President Biden’s choice for the Supreme Court makes her case for the job while taking heat from Senate Republicans. Education vouchers in Iowa are still on the table for state lawmakers.
And Illinois lawmakers want to make their state a player in the microchip industry. We talk about that with Rock Island County Republican Party Chair Drue Mielke and former Scott County Democratic Party Chair Karl Rhomberg.
The microchip initiative is "what we need to do to attract jobs to Illinois," Mielke said. "We come out of the pandemic and we realize how vulnerable we are … some of the things are offshore. And I also see this as a national security issue."
Rhomberg agreed. "It’s a very good thing for Illinois," he said. "Good jobs at good wages. Who could ever be against it?"
We want to hear from you, too, with our question of the week: What do you think about the proposal in Iowa to take $55 million from the General Fund to pay for 10,000 scholarships for kids to go to private school? Let us know your thoughts at 4therecord@whbf.com
Local 4 News, your local election headquarters, is proud to present 4 The Record, a weekly news and public affairs program focused on the issues important to you. It’s a program unlike any other here in the Quad Cities. Tune in each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. as Jim Niedelman brings you up to speed on what’s happening in the political arena, from Springfield, Des Moines, Washington, D.C. and right here at home.
A bipartisan House Resolution urges the Illinois Governor and the Secretary of the Department of Transportation to develop plans for the new I-80 bridge that includes incorporation of the Bison Bridge project.
House Resolution 0699 is sponsored by state Reps. Mike Halpin (D-Rock Island), Tony McCombie (R-Savanna), Ryan Spain (R-Peoria), Dan Swanson (R-Woodhull), Norrine Hammond (R-Macomb) and House Transportation Committee Chairperson Martin J. Moylan (D-Des Plaines).
The resolution is scheduled for a hearing before the Illinois House Transportation Committee on Tuesday March 22nd at 3 p.m.
As plans proceed to replace the I-80 bridge, supporters of Bison Bridge want to recycle and redevelop the old bridge between LeClaire and Rapids City.
Since March 2021, when the Bison Bridge Foundation announced their proposal, the organization has gained support for the project from stakeholders around the region, including lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, according to a Monday release.
Matthew Hughes, a transportation consultant in the State of Illinois who is part of the Bison Bridge Foundation, said: “The Bison Bridge Foundation would like to thank this bipartisan group of sponsors for their continued support of what is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to remake the identity of the Quad Cities region.”
The Bison Bridge Foundation has always maintained that all of the funding to develop their proposal will be privately financed. While demolishing the current structure would come at great cost to local taxpayers, the Bison Bridge project will be developed without the requirement of taxpayer funds, the release says.
The organization hopes the project will provide an opportunity for investment. As Illinois, and the Midwest in general, continues to battle population loss and struggles to retain young professional talent, investments in placemaking and quality of life are a priority for regional leaders.
The benefits of the Bison Bridge proposal go far beyond placemaking and quality of life, the release says. The team has stressed that the economic development potential is unlimited on both sides of the Mississippi River.
The pedestrian side of the Bison Bridge will provide unique access to the river as well as the mixed-use paths on the Iowa and Illinois sides for cyclists, walkers, runners, and visitors to the QC. Environmental benefits include avoiding the demolition and disposal of the existing structure and providing a wildlife crossing corridor planted with native vegetation.
A home for the bison to roam
The team’s incorporation of bison will provide the chance to understand the history and Native culture of the region, the importance of the river, and the legacy of the prairie. The bridge park will provide opportunities for families, groups, and businesses to meet, learn, and discover more about the QC. Finally, proponents of the project envision a future influx of tourists and visitors to the region.
Some 38,000 people in the community have signed the Bison Bridge Foundation’s petition to support the project. Lawmakers from both Illinois and Iowa have voiced their support and local stakeholder groups continue to promote the proposal.
Hughes and the Bison Bridge Foundation team are hopeful that the Bison Bridge will become part of the region’s recovery from COVID.
“As we look to the state of Illinois to change its way of doing business in so many ways, our proposal represents an opportunity for Illinois to do so. The old way of doing things, i.e. tearing out and disposing of the existing I-80 bridge structure, simply doesn’t make sense from an economic, cultural, environmental and even a practical standpoint,” Hughes said Monday.
Chad Pregracke, founder of Living Lands & Waters, has led the collection of private funding and 38,000 online petition supporters for Bison Bridge.
