GENERAL ASSEMBLY/ELECTIONS
Democrats muscle through changes to Illinois election law; Republicans denounce political games. This week, Democrats passed brazen legislation to change Illinois election law to their own self-serving political advantages, stifle the ability of the Republican Party to fill office vacancies, and place meaningless non-binding questions on the ballot to drive Democrat voters to the polls.

Legislation sponsored by State Representative Charlie Meier intended to help fund emergency service districts has passed the House of Representatives with unanimous support. 

“House Bill 4179 was brought to me because of all the problems we’re starting to have in rural Illinois,” said Rep. Meier. “The federal government, when they make their payments back from Medicare and Medicaid ambulance trips, is only paying a maximum of 40% of that money. The for-profit ambulances are leaving rural southern Illinois. Our fire departments are not allowed to transport people to the hospitals from wrecks or calls that they go on. The EMTs can go there, but they can’t transport them.” 

House Bill 4179 was written as a trailer bill to HB1740 which allowed for the creation of emergency service districts that span across municipal lines. While these districts allow communities to share the cost of ambulance services, poor federal reimbursement rates have caused some towns to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars or their access to for-profit ambulance services entirely. HB4179 helps support these underfunded districts by allowing them to increase their maximum levies from 0.4% EAV up to 0.8% EAV.

The bill was written so that only districts that want increased funding for services would have their levies raised. Any increase that would bring a district’s maximum levy above 0.4% EAV would require support from its taxpayers through a referendum vote. “This gives the voters the right to say: hey, we need more service, we are willing to pay for it,” said Rep. Meier.

HB4179 received unanimous support in the House and has begun moving through the Senate.

State Representative Charlie Meier represents the 109th District which includes portions of Bond, Clinton, Madison, St. Clair, and Washington counties.

House Bill 4255, introduced by State Representative Amy Elik, unanimously passed the House in April. The legislation will make Illinois roadways safer for motorists as they approach stopped or parked emergency vehicles that are responding to accidents or emergency scenes. The bill also helps protect tow truck operators and emergency responders who are working at emergency scenes while vehicles pass by them.

A bill sponsored by State Representative Dan Swanson to better educate drivers about the state’s “Move Over” highway safety law has passed the Illinois House.

“I’m glad the House has joined in taking this important step toward making Illinois motorists more aware of what to do when they see a vehicle stopped on the roadside,” Swanson said. “We have seen far too many crashes, injuries and even deaths that could have been prevented with a little more knowledge.”

Legislation introduced by State Representative Bradley Fritts earlier this year will benefit taxpayers in small rural towns throughout Illinois. Working with the Illinois Comptroller's office and township officials, Fritts crafted legislation that ensures accountability and reduces burdensome costs for small rural communities.  House Bill 5011 passed out of the House of Representatives with unanimous support on April 18.

State Representative Mike Coffey won House passage of his bill to include children of Operation Just Cause veterans on the list of those eligible for scholarships at the University of Illinois.

House Bill 4733 expands eligibility for honorary scholarships at the University of Illinois to the children of veterans who served at any time during the invasion of Panama between December 20, 1989, and January 31, 1990. These children would join the sons and daughters of veterans who served during conflicts dating back to World War II in having eligibility for the scholarships.

BUDGET
Moody’s adds “positive” outlook to State of Illinois credit rating of A3. This moves Illinois further away from “junk bond” territory. However, Illinois debts continue to have a lower credit rating than the debts issued by most U.S. states. Illinois taxpayers continue to be required to pay higher interest rates than most other states on the debts sold to rebuild public roads, bridges, and infrastructure. This is an increasing concern in a time of rising worldwide interest rates.