In this issue:
- Marking three years in office
- Rising natural gas bills accepted by Illinois Commerce Commission
- House Republicans offer solutions to the SAFE-T Act
- Advancing Grundy: One Year Later
Marking three years in office
This week I marked the third anniversary of my swearing-in as the representative of the 106th District. It is an honor to serve the people of our area as your voice in Springfield. I have really enjoyed the chance to get to know so many great people and visit so many institutions around our district. It has been great getting to do two things I love: farming with my family and serving the people of the 106th District.
Thank you for the opportunity to be your representative in Springfield. I hope you will continue to reach out to me with your thoughts, concerns, questions and ideas.
Rising natural gas bills accepted by Illinois Commerce Commission
Given the abundant supply of natural gas produced here in the United States, there was hope that this year we might see some relief on our home heating bills, something which would help with the overall cost of living in Illinois. Unfortunately, during this very cold winter Illinois families are instead seeing their natural gas heating bills run well into three figures. The gas bills reflect price increases which were accepted by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC).
Part of the problem lies with a new return-on-investment model adopted by many natural gas utilities, with the ICC’s approval. Observing the long-term push toward “green energy” which will discourage future connections to natural gas, but while still needing to safely maintain their pipes and other infrastructure, gas companies are attempting to bring in a higher year-to-year return on their existing assets. If the companies cannot be assured that there will be demand for natural gas in the future, they will not count on future revenues to cover their expenses – they will instead seek to pay for them up front, which generates higher natural gas bills for Illinoisans this winter.
Under state law, prices which companies are allowed to charge for natural gas must go through the ICC, which has regulatory control over the gas bills charged by the companies which provide the vast majority of the piped natural gas delivered to Illinois customers. The members of the ICC are appointed by Governor Pritzker.
House Republicans offer solutions to the SAFE-T Act
Not a week goes by without someone asking me what we are going to do about the SAFE-T Act, the 2021 law which made it much harder for police to detain dangerous criminals and keep our communities safe. I can report that House Republicans have filed almost 40 bills in this General Assembly to solve the problems created by the SAFE-T Act and make our state safer. The next step is getting the House, Senate and Governor to act on our bills.
A few examples:
House Bill 4275 expands the authority of judges to deny pre-trial release for defendants charged with felonies and DUI cases if the defendant poses a safety risk or a flight risk.
House Bill 1482 expands the list of offenses for which a defendant can be detained pre-trial instead of being released.
House Bill 1208 requires automatic revocation of pre-trial release if a defendant is charged with any new offense while released.
These are just a few of the many ideas which have been proposed to reform the SAFE-T Act and make our state safer. I hope we will see some action on these needed reforms in the upcoming session.
Advancing Grundy: One Year Later
It was great to attend the Advancing Grundy: One Year Later event a few days ago.
There was a great discussion on key priorities shaping Grundy County’s future, including trucking, data centers, CEJA energy policy, childcare, housing and economic development. It was very encouraging to see the continued momentum and collaboration focused on long-term growth and resilience.
Visiting Prairieland CEO
I had a great morning on Monday, visiting with the Prairieland CEO class! It was an honor to spend time with such an impressive group of students who are already thinking critically about leadership, service, and their role in our community.
Our conversation went beyond politics and focused on character—being a good human, showing up and being present, and understanding that pressure is a privilege because it means you’re trusted with responsibility. We also talked about why local government matters and how the decisions made close to home can have the greatest impact.
Programs like Prairieland CEO are preparing young people not just for future careers, but for active, engaged citizenship. I’m encouraged by their curiosity, professionalism, and desire to make a difference right here in our rural communities.
Thank you to the Prairieland CEO team and students for the great discussion. I have no doubt our future is in good hands.
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 $2,054,948,240. This figure changes daily. Last year at this time the state had $2.4 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
Central Illinois law enforcement reacting after deputy shot on duty
Four new businesses coming to Morris area
Volunteers needed for medical reserve corps in LaSalle County