HAPPY LAW ENFORCEMENT DAY!
Today is Law Enforcement Appreciation Day! I am calling for special thanks to the men and women who protect and serve communities throughout the state every single day.
They run toward danger, serve with professionalism, and carry enormous responsibility so the rest of us can live, work, and raise our families in safer communities. Law enforcement doesn’t ask for praise, but they deserve our respect, our gratitude, and our support. Today, and every day, let’s say thank you.
Valentine’s Day Kicks Off:
We are launching our fourth annual “Valentines for Seniors” Card Drive. I am thrilled to again offer the program and invite Northwest Illinois residents to join me in helping spread the love this holiday.
I encourage community members, church groups, schools, and residents to participate in the Card Drive by dropping off Valentine’s Day cards or mailing them to my district office in Savanna. Once the cards are collected, they will be delivered to senior citizens in communities across Northwest Illinois, including senior living facilities.
There is no better way to kick off the year than spreading love and joy throughout our communities in northwest Illinois. Each year this program grows – and I am continually impressed with the help from across the 89th District to make the day of a fellow resident.
Valentine’s Day cards will be accepted through Wednesday, February 7. Participants may deliver the cards in person on Thursdays or mail cards to State Representative Tony McCombie, 9317B IL Rt 84, Savanna, IL 61074.
With questions about the program, constituents can contact [email protected] and for more information visit repmccombie.com.
ENERGY
Pritzker signs CRGA energy bill, costing consumers billions in higher energy rates
Governor JB Pritzker signed a controversial battery storage and energy omnibus bill into law Thursday. Senate Bill 25, also known as CRGA, is another example of flawed green energy policies that Illinois ratepayers are already all too familiar with.
Pritzker’s signing of SB 25 comes on the heels of a study released last month by three state agencies that detailed the ‘credible risk’ of electricity shortages across Illinois within the next five years.
I blasted the misleading language of the bill and the huge cost to Illinois ratepayers in a statement:
“Governor Pritzker signed an $8 Billion energy bill today and called it ‘affordable.’ Illinois families will call it what it is when their bills arrive: expensive.
“Labeling this legislation the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act doesn’t make it affordable; it makes it misleading. This bill expands mandates, bureaucracy, and regulatory control while offering no guaranteed, near-term relief for families already struggling with some of the highest utility costs in the Midwest.
“For years, Illinois Democrats have promised that the next energy bill would finally lower bills. Instead, today’s new law keeps them waiting.
“This bill:
- Does not reduce current electric bills
- Does not add reliable baseload power fast enough to meet demand
- Does not protect families and employers from rising capacity and transmission costs
“The Governor’s claims of “savings” over decades relies on unknown assumptions, but Illinoisans don’t pay their electric bills in projections.
“Energy policy should be reliable, affordable, and transparent.
“House Republicans will continue pushing for an all-energy strategy that actually delivers reliable power and lower costs.”
Check out my video here:
BUDGET
Save the Date – Governor’s Budget Address is February 18th.
STATE GOVERNMENT
More agency mismanagement under the Pritzker administration
In a bombshell report, a major State agency has admitted exposing the health care-related names and addresses of 670,000 Illinois residents.
The names and addresses of thousands of patients of the Illinois Department of Human Services were incorrectly made publicly viewable for the last several years, the agency said Friday.
Several maps created to assist the agency with decisions — like where to open new offices and allocate certain resources — were made public through incorrect privacy settings between 2021 and 2025, the Department of Human Services said in a statement.
More than 32,000 customers with the IDHS division of rehabilitation services had information publicly viewable between April 2021 and September 2025. The information included names, addresses, case numbers, case status, referral source information, region and office information and status as Division of Rehabilitation Services recipients, the agency said.
Around 670,000 Medicaid and Medicare Savings Program recipients had their addresses, case numbers, demographic information and the name of medical assistance plans publicly viewable between January 2022 and September 2025, IDHS said.
This is unacceptable. When the government mishandles the personal information of hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents, it’s not just a technical failure, it’s a breach of trust. Families deserve accountability, transparency, and real safeguards, not excuses after the damage is done.
Read more about this massive data breach from NBC-5 Chicago.
COMING UP
I am hosting additional office hours throughout the new year! Office hours are dedicated times for constituents to connect and have their questions answered.
Whether you need assistance navigating state agencies or want to share your concerns with state policies, the office is available to you!
