Rep. Amy Elik (R-Alton) is hosting a Holiday Food Drive again this year. 

All across Illinois, House Republican legislators are hosting drives to collect essentials like food, winter clothing and more for individuals and families in our communities this holiday season. 

In this spirit of giving and supporting neighbors in need, please consider donating to a drive in your area: 

Leader Tony McCombie is hosting a Holiday Blood & Food Drive in Savanna on December 19.

Rep. Kevin Schmidt is hosting a Holiday Food Drive at his district office in Cahokia Heights December 8-10. 

When former President Joe Biden took office, he flung the southern border of the United States wide open. During his tenure, millions of illegal immigrants poured into the country, overwhelming local, county, and state government resources and costing taxpayers billions of dollars. Out-of-control illegal immigrant crime also took hold, with horrifying examples of gang activity, carjacking, theft, assault, sexual assault, and murder dominating headlines and disrupting life for American citizens. 

Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site will host their annual candlelight walk event that begins October 3. Due to popularity, the family-fun event has been expanded to three weekends for 2025. Families can now start planning their visits for these weekends: Oct. 3-5, Oct. 10-12, and Oct. 17-19. Event hours each night will be from 5:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. The extra weekend will give visitors more evenings to enjoy the event and everything the historic village has to offer. The candlelight walk reveals several log homes, stores, a tavern, school, gristmill, along with other outbuildings. 

As the price of everything in Illinois from groceries to utilities seems to be on the rise, a group of House Republican lawmakers have introduced legislation to help working families meet these ever-rising costs.

The bills introduced by this group of legislators, collectively known as the Relief for Working Families legislative package, would encourage entrepreneurship, help tipped employees keep all of their gratuities, and create opportunities for technical skill-building that can lead to high-paying jobs.

Illinois House Republican State Representatives C.D. Davidsmeyer (R-Murrayville), Mike Coffey (R-Springfield), and Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) held a Capitol news conference during Committee Deadline Week to denounce Illinois’ costly and dangerous “Sanctuary State” policy.

Abraham Lincoln, born on February 12, 1809, near Hodgenville, Kentucky, emerged from humble beginnings to become one of the most revered figures in American history. His rise from a simple frontier life to the highest office in the nation was marked by perseverance, intellect, and an unwavering commitment to justice. As the 16th President of the United States, Lincoln led the nation through its darkest period, the Civil War, and played a critical role in ending slavery. His legacy is deeply intertwined with the state of Illinois, where he spent much of his life and honed the leadership skills that would define his presidency.

The national debate on immigration continues to intensify, and California’s recent proposal to offer housing assistance to undocumented immigrants has placed even more attention on how states handle the crisis at hand. The proposed bill in California would allow undocumented immigrants to apply for state-backed home loans of up to $150,000, and with Chicago’s migrant crisis making headlines throughout the year, we must ask ourselves, “is Illinois next?”

Central Illinois will soon have a new trade school focused on traditional Catholic education. San Damiano College for the Trades is expected to open the doors in the Fall of 2025. Kent Lasnoski, the president of the school, is excited for this new chapter in his life. He is eager to start offering quality education through trades such as carpentry, plumbing and electrical contracting.

State lawmakers don't just attend legislative sessions at the Capitol, cast votes on proposed laws and go home for the rest of the year. They actually spend a considerable amount of time assisting constituents, studying state issues and conducting outreach in their districts. What's more, these activities go on throughout the year and generally heighten during the summer months after the General Assembly finishes its work in May.

State Representative Mike Coffey won House passage of his bill to include children of Operation Just Cause veterans on the list of those eligible for scholarships at the University of Illinois.

House Bill 4733 expands eligibility for honorary scholarships at the University of Illinois to the children of veterans who served at any time during the invasion of Panama between December 20, 1989, and January 31, 1990. These children would join the sons and daughters of veterans who served during conflicts dating back to World War II in having eligibility for the scholarships.

A new law making its way through the Illinois General Assembly aimed at tipped workers would not only have a damaging effect on Illinois restaurants still rebounding from the Pandemic but it would also negatively impact restaurant employees as well. 

Rep. Mike Coffey joined the Illinois Retail Merchants Association at a press conference to express their concerns and opposition to the legislation. 

“As I’ve traveled the district, employees who have excelled at providing service to residents have asked me to stand up and fight against this bill," explained Coffey. "They are concerned their take-home pay will decrease and businesses will close their doors."

Current Illinois law allows employers to pay their tipped workers 60% of the state’s minimum wage. That amounts to $8.40 hourly, compared to the minimum wage of $14 per hour. However, if employee wages plus tips do not equal minimum wage, the employer must make up the difference. 

