her website at votetch.com. Don’t forget to follow her on social media at @voteTCH. Reach out today and help make a difference in the upcoming 2024 election.
(The information contained in this post is provided only as general information and does not imply an endorsement by She Votes Illinois.)
