We don't write papers, we build scrapbooks
We don't write papers, we build scrapbooks
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 82
Ever wonder who to contact when you have a question or concern relating to government? Before picking up the phone or sitting down in front of the computer to send an e-mail to your elected officials, take a moment to consider what level of government your issue applies to. Doing so can help you save time and get a quicker response from the right person or agency. We understand that navigating the maze of government can be confusing for even the most well-informed citizen. That’s why my staff a...
Every year in Illinois, thousands of families lose a loved one to the preventable tragedy of opioid addiction and prescription drug abuse. Unused or unwanted medicine needs to be disposed of properly to help prevent accidental poisoning, substance abuse, and contamination of water resources. Let’s take a quick look at the statistics and then get specific about what each of us can do to make a difference. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, there were 2,944 Opioid Overdose D...
As your State Representative, I take my responsibility to fight for the best quality of life for our senior citizens here in Northwest Illinois seriously. Our state owes a great deal of gratitude to retired Americans, and those about to retire, who have contributed so much to our community. I am determined to do everything I can to help provide security in your retirement years. My role is to be an advocate and connection to the resources and services that you deserve from your state...
Illinois Democrats passed a new state budget on April 9 full of election-year gimmicks and self-congratulations. With the federal spigot set to stop flowing, Illinois has to get serious about getting our budget right. Democrats’ priorities are out of whack. The so-called ‘higher than expected state revenues’ exist because of inflation, not because of real economic growth. It isn’t surprising when the state gets more sales tax dollars when the price of gas, groceries and consumer goods goes up...
Public trust in Illinois state government is at an all-time low following the recent indictment of former House Speaker Mike Madigan on 22 counts of federal racketeering charges that detail how he used his official simultaneous positions as Speaker of the House, Chicago’s 13th Ward Democratic Committeeman and Chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois to run a criminal enterprise for more than a decade. I was one of the three original petitioners to begin the process of investigating the c...
Last January, Illinois Democrats passed the Safe-T Act during the final hours of the lame-duck session of the last General Assembly, in one of the final acts of Speaker Michael Madigan. Since that time, a crime wave was set in motion throughout Illinois which threatens public safety as well as led the countless retirements of more experienced law enforcement officers and exodus from Illinois of many officers toward the beginning of their career. Over 40 of the 102 Illinois County Sheriffs have...
As the science shifts on masking and mask mandates, Governor JB Pritzker is stubbornly and sadly sticking to his voracious appetite for unchecked power at all costs. Late last week, Sangamon County Judge Raylene Grischow placed a temporary hold on the Governor’s mask, vaccine, testing, and quarantine mandates at 170 Illinois schools involved in a lawsuit against the mandates. The judge’s decision prevents schools involved in the lawsuit from implementing those kinds of mitigations. The jud...
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (USDOJ), a hate crime is a “crime motivated by bias against race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability. Hate crimes have a broader effect than most other kinds of crime. Hate crime victims include not only the crime’s immediate target but also others like them. Hate crimes affect families, communities, and at times, the entire nation.” Hate crimes are heinous acts of crime committed with a bias...
The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board published an editorial about a month ago titled, “The Fleeing Young of Illinois”. It’s worth a read and a hard look in the mirror for all Illinoisans, but especially for our progressive democrat friends. The editorial discusses the reasons people, particularly young people, flee Illinois at such an incredible rate. Illinois is one of only three states, including West Virginia and Mississippi to have lost population since 2010. I do not think the edito...
As we usher in 2022, many Illinoisans turn our thoughts to accomplishments and challenges of the past year and look forward to the hope delivered by a new year. Like many, the end of the year found me reflecting on the past year. Let’s hope 2022 is not reflective of 2021. Just under one year ago, the Illinois General Assembly entered what proved to be one of the most eventful lame-duck Sessions in decades. The Illinois House met for the Lame-Duck Session in the Bank of Springfield Center a...
I love the Christmas season and the goodness it brings out in people throughout the world. As we celebrate the most glorious gift given us by God, I am always impressed at the benevolence and kindness of our neighbors and our shared Northwest Illinois values. I often get asked what I mean when I say, “Northwest Illinois values”. I first wrote about my definition of this in a Guest Column back in July 2019. At the time, I wrote the following: Living within one’s means. An honest day’s pay for...
The second week of Veto Session was marred with partisan rancor over issues which the Democrats swung the pendulum, again, too far to the left due to overzealousness to their progressive ideals over addressing the issues families care about. Their actions speak for themselves. I wrote in my last column about what Democrats perpetrated during Veto Session, but now I want to bring everyone up to speed on some of the bipartisan actions taken since August which do run up the scoreboard for Illinois...
To say the Democrats “have taken Illinois families for granted in the past” is the understatement of the year. But now, they have openly declared war on families. Taxpayer funding of abortion was just the start a few years ago. Now, late at night in the second week of the Fall Veto Session of the Illinois House, Democrats passed legislation and sent it to the Governor to allow young girls, 17 and under, to be provided an abortion without ever telling their parents (Senate Bill 1169, House Ame...
