Republican members of the Illinois House Veterans’ Affairs Committee sent a letter demanding the chair of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee convene a public hearing as soon as possible following recent reports detailing an outbreak of COVID-19 among employees and residents at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home.

“We must quickly investigate how and why a recent outbreak occurred and what steps are being taken by the Pritzker administration to stop the spread of COVID-19 at all State-run veterans’ homes and health care facilities,” said State Rep. Randy Frese, Republican Spokesperson for the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. “Our veterans now depend on us, and we cannot let them down. We stand ready to get to work to assist in providing the highest quality healthcare for all Illinois veterans.” 

U.S. Army troops taking a break while on patrol in Vietnam, 1968

More than 58,000 Americans gave their lives in the Vietnam War. They came from every state in the union and from many different communities in Illinois. The United States drafted young men into the armed forces until near the end of the war, but a great many also volunteered to fight for our nation in Southeast Asia.

Among those who gave their lives far from home a half century ago were three young men from Fulton County in western Illinois who left Canton High School for the military before their graduation.

“Persistence pays off, and a refusal to give up never hurts.”
~ Rep. Mike Unes on  moving his legislation to sell
Hanna City Work Camp through the General Assembly.

A longtime Peoria County eyesore could soon be up for sale if the Illinois Legislature follows through.

If you’ve driven along Illinois Route 116 on your way to Hanna City or to Farmington, you’ve likely glanced out your window at the dilapidated collection of structures gradually being reclaimed by nature and, like us a week ago on the way to breakfast, tutted over the ugliness.

For years, that’s been the gradually declining condition of the former Hanna City Work Camp, which has sat vacant and unused.

About a decade ago the state-owned facility was turned over to the county through legislation, though in the intervening years the local government hasn’t found anything to do with it, despite a lot of brainstorming. Read the rest of the story.

Nearly 55,000 Illinois residents currently serve our country in the military, ranking Illinois 13th in the number of residents serving our nation. Not only do thousands of military members call Illinois home, so do their families. Oftentimes those families are required to move to an Illinois community to accommodate the servicemember's assignment.

When the unthinkable happens and a servicemember is killed in action, their family is left with many difficult decisions, including the need or desire to move.

Under current law, families are permitted to terminate a residential lease without penalty when a servicemember is deployed. However, it does not allow for the same option when a servicemember is killed in action, causing the family additional hardship. 

Rep. Mike Unes learned of this issue from a widow of a fallen soldier. She and her two young children needed to move after her husband was killed in action but the landlord required her to pay penalties for early termination of the lease. 

In response, Rep. Unes recently introduced HB4317 to ensure the families of servicemembers do not face additional burdens after losing their loved one in service to our country. The legislation will allow families to terminate their lease without penalty when their loved one is killed in action.

We owe it to our nation's heroes who pay the ultimate price to protect their families. HB4317 is one way we can do just that. 

The City of Canton is pleased to report the recent receipt of over $500,000.00 in late payments from the State of Illinois, issued for water and sewer service to the Illinois River Correctional Center.

State Representative Mike Unes notified the City of the release of funds Friday, which came as a result of his work with the Comptroller’s office on Canton’s behalf. This is one of the largest and most recent of such payments that Representative Unes has secured to help repay what is owed to the citizens of Canton.

Mayor Kent McDowell expressed his gratitude for Rep Unes’ efforts, in saying: “Receiving this money is just extremely important to our budget and finances, and I am beyond thankful for Rep Unes’ hard work and dedication towards making sure that we finally receive what is owed to us. I have no doubt that he will continue to go above and beyond for our city, and am confident that no other representative in the State of Illinois works harder for local families.” Read the rest of the story.

Bipartisan legislation sponsored by State Representative Mike Unes (R-East Peoria) aimed at protecting senior citizens and other adults from financial abuse and exploitation was signed into law on Wednesday morning by Governor Bruce Rauner.  SB 1309, which allows state agencies additional ability to look into financial records of persons they serve with state programs in an effort to prevent financial exploitation and investigate alleged abuse more quickly, passed the Illinois House in May after clearing the State Senate in April.