If enacted, House Bill 5345 would mandate all businesses who currently employ tipped workers to compensate them at $15 an hour, beginning in 2025. 

“This legislation would cause turmoil in the service industry, causing job creators to cut good-paying positions and putting these businesses at risk of closure,” Coffey said. “Ultimately, consumers who are already feeling the higher cost of living in this state will have to pay more to offset the higher labor costs.”

House Bill 5345 has so far failed to attract key support, as the witness slips filed on this bill show 564 opponents and just 37 proponents. Nevertheless the legislation passed out of committee on April 4. While the legislation is advancing through the process, strong bipartisan opposition prompted the sponsor to promise not to bring the bill to a vote in the full House without first negotiating amendments to address concerns.

Legislation pending in the House of Representatives (HB 793), would have a negative impact on 14(c) workshops across the state of Illinois if passed through the General Assembly. State Representative Mike Coffey (R-Springfield) and State Representative Wayne Rosenthal (R-Morrisonville) both agree that this bill would create lost jobs, lost opportunities, and put service providers out of work.

“While this bill sounds good in theory, it would ultimately lead to individuals losing their job and having zero income,” said Rep. Coffey. “Service providers do a fantastic job, but many of them would be unable to pay minimum wage to their employees if this bill is passed. Protecting our job force should be a priority and this bill does the opposite.”

“Ghosts of the Library,” presented by AT&T, is a high-tech immersive exhibition at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library in downtown Springfield. The purpose for this exhibition, which debuted in 2005 when the museum opened, was to explain to the audience what goes on in a presidential library. 

In Ghosts of the Library, the public walks into a theater and is greeted by a live actor who shares information about strategically placed artifacts in the museum. As the actor continues to talk, ghostly holographic images appear out of smoke and help to explain and capture the audience’s attention. An example would be an actor reading the Gettysburg Address as an image of Abraham Lincoln appears and finishes the reading. 

The annual Candlelight Walk at Lincoln’s New Salem State Historic Site will be held on Friday, October 6, and Saturday, October 7, from 7-9 p.m. each night. New Salem features a reconstruction of the village where Abraham Lincoln spent his early adulthood, and the Candlelight Walk offers the only opportunity to see the village at night. 

The grounds at New Salem include a recreated 1830s village of log buildings, and during the Candlelight Walk visitors will find a place of warm campfires, flickering candles, and swirling glow sticks. There will be live music each night, and staff and volunteers will be dressed in clothing of the 1830s era. Interpreters will also be on site talking about 19th century life in Illinois inside the log homes and shops. Seasonal favorites such as gingerbread cookies and cider will be served.

New Salem is located in Menard County just outside of Petersburg, about 20 miles northwest of Springfield. Lincoln spent six years in New Salem, engaging in a variety of activities. He clerked in a store, spit rails, enlisted in the Black Hawk War, and served as postmaster and deputy surveyor. Lincoln was elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 1834 and 1836. 

The grounds at New Salem include 12 log houses, the Rutledge Tavern, 10 workshops, stores, mills, and a school where church services were held. The furnishings were actually used by the people of New Salem during Lincoln’s time and were assembled and donated by the Old Salem Lincoln League. The collection includes 19th century articles such as wheat cradles, candle molds, cord beds, flax hackles, wood cards, dough and cornmeal chests, and early American pewter. Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site - Tour (lincolnsnewsalem.com)

“Come see history in real life during the Candlelight Walk,” stated Rep. Wayne Rosenthal (R-Morrisonville). “Seeing the New Salem village at night is a truly unique and one-of-a-kind experience. This is a fun and family-friendly event to be enjoyed by all ages.”

“New Salem is a true gem that attracts visitors from all over the state and country,” stated Rep. Mike Coffey (R-Springfield). “These two nights offer an incredible look back into history and what life was like in the early 19th century.”

Youth apprenticeships provide multiple career pathway opportunities for high school students in Illinois. Students enrolled in these programs have the opportunity to enter the workforce upon graduation, or they could enroll in college and continue their education.

Apprenticeships involve a work-based learning model, commonly referred to as a ‘learn and earn’ model, where on-the-job training is combined with relevant classroom instruction. The apprentice acquires new skills and applies them on the job while under supervision. Upon completion of the program, the apprentice receives an industry-recognized credential. 

Panhandling is currently legal in Illinois, with a ruling by a federal district court judge in Chicago in January 2021 striking down the law on the books that had prohibited panhandling in public streets and medians. That ruling came six years after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling made it clear that most laws targeting panhandlers are unconstitutional. Since that Supreme Court decision in Reed vs. Town of Gilbert, a number of panhandling ordinances across the nation have been repealed or struck down by courts.