It seems that politicians often forget that the money they are spending comes from you, the hardworking families of Illinois. The process by which legislators negotiate how to spend finite taxpayer resources should be based on public policy outcomes and not political considerations. Illinois residents can see evidence their state government is operating unethically by simply reading their newspaper. With that in mind, I proposed legislation to tackle unethical behavior and ensure our elected...
Purveyors of puppy mill pets have come unhinged. They are in full “freak-out” mode, furious about Illinois’ new policy focus favoring rescue pets. Many in our region may have seen their ridiculous propaganda filling their mailboxes as they launched a Chicago-machine-style smear campaign against me for the simple act of putting puppy mills out of business. That’s right! I’ll admit it. I sponsored, built a coalition around, and ultimately passed legislation to help put puppy mills out of busine...
Governor Pritzker announced new COVID mitigations this week, due in part to the spread of the “Delta variant”. New mitigations will include masking in schools. Without a doubt, the COVID-19 virus continues to infect Illinoisans while policies aimed at addressing the spread continue to divide Illinoisans like few other issues in our modern era. The coronavirus is serious, especially for the unvaccinated, and common-sense steps should be taken by those at increased risk of transmission or inf...
I LOVE a good County Fair! Nothing screams Summer in the Heartland more than this nostalgic American pastime. Northwest Illinois values will again be on full display through the tractor pulls, the demolition derbies, the hometown enjoyment of musical acts and displays of local excellence in desserts, fruits and vegetables and livestock and show animals. The subtle aroma of manure covered by the overpowering smell of deep-fried delights. The lights of carnival rides reflecting in the eyes of...
A recent poll conducted by Issues & Insights and Tippinsights found that 64% of young people age 18-24 are NOT proud to be an American. Young adults (18-24) were the age group least likely to say they were proud to be an American, the poll found, with increasing rates of American pride in each age bracket, up to 86% of adults over age 65 being proud to be an American. Included in this at-risk age groups are many of our active-duty military, the next generations of community leaders, and many...
While Alice Cooper’s School’s Out may not have been blaring on the steps of the State Capitol in the wee hours of the morning of June 1, Democrat legislators still delighted in their wins while turning in sloppy homework and asking for extra credit before leaving town for Summer Vacation. Due to an insistence by House Democrat legislators to reinsert legislative pay raises removed from state spending plans by Senate Democrats and panned by Republicans in both chambers, last minute changes wer...
You’d be hard-pressed to find a coach of any sport who will not echo the sentiment, “nothing good ever happens after midnight.” Doing anything in the wee hours of the morning is usually not a good idea. Coaches know that the phone calls they get after midnight are a harbinger of a bad day to come. Usually someone’s been arrested, been in an accident, or been in a fight. When it comes to legislating after midnight, it is usually the harbinger of really bad days to come. But, unfortu...
Over the past few weeks, the Illinois Democrats currently in charge of the State’s redistricting process have been holding mostly virtual, and a few hybrid and in-person, hearings throughout Illinois to garner resident feedback on the redistricting process following the decennial census. Many of the narrative testimonies provided by groups representing ethnic minority populations protected by the federal and state Voting Rights Acts have focused on the need for better representation of m...
Only a few issues get under my skin more than animal misuse, abuse and neglect. I believe our Northwest Illinois values recognize it is a moral imperative for Illinoisans to demand an end to puppy mills in favor of driving the pet market to more humane sources like shelters, and RESPONSIBLE breeders. I am the Chief Sponsor and fighting to pass House Bill 1711 in the Illinois House to end the market for puppy mills by ending the sale of commercially bred puppies in retail outlets. Many retailers...
After months of planning, I was pleased to join the Illinois House Republican caucus in announcing our comprehensive Reimagine Illinois public policy platform. In the same way the Contract with America helped Congressional Republicans communicate a leading vision of conservative values in 1994, the Reimagine Illinois platform makes it clear the Illinois House Republicans will not simply be the party of “no”, but rather we are turning words into action with over 80 plus meaningful reform bil...
Local health departments, medical groups, news media and many constituents have contacted my office recently frustrated by deficiencies in the rollout of the Coronavirus vaccination effort in Illinois. Limited supplies of vaccine paired with increased government-sponsored mass advertising encouraging vaccination have led to crashed sign-up websites, insufficient supply to meet demand, and sometimes long travel times to get to nearest vaccination sites. Sites have been set up only to be canceled...
Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle made history as one of the first committee witnesses to testify before the General Assembly via video stream during the lame-duck session in opposition to House Bill 3653, a purported police reform omnibus bill which instead threatens public safety in all of our communities. VanVickle opposed the unfunded mandates included in the bill as well as the process which forced this legislation through the lame-duck session and insufficiently solicited public input....