“We know that financial exploitation of seniors and adults with disabilities happens too often and we need additional tools to catch it earlier and investigate it more thoroughly.  This legislation will allow that to happen, and will protect some of the most vulnerable people we represent,” said Rep. Unes in advocating for the passage of the bill.  “We also know that this kind of abuse often means additional strain on public support systems, so we hope that by curbing this type of abuse, we can save taxpayer dollars,” continued Rep. Unes. Read more.

Beginning July 1st, U.S. military veterans are now able to receive updated driver's licenses with a veteran designation displayed on the front of the card.  Details on the new licenses can be found here on the Illinois Secretary of State website.

The legislation enabling this new feature was carried in the House by State Representative Mike Fortner and State Representative Mike Unes as well as a handful of other legislators in 2012.  

Travis Platt is passionate in his efforts to help others, because he wants to give back.

Platt, owner of Platt's Printing in Farmington, says he likes to work with other small businesses and with anyone planning a benefit. His storefront has been open since December of 2013, but the entrepreneur has been in business since he was in junior high school.

"We are light years from where we started," says Platt, who emphasizes small businesses need to stick together. That is why he is proud to be located in Farmington with many small business owners who also want to grow.

He puts his self-taught graphic design efforts, and what he calls 'special prices,' to work for those needing his help. "I offer quality printing and design with good pricing."

Life has not always been easy for Platt, who is confined to a wheelchair due to Muscular Dystrophy.
Through a program offered by the state, he had the help of a personal assistant, who could help with travel and other necessities. That help was taken away suddenly when the state unexpectedly closed his case. His business was in danger of closing and Platt found himself in the battle of a lifetime.

In the midst of that battle, a friend introduced him to State Rep. Mike Unes. Unes learned of his plight and helped Platt get his case reopened and help was restored. "It took about a year and a lot of money," says Platt of the experience. Read more.

A bill, sponsored by State Representative Mike Unes of East Peoria, was signed Friday afternoon by the governor.

The bill makes it a crime of official misconduct for an employee of a law enforcement agency to tip off a criminal of pending law enforcement action against them. This legislation, Unes says, was necessary because of a 2010 Illinois Supreme Court decision that a 911 dispatcher tipping off a criminal of pending law enforcement action was not an act the employee could be charged criminally for committing. There's more on CIProud.com.

Business
IL workers’ comp rates to fall in 2015. Workers’ compensation insurance rates – a key item for many Illinois employers, particularly manufacturers – will drop 5.5 percent next year.

Governor Quinn announced Wednesday the cut in rates is being recommended by the National Council on Compensation Insurance, which annually reviews payments and fees and proposes new premium figures.

Illinois Department of Insurance officials are estimating the latest proposed reduction in workers’ compensation advisory and loss cost rates could result in overall reduction of premiums of up to $143 million in 2015, with savings totaling $450 million since reforms were enacted in 2011.

Budget
House Democrats pass unbalanced budget, blowing up agreed revenue cap. Abandoning their pledge to adhere to projected FY15 general funds revenues of $34.5 billion, the House Democrats passed a series of appropriations bills on Thursday, May 15 that anticipate spending approximately $37.4 billion. Fiscal Year 2015 (FY15) begins on July 1, 2014 and continues until June 30, 2015. The Democrats’ spending plan is $2.9 billion more than agreed to by the General Assembly in its previous FY15 revenue estimate.

The Illinois General Assembly passed House Resolution 922 on Friday calling on Congress to update the federal disaster declaration process, following FEMA’s recent denial of assistance to local governments in communities hard hit by the November 17 tornadoes.  The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Mike Unes (R-East Peoria) and Rep. Keith Sommer (R-Morton).