Chad Pregracke, a QC native who founded Living Lands & Waters, is spearheading the project and leading the Bison Bridge team.
His home is about a mile from the current I-80 bridge, and he has long hoped to see the area around the bridge on each side of the river become a place for visitors to share his love of the Mississippi.
“Thank you to the Representatives who stepped up to sponsor this resolution as a way of showing support for thinking ‘outside the box’ and doing things differently in Illinois," Pregracke said in the release. "Also, thank you to the tens of thousands of supporters who have signed our petition to support the project, who anxiously await an opportunity to lend their voices to the decision-making process about to get underway."
Lawmakers are working on a bill to close loopholes in Illinois sexual assault laws. One measure is sponsored by State Representative Katie Stuart of Collinsville and is based on a case in another state where a young woman slept with a man pretending to be her boyfriend. The man was charged and later acquitted. Stuart says that shouldn’t happen.
Another legislative piece is sponsored by Arlington Heights representative Mark Walker. One of his constituents was intoxicated and raped. Her attacker was never charged because she ingested the alcohol on her own.
Both bills passed the house and now await a vote in the Senate.
Region: Pana,Feeds,City: Taylorville,Local,Region: Central
Volunteer fire department chiefs have a battle on their hands that doesn’t involve burning homes or car crashes.
They face a shortage of new recruits and trouble retaining experienced volunteers.
In an effort to bolster the ranks of volunteer firefighters and Emergency Medical Service workers, state lawmakers have proposed a bill that would give volunteers a $500 tax credit on their Illinois income tax return.
State Sen. Christopher Belt, D- Swansea, said if the bill is approved, it could cost the state an estimated $20 million to $22 million in lost revenue but he said that sacrifice is worthwhile.
"I will argue that what it costs upfront pales in comparison to the lives that are lost … without volunteer fighters, without EMS," Belt said in a news conference Friday at the Signal Hill Fire Department near the west side of Belleville.
Belt is the sponsor of the bill in the Illinois Senate, which has approved the proposal 51-0.
State Rep. Katie Stuart, D- Edwardsville, is a co-sponsor of the bill in the state House of Representatives, where she is pushing to get a vote on the plan before the General Assembly session is scheduled to end on April 8.
"They’re risking their own safety to keep our communities safe and we all appreciate their work for our families," Stuart said of the volunteers. "Hopefully we can continue to attract more people into fire service on a volunteer basis and recognize the important work that they do."
A volunteer must serve at least nine months a year and cannot earn more than $10,000 a year for their volunteer services during the taxable year.
The credit cannot reduce a taxpayer’s liability to less than zero.
If the tax credit exceeds the tax liability for the year, the excess may be applied within the next five taxable years.
Signal Hill Fire Chief Tom Elliff said he appreciates the work being done by the local lawmakers on this idea to recruit and retain volunteers.
"We’re seeing a shortage of volunteers not only in this fire department but in communities in general," Elliff said.
He noted that a department may have a satisfactory number of volunteers but a neighboring department may not have enough to provide mutual aid or serve as a backup in a community where firefighters are on a call.
Elliff, who is president of the St. Clair/Monroe County Fire Chiefs Association, said the proposed $500 tax break could help departments attract new volunteers but also provide an incentive to retain volunteers who have served for five or so years and have gained valuable experience.
"The thing with volunteer fire service is that you can’t necessarily have too many because you’re depending on their schedules," he said.
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NEXSTAR) — One year after Governor J.B. Pritzker adopted a plan to "decouple" the state from the 2017 Trump era tax cuts, support is swelling in the statehouse to create a new tax incentive program to lure microchip manufacturers to the Land of Lincoln.
"As we’ve seen, the pandemic create these stresses and cracks in the global supply chain," Rep. Mike Halpin (D-Rock Island) says. "I’ve got a bill that would incentivize manufacturers to make microchips semiconductors, other component parts, right here in Illinois."
The proposal has bipartisan support in the House. It cleared the Senate unanimously last month. The Illinois Chamber of Commerce, and Illinois Manufacturers Association, and University of Illinois are among the groups supporting the idea.
"We have to compete with states like Ohio and Indiana," Halpin said, "and until we can convince either the federal government or our sister states to stop that race to the bottom, we need to provide what we can to good Illinois companies that want to expand their operations here."
