The Illinois House of Representatives met for three days last week — the final scheduled days of the fall veto session — and took action on several different issues. I will have information about more of these topics in future updates, but I wanted to give you an update on one of the biggest pieces of legislation to pass last week: the energy bill.
The energy bill lifts the ban on new nuclear power plant construction, which I support, but it also doubles down on bad energy policies that will drive up costs for Illinois ratepayers. Anyone who saw the way their electric bill shot up over the summer knows why this is a bad idea.
There are a lot of concerns about the dangers of battery storage, something one community in our district is already familiar with. This is one of the reasons I sponsored a bill to restore local control of these kinds of energy projects — so that local officials can have some say about these projects being placed in their communities.
The legislation that passed last week on a nearly party-line vote is filled with giveaways to special interests, costly mandates that will make our electric bills even higher, and more of the same “Green New Deal” policies that drove up energy prices this summer.
No reforms to SAFE-T Act during fall session
Crime continues to be an issue on the minds of many Illinoisans, but during the just-completed fall veto session it was an issue that the General Assembly once again failed to act upon.
House Republicans have filed legislation to reform the controversial SAFE-T Act, or to repeal it altogether, but, so far, those bills have not been allowed a debate or a vote in the House.
Under the SAFE-T Act, violent offenders are being released instead of being held in jail after their arrests. Just a few cases:
— Granite City man awaiting trial for alleged rape is charged again with sexual assault (Belleville News-Democrat).
— Rockford murder suspect released before trial under new Illinois bail law (WTVO).
— Peoria Heights man accused of soliciting child released from jail before trial (WMBD).
— Dolton shooting suspect was free awaiting murder trial (WGN).
The SAFE-T Act, which was passed and signed in 2021, continues to prioritize criminals over victims and public safety. Until it is reformed or repealed, violent offenders will continue to be released from custody, and victims and communities will continue to pay the price.
Blood drive coming up Nov. 12 in Dwight
On Wednesday, Nov. 12, I am joining state Sen. Chris Balkema and ImpactLife to host a blood drive at our Dwight district office, located at 132 E. Main St. We will be accepting blood donations from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. This is a good opportunity to take a small action that could help save someone’s life.
Welcome, St. Paul students
It was a pleasure welcoming the students from St. Paul School in Odell to the Capitol during the fall veto session on Wednesday, Oct. 29. Your curiosity and enthusiasm for learning about our state government made the day even brighter. Thank you for taking the time to visit. We hope you enjoyed exploring the Capitol.
Remembering
Ryan Whitehouse
A month ago, Illinois agriculture lost one of its fiercest advocates. Ryan Whitehouse of McLean County spent more than a decade with the Illinois Farm Bureau, eventually rising to serve as its director of national legislation. Sadly, he passed away at the age of 41, leaving behind a large family, many friends and an agricultural community grateful for his service. I had the honor of joining my colleagues in the Illinois House in offering a tribute to Ryan for all that he did on behalf of Illinois agriculture. All of us extend our sincerest condolences to the Whitehouse family.
Our current bill backlog
When a vendor provides the state with goods and services, they submit the bill to the Illinois comptroller for payment. The comptroller processes the paperwork and pays the bill when funds are available in the state’s checking account. Currently, the total amount of unpaid bills is $1,627,604,083. This figure changes daily.
Last year at this time, the state had $1.9 billion in bills awaiting payment. This only includes bills submitted to the comptroller for payment, not unfunded debts like the state’s pension liability, which is well over $100 billion.
To reach me …
If you need assistance with any state government issue, you can call my district offices in Dwight at 779-218- 3069 or Watseka at 779-218-3070 or my Springfield office at 217-558-1039.