84th District Democratic State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit says it has been a slow time for the General Assembly following the fall veto session, but a piece of legislation that passed recently took effect with the help of Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. It was announced last week by Giannoulias that Apple users could scan their Illinois driver’s licenses or ID cards into their phone and use them as a digital form of identification.

Kifowit says the mobile ID program was born from House Bill 4592, which amended the Illinois Identification Card Act to allow optional access to a digital form of identification and was passed in May 2024. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the bill into law in August 2024.

"The Illinois General Assembly had to pass the law to give him the authority to do that. So we did pass the law, and now it’s always good for me to see what comes to fruition when we pass laws to help people. And the mobile ID, as you might have reported on or not, is an acceptable form of identification, which can be used by folks to show that they are twenty one years of age or older, by just putting it in their Apple Wallet."

Kifowit says the new law will make it easier for people to properly identify themselves without reaching for their wallet or purse, especially as many people are moving their credit cards and documents like car insurance and passports to their digital wallets.

Kifowit also mentioned that Giannoulias’ office recently opened a new "one-stop shop" DMV facility at 1771 W. Diehl Road, which replaced the old facility on 75th Street that had been open for over 30 years. She says this new facility provides another location in the district for Illinois residents to service their various DMV needs, including getting their license or ID renewed, get new license plates, or taking a driver’s test.

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Published: Nov. 24, 2025 at 5:08 PM CST|Updated: 17 minutes ago

Democratic State Re. Katie Stuart 112th District will face a primary opponent.

Veteran 112th District Democratic State Rep. Katie Stuart will once again have an opponent in next year’s general election.

What she won’t have is an opponent in the March 17 primary.

Halley Johnson, 20, of Granite City, filed nominating petitions Oct. 31 to be on the Democratic primary ballot. However, those petitions have been challenged by Sue Edwina Betts of Edwardsville. The Illinois State Board of Elections will conduct a hearing on Bett’s petition objections on Nov. 18.

Katie Stewart

It will likely be a brief hearing. According to the Illinois State Board of Elections Candidate Guide, anyone seeking to qualify for the 2026 primary ballot as an established party candidate must file signatures from “At least 500 but not more than 1,500 of the qualified primary electors of their party in their representative district.”

Johnson, who personally circulated all her nominating petition sheets, filed 26 sheets with the ISBE, which contained no more than 260 signatures.

Johnson said she “Brings a new standard of leadership to District 112 Granite City,” and is counting on voters “who have grown weary of waiting for relief on issues like property taxes and healthcare costs.”

Republican Jimmy Ford, an alderperson on the O’Fallon city council, filed 106 pages nominating petitions Oct. 27 to run in the GOP primary for the 112th House seat. Among those circulating petition sheets for Ford were 111th GOP State Rep. Amy Elik, R-111.

Ford owns several small businesses in the Metro East area, including a vehicle repossession business. He also volunteers as a First Officer/Diver for the O’Fallon Underwater Search and Recovery.

Ford will have a steep hill to trek. Stuart, of Edwardsville, took office in 2017 after defeating Republican incumbent Dwight D. Kay. She has held off several Republican challengers since then.

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Stuart has more than $500,000 in her war chest, and Democratic House leadership has shown it’s ready and able to pour north of $1.5 million to defend her seat, funding numerous mailers, digital ads radio and television ads.

In the deep red southern third of Illinois, there are few blue House districts, particularly in the wake of Democrats losing the 114th House district in 2022, a seat the GOP successfully defended in 2024, despite being outspent by a 6-1 ratio.

But St. Clair County, and western Madison County still have Democratic strongholds, including Stuart, and Jay Hoffman in the 113th House. Democratic House and state party leadership have made it clear they will spend big to defend those seats.

Republican House leadership had high hopes in 2024 for Jay Keeven, a former chief of police with 35 years in law enforcement and a city administrator. Keeven survived an attempt by the Democrat-dominated legislature to block his candidacy and those of others through a rapidly passed law banning those who had not won a March primary contest from being on the general election ballot.

Keeven campaigned hard, but Stuart raised more than $1.8 million in her 2024 race, while Keeven managed just over $300,000, and lost by 4,240 votes and an 8.4 percent margin. That was the same margin and vote total Stuart won by in 2022.

Stuart was able to not only send back $202,100 to Democrats for the Illinois House two weeks prior to the election, she transferred $68,500 each to LaToya Greenwood’s campaign in the 114th district, and to Friends of Marti Deuter in the west suburban Chicago 45th District.

Stuart has the support of more than fellow Democrats. In 2024, the Illinois Farm Bureau’s political PAC, which generally favors Republicans, contributed $18,600 in in-kind spending on local radio and digital ads.

Illinois State representative Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, announced that her district office will once again serve as a Toys for Tots donation site this holiday season. Residents are invited to bring new toys, books, and unwrapped gifts to Kifowit’s district office at 1677 Montgomery Road, suite 116 in Aurora. Donations will be accepted through December 3.

“I am proud of my continued partnership with Toys for Tots and honored to be able to serve the children and families of the 84th District,” said Kifowit. “Now, more than ever, it is important that we work together to make a difference in the lives of our friends and neighbors. Every toy donated to Toys for Tots will bring the joy and magic of the holiday season to children throughout our community.”

Donations are being accepted at Representative Kifowit’s district office from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 9 a.m. to noon on Fridays. Representative Kifowit is asking for special consideration for toy donations for children under 18 months and 10-14 years old as these age groups are often overlooked. Stuffed animals and plushies are not being accepted.

For more information about representative Kifowit’s Holiday Toys for Tots Drive, please contact her office at 630-585-1308 or email stephanie.kifowit@att.net.

— Illinois State representative Stephanie Kifowit

ROCKFORD, Ill. — A bill that was said to bring down rising energy costs for Illinois residents was passed by a local politician.

State Representative Dave Vella (D-Rockford) joined Illinois House Democrats in passing a bill that looks to bring down home energy bills both now and in the future.

"Every Illinoisan deserves affordable, reliable energy," Vella said. "Families for too long have been paying the price for decisions made by big utility companies. This bill finally lowers the costs of utility bills while increasing accountability."

Many Illinoisans have seen home energy costs "skyrocket", said Vella. He said increased power demands from tech companies and a Washington tax bill could result in a $9.5 billion increase in state energy costs.

The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (Senate Bill 25) is said to focus on storing clean energy to relieve Ameren and ComEd customers, building out energy grids to increase battery storage, and investing in energy efficiency programs to lower electricity prices.

It was also said the Act will create up to 115,000 jobs, including over 50,000 manufacturing jobs in Illinois.

"This legislation is about making Illinois stronger," said Vella. "By investing in clean energy and modern infrastructure, we’re not only reducing bills, we’re creating thousands of new jobs."