In this issue:
- Significant storm damage last night
- Anti-Second Amendment legislation largely stopped this spring
- Finding shelter from the hot weather
- Local fire departments receive DNR grants
Significant storm damage last night
Our district experienced significant storm damage last night. Please use caution when traveling and moving around the community today.
Be on the lookout for downed trees and branches, downed power lines, blocked or damaged roadways, property damage and debris.
If you encounter a downed power line, stay far away and report it immediately to your utility provider or local authorities. Never assume a power line is safe to touch.
Please stay safe, remain alert and allow crews the space they need as they work to assess damage and restore services throughout the district.
Here are a few resources:
Anti Second-Amendment legislation largely stopped this spring
Every year we see several different pieces of legislation introduced to further restrict Second Amendment rights in Illinois. But this year we were largely successful in stopping these bills from moving forward, though we will have to remain vigilant against them coming back to life in the fall session.
Probably the most controversial of these bills was either the so-called RIFL Act, HB 3320; which would have established a licensing program for firearm manufacturers and required them to pay licensing fees which some estimates found would have cost an additional $2200 per gun; or HB 4414; a bill to require a serial number on every piece of handgun ammunition in the state so that it could be tracked, registered and tied to a buyer’s name in a database, while also slapping a tax on every round of ammunition. Both bills would have put heavy costs on law-abiding gun owners seeking to stay in compliance with the law, while doing little to stop those who use firearms illegally.
Neither of these bills advanced before adjournment.
A separate bill which would have banned the sale of most Glock pistols also failed to move forward on the House floor. That bill, HB 4471, did advance out of committee, but did not come up on the floor. It specifically targeted Glocks because of concerns about modifications which could be made, but opponents pointed out that the switches that would be necessary for such a modification are already illegal, and that the bill would do little to improve public safety.
A court challenge to the constitutionality of the state’s FOID card law is still pending in federal court.
Finding shelter from the hot weather
Summer is here – this week we saw some very hot weather, and the coming season looks to be just as hot. At this time of year, there are many places where local residents can go to find shelter from the hot weather, especially during the hottest hours of the day.
Visit Keep Cool Illinois for a list of cooling centers located throughout the state and right here in our area.
Some of the local cooling centers listed include the Chenoa Fire Department, Braidwood City Hall, Trinity Church or the public library in Watseka, the Cissna Park Village Hall, Milford Community Center and Diamond Village Hall just to name a few.
Contact these facilities for more information on hours of operation.
Local fire departments receive DNR grants
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources recently awarded grants to more than 70 volunteer fire departments around the state, including several in our area.
The grants, part of the Volunteer Fire Capacity (VFC) program, are meant to help with training or for purchasing new equipment. Funds come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service and are passed through DNR.
In our district, six local departments received grant awards. They included the Gardner Fire Protection District ($9204), the Cissna Park Fire Protection District ($10,000), Woodland Fire Protection District ($5459), Leonore Volunteer Fire Department ($4972), Emington-Campus Fire Protection District ($5000) and Braidwood Fire Protection District ($2464).
Find out more about grant assistance for local fire departments and other services by visiting the state’s Catalog of State Financial Assistance.
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 $1,110,660,114. This figure changes daily. Last year at this time the state had $1.2 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.
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