In this issue:
- Still time for summer reading program entries
- Budget reduced funding for SWCDs
- See you at the fair!
- Stopping by the Gilman Agronomy Center
Still time for summer reading program entries
We have already started receiving some of the completed Summer Reading slips back, but it is not too late for new entries. You can find the entry form here, at your local library or at my district office.
Just a reminder to those who would like to participate: the slips are due back to our office by July 30. We will be scheduling an ice cream party for those who read at least eight books. You can drop them off to either of my offices in Dwight or Watseka, email them to bunting@ilhousegop.org, or mail them to 342 W. Walnut St #2, Watseka, IL 60970.
Happy reading!
Budget reduced funding for SWCDs
It seems hard to believe that anything could have been underfunded in a $53.1 billion state budget which added more than $2 billion in new spending and raised taxes by $1 billion to help pay for it – but somehow Springfield Democrats found a way to do exactly that.
The state budget which passed in the middle of the night with no Republican votes cuts state funding for aid to local drainage districts by almost 50%. Only $4.5 million remained for state assistance to Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) in the fiscal year which began last week.
This is a significant cut to funding for these agencies. Losing these funds will accelerate the deterioration of much of the state’s vital drainage engineering infrastructure, much of which is approaching the end of its useful life. This could in turn lead to sharp reductions in crop production on Illinois farms in the near future, with all the implications that such a reduction holds for jobs and our economy.
It’s just another example of how out-of-whack our budget priorities are in Illinois. We will need to address this underfunding when we return to Springfield.
See you at the fair!
This summer I will once again be hitting the road in the 106th district conducting a series of traveling office hours, where I bring the services of my office to your hometown. The first of these traveling office hours will be on Wednesday July 17 from 12 p.m. until 3 p.m. inside the South Commercial Building at the Iroquois County Fair.
Additional office hours will be added later. I hope you can make it, but if not, you can always reach me through my district offices or at RepBunting.com.
Stopping by the Gilman Agronomy Center
On Monday morning I visited the Heritage FS Gilman Agronomy Center. We toured the liquid building and the dry fertilizer building and got an up close look at some of their equipment, including a fuel truck and a propane bobtail.
This is the first of hopefully many conversations about bridging the gap between rural and urban Illinois. Discussion has started on finding ways and opportunities to get my colleagues from urban areas onto the farm to educate and see firsthand our way of life. It is important that we all work together to be good stewards of the land.
Thank you for the opportunity to see the facility and more importantly the dialogue we had on moving Illinois forward for businesses and families!
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 $2,004,968,796. This figure changes daily. Last year at this time the state had $832 million 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
Illinois’ gun ban remains in place, but rights advocates say days are numbered
Illinois Department of Agriculture announces exhibition requirement changes for dairy cattle
Prosecutors won’t delay Madigan trial after Supreme Court ruling
John Deere announces mass layoffs in Illinois, Iowa as company moves to Mexico
Deadline for park districts to apply for OSLAD grant is September 13