Republicans criticized Pritzker and Illinois Democrats for phasing out tax breaks at a time when the jobs market was still recovering from pandemic-induced layoffs, but corporate profits and the broader economic production figures have proven resilient.
"Those parties have a vested interest in trying to make Illinois look as bad so they can come in and try to ‘fix it,’ Halpin said. "Illinois is a great place to live. It’s a great place to work. It’s a great place to do business."
BOLINGBROOK, IL — Illinois State Representative Dee Avelar wants young residents in her district to be interested and engaged in state government and wants to provide meaningful opportunities for those who want to learn more about how it works.
Avelar, the Democrat who represents Bolingbrook in the statehouse, announced on Thursday that she is offering up a pair of internships to young residents of the 85th district to get involved in state government.
Summer internships are open to anyone with an interest in state government or social work, Avelar said in a news release. Her office is offering one general internship, which includes conducting district research and constituent casework, the release said.
The outreach internship involves assisting with district canvassing, creating an office outreach plan, and assisting with office events. For more information and to apply, interested applicants may visit bit.ly/85intern.
“It’s always the right time to start pursuing a path in public service,” Avelar said in the release. “I am constantly inspired by the passion and enthusiasm of our community, and I hope that community members choose to share these attributes with my office.”
Avelar will also be offering a Youth Advisory Council for high school students interested in government. Students will have the opportunity to learn from Avelar and other elected officials, participate in mock debates, present their own bill ideas, and more, the release said.
Students will receive community service hours for their participation. For more information and to apply, applicants may visit bit.ly/youthavelar.
“My office is always open to people from all backgrounds who are interested in state government and making a difference in our community,” Avelar said. “Summer internships and my Youth Advisory Council are two ways for us to work together to build a stronger state and community.
“The Rialto Square Theatre is a cultural center in greater Will County, as well as an important historic building,” Walsh said in a written statement announcing a Friday news conference about the grant. “I recognize the theater’s continued success is essential to the area for cultural and entertainment programming for our 86th District, as well as for jobs and the vitality of downtown Joliet.”
State Rep. Larry Walsh Jr., D-Elwood, seen here at a past event on transportation issues, will announce details of a $5 million grant for the Rialto Square Theatre on Friday. (Rob Winner)
The $5 million state grant will be provided through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
“We’re very thankful,” Rialto Executive Director Valerie Devine said of the state grant.
Devine said the Rialto board will decide how to spend the grant, which is being provided for capital projects.
The Rialto planned to use the $1.4 million federal grant for capital projects that include new air conditioning, replacement of theater seating, renovations of the restrooms on the main floor and roof repairs.
Devine said those projects still need to be prioritized and have not been started.
The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant totaling $1,426,183 from the Small Business Administration’s Office of Disaster Assistance is from a program created to support the reopening of venues that had been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Five Peoria Public Schools are getting new names, three are being re-named after Peoria trailblazers.
Peoria Public School Board President Gregory Wilson spearheaded the proposal after some schools were said to have names with racist ideals.
“Many of the schools that were changed had some type of level of either racism, slave owners, or discriminatory practices amongst minority groups,” said Wilson.
Calvin Coolidge Middle School will be changed to Harold B. Dawson Middle School, Harrison Community Learning Center will be changed to Annie Jo Gordon Community Learning Center, and Roosevelt Magnet School will be changed to The Elise Ford Allen Academy.
Three people in the Peoria community who have all passed away in the last 15 years will now have their names posted on schools come Fall.
Wilson said, “It officially takes place once the students go back to school. They’ll be walking into a school building that may have a different name attached to it.”
Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth said having a school named after her mother is an honor.
“Seeing that my mother, 12 years posthumously, has been able to have such a phenomenal honor bestowed upon her, is something that not just myself, but my entire family, feels a great sense of pride in,” said. Rep. Gordon-Booth.
She said changing these schools names will allow the students to dream bigger.
Rep. Gordon-Booth said, “The young people in our community that walk into those doors and attend those schools, they not only can dream to be like the folks that were, that those schools were named after, they can surpass them.”
With a school population carrying 78% of Black and Brown students, the board said they are working to incorporate diversity for all its students in the school names.
“Our city is made up of so many different individuals that really make our city great,” said Wilson.
To read more about each person a school was named after, click here.
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Working for Illinois Caucus 