Senator Chesney’s Column: Get Out to Your County Fair
As summer hits full stride, I hope every resident of the 45th District gets a chance to attend one of our local county fairs. Our fairs are one of the clearest pictures of what Northwest Illinois stands for. The Ferris wheel lights up. Kids run from the games to the rides. The air is thick […]
Senator Chesney’s Week in Review
Sexual Harassment Investigation into Former Democrat Lawmaker Exposes a Broken System I want to thank my republican colleagues in the House for the pressure they applied on the democrat majority to release the Legislative Inspector General’s report on former Democrat State Representative Harry Benton, who was investigated for sexual harassment. Transparency is crucial, and Illinoisans […]
Sexual Harassment Investigation into Former Democrat Lawmaker Exposes a Broken System
I want to thank my republican colleagues in the House for the pressure they applied on the democrat majority to release the Legislative Inspector General’s report on former Democrat State Representative Harry Benton, who was investigated for sexual harassment. Transparency is crucial, and Illinoisans deserve to know what happened. The release of this report should […]
Democrat House Leader Chris Welch’s Chicago Public Schools Bailout Puts the Rest of Illinois Last
Democratic House Speaker Chris Welch recently pledged to go after more state money for Chicago Public Schools in the fall veto session. Let’s call this what it is: another attempt to put Chicago first while the rest of Illinois picks up the tab. I support investing in our schools. But that investment has to be […]
Only Two Weeks Left to Complete My Summer Reading Challenge
I want to remind families that there are less than two weeks left to take part in my annual Summer Reading Program. If your child is entering 1st through 6th grade, there’s still time to complete the challenge by reading eight books before August 15. Summer is a great opportunity to build strong reading habits, discover new stories, and […]
Senator Chesney’s Week in Review
Opposing the Proposed Illinois Tollway Rate Increase I am firmly opposed to the Illinois Tollway’s proposed rate increase. If approved, it would be the largest tollway rate increase in state history, raising passenger vehicle tolls by 45 cents per toll and commercial vehicle tolls by 30% beginning Jan. 1, 2027. The proposal would also automatically […]
Opposing the Proposed Illinois Tollway Rate Increase
I am firmly opposed to the Illinois Tollway’s proposed rate increase. If approved, it would be the largest tollway rate increase in state history, raising passenger vehicle tolls by 45 cents per toll and commercial vehicle tolls by 30% beginning Jan. 1, 2027. The proposal would also automatically increase toll rates every two years based […]
Rockton Shred Event Draws Strong Community Turnout
I want to thank everyone who came out to our shred event in Rockton. It was another great turnout, with more than 160 people stopping by to safely dispose of old documents and take an important step toward protecting themselves against identity theft. Events like this are a great way to provide a valuable service […]
Meeting with the Winnebago-Boone Farm Bureau
I recently had the opportunity to take part in the Winnebago-Boone Farm Bureau Roundtable alongside Senator Dave Syverson, Representative Joe Sosnowski, and Representative John Cabello. It was a productive discussion with local agriculture leaders about the challenges and opportunities facing our communities and our state’s agricultural industry. We covered a variety of important state and […]
Chesney Voices Opposition to Proposed Illinois Tollway Rate Increase
FREEPORT – State Senator Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) is voicing his firm opposition to the proposed Illinois Tollway rate increase, which would affect tollways in Winnebago County, arguing that the state must do a better job of balancing infrastructure investments with the financial burden placed on taxpayers. “We all recognize the need to invest in our […]