The disaster declaration process relies on a population-based formula to calculate what a state’s threshold is for federal assistance. Because Illinois is the fifth-largest state in the nation, it has a much higher threshold than other states. But because the tornado outbreak affected primarily small, rural communities the damage did not reach the federal requirement, leaving devastated towns and villages to fend for themselves when it came to meeting the costs of the cleanup.

“We’ve seen three separate tax hike proposals in the last three days. It is clear that Illinois democrats are preparing to raise taxes again, and the Governor seems unwilling to accept the reality that Illinois has a spending problem, not a revenue problem." ~Rep. Mike Tryon



“Governor Quinn proved to the General Assembly and to the citizens of this State today that his promises mean nothing. With his announcement that he is pushing to make the temporary tax increase of 2011 permanent, he has shown us all that anything he says can’t be trusted. He is on record in 2011 as saying the income tax increase was temporary, but now he wants to take more and more out of the pockets of working Illinoisans and small businesses." ~Rep. Barb Wheeler 

Today 23 Republican members of the Illinois House of Representatives signed letters sent to the Governor and Attorney General regarding the shortage of propane, urging them to take further action. The shortage during severe weather is causing prices for propane to skyrocket. Many are finding it impossible to pay their heating bills and keep their families warm.

House Republicans thanked the Governor for the recent disaster proclamation and asked him to:

1. Allocate additional emergency funds for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to assist Illinoisans in paying their propane or other heating bills.
2. Provide emergency low-interest loans/temporary lines of credit to propane distributors/suppliers to ensure they will have the resources necessary to purchase additional propane to alleviate shortages.
3. Work with the General Assembly to pass a temporary suspension of the state sales tax on LP/propane in order to provide some relief to families struggling to heat their homes.
4. Urge the federal government to create a strategic reserve of LP/propane and moderate exports of the fuel while supplies remain critically low.

Additionally, they asked the Attorney General to protect Illinoisans from improper tactics firms may be using during the crisis to gouge consumers.

The cleanup and recovery from the devastating tornadoes which struck Illinois on Sunday November 17 continues. Six people were killed in Illinois and hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed in a line of storms which affected the entire state, from Brookport at the southern tip all the way to Chicago. We have compiled the latest information from state agencies, non-profits and media in the disaster areas to try and assist the victims and their families, and to provide an outlet for those who want to help.

This post will be updated as more information becomes available.

Washington, Clinton, Madison and St. Clair Counties
Rep. Charlie Meier 

• American Red Cross:  (618) 397-4600
• Washington County Emergency Management Agency: (618) 327-4800 ext. 340
• Clinton County Emergency Management Agency: (618) 594-4455

Rep. Mike Unes

State Representative Mike Unes (R-East Peoria) announced last week that HB1868 has been signed into law by Governor Quinn. House Bill 1868 is aimed at keeping High-Tech Manufacturing Classes in area high schools.

As a member of the Focus Forward Central Illinois Economic Development Steering Committee, Rep. Mike Unes has been working hard on issues aimed at job creation and retention in Central Illinois. One of the major concerns expressed by the specialized manufacturing group in the region has been closing the skills gap between ideal job candidates and the skills they were finding amongst area job applicants. Employers like Excel Foundry & Machine began partnering with local high schools to share information with students in area high schools about specialized manufacturing careers. This is a critical public/private partnership according to Representative Unes. Read more on Rep. Unes Website.

Other news from Central Illinois

Rep. Mike Unes

By State Rep. Mike Unes from East Peoria Times
May 28, 2013

A little more than a decade ago, the state of Illinois hit a critical mass. ...(It) hit a magical point on the spreadsheet wherein taxing more led to less revenue for government instead of more. The memory of Ben Stein’s dry monotone voice explaining the Laffer Curve in the 1980s classic movie, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” had faded from our collective psyche.

Government officials, unable to deal with this new reality and unwilling to address their full-blown spending addiction had hit rock bottom. Instead of getting the professional help our state needed, state officials turned to new coping mechanisms instead of treatment. The new fix was the “shift.” "Read the rest of Rep. Unes' opinion piece in the East Peoria Times.