Working for Illinois Caucus

97th District Democratic State Representative Harry Benton says the final month of the spring session is going to be somewhat chaotic, as each chamber of the General Assembly reviews and passes legislation while also discussing major state projects like the budget.

Benton has been very vocal about maintaining fiscal responsibility and is looking forward to taking a detailed look at the budget to determine the best path forward for the state. Benton says one issue that the state is running into with the budget is waiting on federal funds for Medicaid.

"Right now the federal government is behind in payment by about two billion dollars on Medicaid. Medicaid is a large portion of our budget, and if that continues to happen, we are gonna have to either find a way to find the money for critical services or start making cuts. Unfortunately…I don’t typically get into federal politics when we do these radio shows, but it is directly affecting the states, it is directly affecting residents here in Illinois by withholding funds for critical services for seniors, folks with developmental disabilities, and people that are just trying to make it."

Governor J.B. Pritzker unveiled his proposal for the fiscal year 2026 budget in February with a projected $3.2 billion deficit. Benton says lawmakers will have to find the money to cover the deficit or face potential cuts to services for Illinois residents.

The spring session is set to end on May 31.

84th District State Representative Stephanie Kifowit has been working hard on getting legislation from the House to the Senate as the General Assembly enters the final five weeks of the spring session. Kifowit says she continues to fight to bring effective policies forward for residents in her district, especially active duty military and veterans.

One of those bills is House Bill 1362, which cleans up some technical language regarding the differential that is paid to active duty military members from their military pay compared to their regular wages in their other jobs. She says there was an error that would only offer 50 percent differential pay if a shift was split between two days versus a traditional one-day shift.

"They were getting shortchanged what’s called a differential. So, what it is is when they are called up on duty, if it’s active duty, they’re normally paid less than their salary. So what we do is give a little bit of a differential that difference between, let’s say your army pay and firefighter pay, and that differential goes to the employee so that their family doesn’t experience extreme hardship due to the service of their loved one."

Another bill that Kifowit got through the House was a bill that would ensure veteran organizations would get donations that are allocated when veterans are issued special license plates designating their veteran status.

Kifowit says as bills go from the House to the Senate, bills are making their way from the Senate to the House for consideration, so committees will begin meeting next week to go over senate bills for potential discussion on the House floor and possible action.

97th District State Representative Harry Benton says it continues to be a busy time for lawmakers in Springfield as they gear up for the final six weeks of the spring session. He says he had a few pieces of legislation pass through the House and are now in the Senate for further review.

One of those bills is House Bill 2967, which would amend the Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education Act and require higher education institutions to conduct a sexual misconduct climate survey of all students biennially instead of annually among other changes.

"I ended up working on a reporting for universities for, sexual assault, to put on another board member, and then change the way that the reporting is done. That was somebody’s bill. We ended up having five that we could pass, so I helped out a colleague to try to move that bill forward."

Another bill Benton advanced through the House was House Bill 3444, which would offer potential exemptions for licensing of day care facilities that serve military families or are located on military bases. The bill advanced to the Senate after a unanimous vote in the House.

Benton says the rest of the spring session will continue to keep lawmakers busy, as the next big topic to tackle will be the state budget.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — The Illinois House passed legislation Thursday to allow former or currently incarcerated people to participate in higher education programs and receive financial aid.

Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana) said recent Prison Policy data show nearly 70% of incarcerated people have interest in getting a college degree, but only 3% have post-high school education.

Her proposal would allow these prospective college students to receive MAP grant funding as they leave the Illinois Department of Corrections.

"Those who are incarcerate may not be paying taxes currently, but all of their family members are paying into the same pot that we’re trying to get them access to," Ammons said. "The estimated cost for this is insignificant to the state budget."

Ammons explained this change would only cost the state $3.2 million for the next fiscal year. 

House Bill 2466 passed out of the House on a 72-39 vote. The plan now moves to the Senate for further consideration. 

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Longtime Rep. Sue Scherer (D-Decatur) is home recovering after a serious car accident last week that left her with broken vertebrae in her back.

According to a release from the Macon County Sheriff’s Office, Scherer, who has served in the House since 2013, was involved in the crash April 1 at 8:17AM at the corner of Wyckles Road and Park Road in far northwest Decatur.

Scherer allegedly drove into oncoming traffic and was hit by another car.

According to the police report, Scherer said at the hospital she didn’t remember what happened. Later, she told police she looked at the intersection and didn’t see any traffic.

When we reached out to Scherer Monday on a separate issue, her daughter responded by text that she had been injured in a car accident. We did not seek further information.

The report states Scherer suffered a rib fracture and “three small vertebrae fractures that the [doctor] stated would heal with time and did not require surgery.”

A House Democrat spokesman issued a statement on behalf of the entire caucus:

“Rep. Scherer’s colleagues are glad to know she is on the road to recovery and look forward to welcoming her back when she is able.”

We’re told Scherer is home and recuperating from the accident. Her district encompasses most of Decatur and east and downtown Springfield, with a small strip of territory connecting the two.