The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget
Legislators left Springfield toward the end of May with a record-high budget in place for the fiscal year that begins July 1 of this year. The budget and its implementation document, commonly known as the BIMP, are two of more than 500 bills that now await final action by the Governor. He can sign them, veto them in part […]
Clean energy and lower utility costs. So why is Senate Bill 76 stalled?
Illinois families continue to struggle with rising costs tied to inflation, high property taxes, and other budgetary pressures. It is said that through inflation alone, the average Illinois family is spending approximately $300 more each month on the items needed to stay fed, healthy, comfortable, and clothed. Energy costs are also rising, but luckily, lawmakers […]
Chicago’s problems are everyone’s problems. So what are we going to do about crime?
In the spring, when temperatures rise in Chicago, so does crime. And when crime spikes in Chicago, we feel it in other parts of the state too, including here in Northwest Illinois. When the Cook County State’s Attorney chooses not to press charges or hold offenders when crimes occur, most are back on the street […]
Senator Chesney’s Column: An End to the Emergency Proclamations
More than three years after they started, it appears the COVID-19 disaster proclamations are finally coming to an end. It was on March 9, 2020 when Governor Pritzker issued his first disaster declaration in response to COVID-19, allowing him to impose sweeping emergency powers free of legislative input and oversight. At the time, most Illinoisans […]
Senator Chesney’s Guest Column: Thank You, Farmers
Many say the only constant in life is change. We see this as businesses continually adapt to remain competitive and profitable, and schools respond to economic trends to produce graduates that can succeed at jobs many of us never thought would even exist when we were young. While the rate of change can be dizzying, […]
Guest Column: Dignity and Proper Care for Our Most Vulnerable
A primary responsibility of state government is to protect those who otherwise cannot protect or take care of themselves. Sadly, in too many cases, the State of Illinois is failing these most vulnerable citizens and their families. In Northwest Illinois, we are far removed from the atrocities that have been uncovered at the Choate Mental […]
Ethics, or the lack thereof, in Springfield
We all have an internal compass that guides our decisions and our behavior. And for those who seek public office, their ethical standards should be beyond reproach. Most people enter politics for the right reasons. They want to give back to their communities. They want good schools, or good parks or library systems. They see […]
The Rules of the Legislative Game
Friday, February 10 marked the 2023 bill filing deadline in Springfield, and at the end of the day there were 2,442 Senate Bills and 2,000 House Bills filed. Almost all are bills of substance seeking a legislative change. About a dozen of these bills are mine, and they address a variety of issues that those […]
The Phasing Out of Police Protections in Illinois
Over the last several years, there has been a gradual diminishment in the role law enforcement plays in keeping communities safe, and the system that administers justice to those convicted of crimes. This attack on our criminal justice system and the men and women whose job it is to apprehend criminals has been deliberately phased. […]