Happy Friday! A sign that summer is coming to an end is the start of school and the approaching of Labor Day! We hope you all had a good week and can enjoy some time with family over the weekend!
PLEASE be sure to let us know what events are coming to your communities and we will be sure to share them on our page. https://repmccombie.com/events/
CHILDREN – BACK TO SCHOOL
- Summer Buzz Reading Program has closed. All of the participating kiddos throughout District 71 will soon be contacted with an ice cream treat and a certificate.
- School
bus safety law helps protect Illinois students.
The nation was horrified last fall by the story of a girl
and her younger twin brothers who were struck and killed on the side of a
highway while attempting to board a school bus in Rochester, Indiana. The
heartbreaking story was made even worse by the knowledge that it was not the
only such incident in the United States in the recent past. That same week
there were fatal bus stop accidents in Mississippi and Pennsylvania, and
another crash in Florida in which three students were seriously injured.
After an accident a few days later in Kentucky in which two more students were struck and injured by a passing car, local media reported the findings of a study that “estimated more than 15 million drivers passed a school bus when it was stopped, lights flashing and stop arm extended last school year alone.”
Illinois law requires a driver to stop “before meeting or overtaking, from either direction, any school bus stopped on a highway, roadway, private road, parking lot, school property or at any other location, including, without limitation, a location that is not a highway or roadway for the purpose of receiving or discharging pupils. Such stop is required before reaching the school bus when there is in operation on the school bus the visual signals,” specified in state law. Every state in the union has a similar law.
School buses are equipped with flashing lights and an extended “stop” arm on the side of the bus as a way of attracting the attention of other motorists, who must stop before reaching the location of the bus if such signals are engaged.
In the wake of last fall’s tragedies, freshman Rep. Darren Bailey, a former 17-year member of his local school board, was concerned that in spite of the law, the message just wasn’t getting through; and kids were paying the price. He heard from constituents with similar concerns, and introduced House Bill 1873 this spring to enact tougher penalties for those caught passing a school bus in violation of the law. Bailey said he believed toughening the penalties would serve as a better inducement for drivers to follow the law and keep schoolchildren safe.
House Bill 1873, signed into law in mid-July, increases the fines for breaking the school bus safe zone law. The fine for a first offense of driving past a stopped school bus that is signaling passenger movement is increased from $150 to $300, and a second offense within five years will result in a one-year suspension of the violator’s driver’s license and an enhanced fine. A separate new law authorizes local school districts to mount video cameras on their school buses. The school bus cameras can catch images of motor vehicles that violate the safe-zone law.
ENERGY/MORE DOWNSTATE JOBS LOST
Vistra Energy announces plans to close four Illinois power plants. The plants, all of which burn coal for power, are located in Canton, Coffeen, Havana, and Hennepin, Illinois. Approximately 2,000 megawatts of power will be pulled out of the Illinois grid as a result of the plant closures, but the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) interstate power consortium (which helps make Illinois energy policy by setting the rates that are charged for electricity that crosses state lines) believes that power supplies will be adequate. In describing the move, Vistra blamed new rules issued by the Illinois Pollution Control Board (PCB) that are aimed at coal-borne air pollution and the generation of carbon dioxide (CO²). Vistra also said that MISO was no longer allowing the plants to earn an adequate return for power sold into the interstate grid.
Approximately 300 Downstate Illinois workers are affected by the Vistra announcement. House Republican members joined together to offer job information and retraining opportunities to affected personnel. Vistra stated that their coal-originated emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO²) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) will drop by up to 61% once the four shutdowns are completed. The lost electrical power is slated to be replaced by electricity generated from natural gas and, to a lesser extent, from renewable energy sources such as wind turbine farms.
Representative Avery Bourne is one of the Downstate Illinois lawmakers whose constituents will be affected by this decision. “Today we see the effects of a democratic governor and democratic supermajorities who prioritize a radical environmental agenda over affordable energy and good-paying jobs,” Bourne said. “During his campaign, Governor Pritzker promised to completely eradicate coal and this is the first step. I’m disappointed that the Pritzker administration forced Vistra to close 40% of their downstate fleet of power plants. This is another example of Illinois’ job-killing environment. The closure of Coffeen’s coal plants is devastating to our local economy and the closure of all four plants will mean downstate Illinois loses production of affordable and reliable energy.”
The Havana Power Plant slated for closure is in Representative Norine Hammond’s district. “I’m deeply disappointed in the decision to force the closure of the Havana coal plant,” said Rep. Hammond. “This was a political decision that was entirely avoidable. While I intend to do everything possible to support the workers and communities impacted, I also call on Governor Pritzker’s Administration to release a plan to ensure the job security of the plant employees and local property tax base in Mason County.”
The coal turbine shutdowns and job layoffs are expected to take place during the fall and winter of 2019-2020. The process of applying for and getting permits for the shutdowns is not yet completed. The Vistra announcement was made on Wednesday, August 21.
HEALTH
- Governor signs bill allowing schools
to supply undesignated glucagon. On Monday, legislation
was signed allowing schools across the state to store an undesignated supply of
glucagon to treat students with diabetes.
Under the new law, undesignated glucagon must be stored in a location immediately accessible to a school nurse or a designated care aid who can administer it to a student if authorized and if the student’s prescribed glucagon is not available on-site or expired. After the administration of undesignated glucagon, a school must immediately notify the student’s parent, guardian or emergency contact.
House Bill 822 was co-sponsored by Representative Tony McCombie.
