In this issue:
- Governor signs another unconstitutional gun law
- PJM latest to announce big hike in electric bills
- Do you have unclaimed property?
- Meeting with law enforcement
Governor signs another unconstitutional gun law
Governor Pritzker has signed into law Senate Bill 8, a bill which imposes new mandates on gun owners, many of which are in conflict with other provisions of the law and which create legal uncertainty for hunters, target shooters and youth shooting clubs.
I voted No on this bill when it came before the House this spring.
The bill creates excessive and confusing firearm storage mandates with stiff civil penalties for those not in compliance with them. It is another unclear law which puts law-abiding gun owners at the risk of prosecution.
As with other gun control bills signed by the governor in the past few years, a court challenge is expected.
PJM latest to announce big hike in electric bills
The “capacity price” is a supplement that is tacked onto overall electricity supply prices for power that is eventually delivered to residences and businesses. PJM Interconnection, which is the grid operator for states from the Great Lakes to the mid-Atlantic (including northern portions of Illinois), recently announced an increase in capacity prices from $269.92 per megawatt-day to $329.17 per megawatt-day.
Consumers who are already dealing with high electricity prices will begin to be affected by this price hike next summer. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) which provides electricity to other portions of Illinois recently saw its own price spike this summer.
Earlier this year the Republican members of the House and Senate energy committees called for a subject matter hearing to review whether Illinois’ energy policies are working for the residents of our state. We wanted to know how the state’s energy policy is doing when it comes to delivering reliable and affordable energy to Illinoisans. Our request was not approved.
Do you have unclaimed property?
The Illinois State Treasurer’s office has $5 billion in unclaimed property in its possession. Could some of it be yours?
Forgotten savings accounts, uncashed stock certificates, insurance payments, old utility deposits – these are just some of the sources of unclaimed funds which the state treasurer’s office is holding onto for Illinoisans. Later this month I am joining with the treasurer’s office and other local state legislators to host an informational event to help local residents find out if they have unclaimed property and learn how to access it.
We will be at the Dominy Memorial Library located at 201 S. 3rd Street in Fairbury on Wednesday August 20 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Stop by and see if there is any unclaimed property waiting for you.
Learn more from the state treasurer by clicking here.
Meeting with law enforcement
It’s been a while since I’ve had the chance to meet with my Law Enforcement Advisory Group, so I was especially glad we were able to come together recently.
They’re always one of the best groups to have thoughtful and productive conversations with on all things related to public safety.
I am grateful for their insight and continued partnership!
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 $2,490,257,161. This figure changes daily. Last year at this time the state had $1.6 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.
Illinois headlines
House Republicans demand accountability following repeated DCFS failures
Farm Progress Show returns to Illinois August 26-28