In this issue:
- Lawsuit filed against partisan gerrymander
- Bill filed to make rural roads safer
- Thank you Menta Academy!
- Survey online at RepBunting.com
Lawsuit filed against partisan gerrymander
Every ten years state and federal legislative districts are re-drawn in order to comply with the updated population figures reported by the Census. Each district must be equal in population. Illinois’ redistricting process is a highly partisan affair, with the majority party drawing districts to ensure its hold on power for another ten years. The most recent remap in 2021 was no exception.
Last week House Republicans filed a lawsuit to challenge this process. The drawing of legislative districts for partisan gain, known as “gerrymandering,” creates artificial supermajorities in Springfield and disenfranchises thousands of Illinois voters. In 2024, 55% of voters picked Democrat candidates for the Illinois House, but Democrats won 66% of the seats. The 2022 outcome was just as unbalanced.
Illinois’ current system allows politicians to draw districts in such a way as to pick which voters they will represent, instead of voters picking which politicians will represent them. Similarly partisan maps were struck down in Pennsylvania and North Carolina recently, and the suit seeks a similar outcome in Illinois. If the suit is successful, the Illinois Supreme Court could appoint a person to draw fairer maps, outside of the partisan political process, for the 2026 election.
Find out more about the effort by visiting RedoRemap.com.
Bill filed to make rural roads safer
Many of us who travel in the rural areas of our district – especially at night – have had the experience of having an intersection sneak up on us. In the dark or in the rain, the stop signs at these intersections can sometimes be very difficult to see until it is almost too late to stop. This condition presents an obvious traffic safety issue and can lead to tragedy.
I filed a bill this week to place LED road signs at intersections to improve traffic safety. If enacted, House Bill 2630 would create a pilot program to have the Illinois Department of Transportation place these new higher-visibility signs at the intersections of rural roads. The program would start with five counties of varying populations. If successful, we could then expand the signage to all parts of the state. Counties could express their willingness to participate in the pilot program, and then IDOT will choose five from amongst them.
I introduced the bill this week. The first step will be a committee hearing, hopefully in late February or early March.
Thank you Menta Academy!
Thank you to the Menta Academy Iroquois for having us out to visit this week. The Menta Group is a network of schools that provide innovative, evidence-based programs for at-risk youth.
The Menta Group currently operates 33 schools across Arizona, Illinois and Texas, with their newest location in Sheldon, having opened this school year. With over 50 years of experience, they are dedicated to ensuring that every child has access to education, regardless of their circumstances. We enjoyed meeting with the team and being escorted around by a third-grade student!
Survey online at RepBunting.com
Thank you to the hundreds of area residents who have already filled out and returned my 2025 Legislative Survey. I appreciate your input and the help it provides me in representing you in Springfield.
If you have not already done so, please take a few moments to fill out the survey and return it to my office, or you can take the survey online by clicking here.
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 $2,411,340,688. This figure changes daily. Last year at this time the state had $2.1 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
Illinois House Republicans demand Pritzker cut migrant services
Illinois universities to offer credit hours to state troopers