JOBS/DOWN AND UP
- Del Monte cannery in Mendota to close. The plant, located in northwestern LaSalle County, packs vegetables for grocery stores. When the plant shuts down at the end of the 2019 growing season, up to 680 jobs – including 550 seasonal jobs – will be affected. The plant specializes in canned sweet corn. Del Monte described the move as a necessary restructuring in line with changes in the U.S. consumer marketplace. The firm simultaneously announced plant closings and disposals in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Mendota has long made sweet corn a key element of its community identity, and the city hosts the Mendota Sweet Corn Festival during the second weekend of August.
- Jobs UP in all metro areas. The number of nonfarm jobs increased in all fourteen Illinois metropolitan areas in July, according to preliminary data released Thursday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). Data also shows the unemployment rate decreased over-the-year in July in eleven Illinois metropolitan areas, increased in one and was unchanged in two.
Illinois businesses added jobs in all fourteen metro areas, with the largest percentage increases in: Carbondale-Marion (+2.3%, +1,300), Lake – Kenosha (+2.3%, +9,900), Danville (+2.2%, +600), and Rockford (+2.0%, +3,000). The Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights metro division was up (+1.3% or +47,700).
TECHNOLOGY
- New law targets online sexual harassment. Sponsored by Representative Avery Bourne, HB 2408 creates the Removal of Private Compromising Images Act and directs persons not to post a private compromising image of another person online. The new Act further provides a process by which a person may file a petition for a take-down order if the person discovers that a private compromising image of himself or herself is posted online. It directs the court, upon finding of fact, to enter a take-down order. It also provides for liability for damages, at the discretion of the court, against any person who is found to have posted a private compromising image of another person.
Bourne’s House colleagues unanimously approved HB 2408 in the spring 2019 session and it was signed into law on Friday, August 16 as PA. 101-385.
TOURISM/MCCOMBIE NAMED 2019 FRIEND OF TOURISM
- In recognition of her efforts to promote the tourism industry in the Sauk Valley region and across Illinois, the Blackhawk Waterways Convention and Visitors Bureau presented State Representative Tony McCombie (IL-71st) with the 2019 Friend of Tourism Award at their annual dinner this week.
“With Whiteside County being the host entity for our 2019 Annual Dinner, we felt that Representative McCombie was the perfect choice for our 2019 Friend of Tourism Award. She is a vocal advocate for her District, which includes Carroll & Whiteside Counties,” said Diane Bausman, Executive Director of Blackhawk Waterways. “She also understands the economic impact that tourism creates for our region. She supports continued state funding of tourism promotion and knows the value of marketing our area as a tourism destination and the dollars that visitors bring to our communities.”
According to statistics from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s (DCEO) Office of Tourism, in 2017 nearly 114 million people visited Illinois, supporting approximately 340,000 jobs statewide. Overall, tourism in Illinois is a $40 billion industry with an estimated $170 million in tourism dollars being spent in the four counties of Carroll, Lee, Ogle, and Whiteside that make up region Blackhawk Waterways region.
“In the last two budgets, legislators made the mistake of cutting tourism dollars. In fact, in last year’s budget nearly $60 million in tourism dollars was cut statewide,” said McCombie. “Despite these budget cuts, Illinois tourism numbers are actually growing. This growth is primarily the result of the advocacy of Blackhawk Waterways and all the convention and visitor bureaus (CVBs) across the state. I thank the Blackhawk Waterways Convention and Visitors Bureau for this award, and sincerely appreciate the work they do every day advocating for tourism and educating me so I can better represent the region.”
McCombie is a prior member of the House Tourism Committee. However, the committee was abolished in the current101st General Assembly. “I support the re-creation of the tourism committee and believe we have an obligation to do whatever we can to boost our state revenues by growing our tourism industry,” said McCombie.
UPCOMING EVENTS/SILVIS
Join the Silvis Community for its 18th Annual Silvis Moonlight Parade & Festival. This event will be held in the downtown area, along 1st Avenue and is great for the family and is FREE to attend. Shuttle buses picking up in the Silvis Walmart Parking lot starting at 4pm and up to an hour after the parade ends. Annual car show will take place in the field behind Franks Pizza from 2-6pm. Other activities from 4-7pm are: Craft and Food Vendors, Kids zone (games & activities DUNK TANK), Teen zone (games & activities INFLATABLE BASKETBALL HOOP), Remote Control Car Races (ages 5-adult), Ekim’s Karate will perform at 6, come see who Silvis’ “Hometown Hero” is and why at 6:45, and Miss Zinnia will be crowned at 7. Then at dusk (around 8:15) will be the best Moonlight Parade!!!
UPCOMING EVENTS/ROCK FALLS
- In order to provide improved constituent service and easier accessibility for residents of Whiteside County, State Representative Tony McCombie (IL-71) and State Senator Neil Anderson (IL-36) are opening a new shared district office in Rock Falls. An official ribbon cutting and office opening celebration has been scheduled for Monday, August 26.
“The 71st House District encompasses a large area and I recognize that my home district office in Savanna may not be convenient for all,” said McCombie. “Opening this second office with Senator Anderson, will give constituents from the eastern part of the 71st District improved access to the services our office provides. I invite residents to stop by and visit to familiarize themselves with our location and meet my fantastic team.”
McCombie’s district office in Savanna will continue to serve constituents at it location at 9317B IL Route 84. Both McCombie offices can be reached by phone at (815) 632-7384.
UPCOMING EVENTS/EAST MOLINE
Enjoy your last days of summer and please contact our office, anytime with any questions! Contact the office at (815) 632-7384 or email at mccombie@ilhousegop