Democratic News from Rockford, IL – more news at WinnDems.org.

Join Neill Mohammad in Rockford December 27th!



From the Neill Mohammad for Congress Campaign...


Join Neill Mohammad, a Democratic primary candidate in Illinois' 16th Congressional, at Five Forks Market on December 27th from 5-7 PM to celebrate the end of a great year and even more exciting 2018 ahead! 

Check out the Facebook event and the attached flyer for more details: https://www.facebook.com/events/2098022693759839/


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Events - 12/20 - Daniel Biss in Freeport, 12/21 - Politics Over Pizza with Litesa Wallace in Rockford

Biss/Wallace Events

Events - 12/20 - Daniel Biss in Freeport, 12/21 - Politics Over Pizza with Litesa Wallace in Rockford

Meet and Greet with Daniel Biss in Freeport
Come and meet Daniel in Freeport! There will be a short presentation followed by question and answers. Be sure to arrive at least 15 minutes early. Facility is handicap accessible.
Contact 815-601-4551 for information or questions.
Time: Wednesday, December 20 - 6:30pm-8pm
Location: St. John United Church of Christ - 1010 S. Park Boulevard, Freeport, IL 61032
RSVP and details at the website here

Baking for Biss Cookie Exchange
Prior to the Meet & Greet in Freeport at 4:30pm
Admission is 4 dozen cookies plus $10 or 
No time to bake? Make a $30 donation and you'll still take home 48 cookies!
Further details at the Facebook event here.

Politics Over Pizza with Litesa Wallace in Rockford
Let's get together to discuss politics. The goal is to have meaningful, free flowing conversation about local, state, and federal politics. Conversations will be facilitated by State Rep. and candidate for Lt. Governor Litesa Wallace but attendees voices will guide the conversation.
Lets co-learn together!
Time: Thursday, December 21 - 6pm-8pm
Location: Biss for Illinois Rockford Field Office - 309 Mulberry Street, Rockford, IL 61101
RSVP and details at the website here.

Questions on anything related to the campaign, contact Elizabeth Lindquist - Biss for Illinois Community Coordinator 815-543-6666

Happy Holidays to all!

Best~
Elizabeth

--
Elizabeth Lindquist

Senator Stadelman's Weekly Bulletin -- December 19, 2017





Two Stadelman-inspired laws make Top 10 list
State Senator Steve Stadelman passed two of the 10 new state laws deemed most important for 2018. The measures introduced by Stadelman empower victims of domestic violence and protect freedom of speech for Illinois consumers.

Senate Bill 1898 allows consumers to post unflattering online reviews of products and services without being subject to threats of lawsuits or financial penalties. Under the "Right to Yelp" law, "non-disparagement clauses" in sales contracts, which  forbid consumers from offering negative feedback about retailers, are now prohibited.

Stadelman, a former TV journalist, introduced the legislation to protect the right of consumers to voice their opinions, an increasingly powerful tool with the rise of internet review sites like Yelp. Illinois is one of few states to provide this consumer protection.

Senate Bill 57 gives victims of domestic violence the ability to leave abusive relationships without giving up their cell phone plans.

When petitioning the court for an order of protection, abuse victims now can ask a judge for the right to continue use of a phone number. If granted, wireless providers would be required to allow victims to separate their cellular accounts from their abusers. The law removes a financial obstacle for victims without the money to start a new phone plan and allows them to more easily find housing and employment because they can keep contacts, emails other digitally stored data.

More than 200 new laws take effect Jan. 1; many refine and update existing laws to reflect changing times and needs.
Initiative to curb 'doctor shopping' signed into law
A measure supported by State Senator Steve Stadelman to reduce opioid abuse will become state law on Jan. 1.
Before prescribing a controlled substance, doctors will be required to check the Prescription Monitoring Program database to see if a patient previously was written a prescription for the drug by another doctor. The goal is to make it more difficult for people to obtain prescriptions from multiple physicians, a practice known as doctor shopping. In 2015, Illinois began requiring pharmacies to file daily reports of all controlled substances they dispense. Until now, however, physicians weren't required to check the monitoring database before writing prescriptions.
Gov. Bruce Rauner signed Senate Bill 772 last week in East St. Louis.

Senator Stadelman's Weekly Bulletin - December 5, 2017





Stadelman signs appeal to Congress to save historic tax credits
State Senator Steve Stadelman joined a bipartisan plea to the U.S. House of Representatives to retain the Federal Historic Tax Credit, which has helped create $3.5  billion in development and 45,000 jobs in Illinois since 2012.

"Rehabilitation projects across our state could be at risk if the FHTC is eliminated," states a letter from the Democratic and Republican co-chairs of the Illinois Historic Preservation Caucus and signed by lawmakers including Stadelman. "The FHTC ... is a proven economic development tool and a local jobs creator. "

The letter to Illinois' delegation on Capitol Hill cites eight Rockford projects at risk if Congress cuts FHTC including conversion of the vacant Amerock building into a riverfront hotel, indoor expansion of the popular outdoor City Market and redevelopment of the abandoned Barber Coleman industrial complex on South Main Street. 

Loss of the federal program also jeopardizes the state's River Edge Historic Tax Credit, which Stadelman successfully fought this year to extend through 2022. State law that requires pairing  River Edge with FHTC would have to be amended, and Illinois "likely would not be able to make up the difference of lost credits at the federal level," according to the letter issued last month. 

U.S. House members later approved a tax reform bill that included an elimination of FHTC; on Saturday, the Senate passed its own version. Now the two overhaul plans must be reconciled in committee and returned to each chamber for final votes before the end of the year.

State Senators: Time to stop using flawed Crosscheck system
The state's Board of Elections no longer would be allowed to share sensitive voter information with a controversial voter registration system under a new measure introduced in the Illinois Senate.

Senate Bill 2273 would prohibit the state from sharing any voter information with any interstate voter registration program other than the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). In doing so, the state's participation in the controversial Interstate Voter Registration Data Crosscheck Program would be halted. Crosscheck, which was pioneered by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, is seen by many as nothing more than an attempt to keep minorities from voting. 

State Senator Steve Stadelman said he shares the concerns of the bill's sponsors regarding racial bias and the susceptibility to hackers of voters personal information. 
In the news


Memorial for fallen military personnel dedicated at Capitol
Senator Koehler hangs a Christmas tree ornament in the Capitol rotundaA memorial remembering fallen soldiers and their families was recently dedicated at the Illinois State Capitol. The memorial is sponsored by America's Gold Star Families, an organization that helps the families of fallen servicemen and women.

The Tree of Honor, located just east of the rotunda, is adorned with ornaments bearing names and pictures of members of the military from every branch who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

The tree was decorated by military families with ornaments commemorating fallen soldiers from every conflict all the way back to the Civil War. It will remain up at the capitol through the holiday season.



Mike Frerichs, State Treasurer and Susana Mendoza, Comptroller Say "Thanks!"


Dear Friend, 
Yesterday, I filed my petitions to seek re-election as Illinois State Treasurer. Comptroller Susana Mendoza and I worked together to make sure we have strong fiscal watchdogs in our state.
We filed the maximum 10,000 signatures and collected over 20,000 from across the state with the help of volunteers, local elected officials, friends in labor, and Democratic County organizations.

       

Serving as your State Treasurer is an honor. Together, we have made saving for college more affordable for Illinois families, took on the life insurance lobby to pass the Illinois Life Insurance Reform Act to get beneficiaries the money they are owed, and brought 15 states together in an Illinois-led coalition to create the ABLE program allowing families to save for their child with a blindness or disability without risking their disability benefits.

I look forward to another opportunity to be the State Treasurer of Illinois to continue our work to protect consumers, bring more job opportunities to the state, and help improve the lives of working families across Illinois. I want to thank the hundreds of volunteers who spent countless hours passing petitions to give us this opportunity.

Thank you,