Stadelman: Budget proposal puts our values out front

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois General Assembly heard Gov. JB Pritzker’s first budget address today.

State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) issued the following statement:

“I think the governor’s proposed budget places our values at the forefront by increasing funding for education from kindergarten all the way through college. I am also pleased with the increased funding for public safety and child care assistance.

“This isn’t the final product. We still have over three months to work on balancing the budget. I am confident however, that this new governor will bring a new way of doing things that will be a breath of fresh air after years of political gridlock.”

Stadelman votes to raise minimum wage

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Steve Stadelman voted to raise Illinois’ minimum wage for the first time since 2010 today.

Senator Stadelman issued the following statement after the vote:

“Workers in Illinois have waited too long for a raise. This measure will put more money into people’s pockets and will help working families. However, this is not the silver bullet solution. We must continue our work funding higher education, infrastructure improvements and human service programs that will help the Rockford community.”

“I am also proud of the payroll refund that this measure includes that will help small businesses and non-profits adjust to the higher wages.”

The measure now goes to the Illinois House of Representatives.

Rockford Park District receives $250k grant

ROCKFORD – Washington Park on Rockford’s west side will see improvements thanks to a $250,000 grant the Rockford Park District is receiving from the state.

State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) says the improvements will help create jobs and improve the quality of life around the area.

“Maintaining safe and clean parks is a crucial step in improving our community’s quality of life,” Stadelman said. “I am glad the state sees the benefit of investing in our local park districts and I look forward to what the future has to offer.”

The grant comes as a part of the state’s Open Space Land Acquisition and Development program, administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The program will provide more than $28 million to support 87 projects statewide, while two projects will be funded through the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Senator Stadelman's Weekly Bulletin - January 29, 2018

Stadelman requests 'most endangered' status for historic chancery, convent
State Senator Steve Stadelman is asking Illinois' leading preservation agency to place a 90-year-old Catholic chancery, convent and school on Rockford's northwest side on its list of Most Endangered Places, a designation likely to bring wider attention to help save the ornate buildings from demolition.

Never has a Rockford structure been featured since the nonprofit Landmark Illinois first issued the annual list in 1995. The list includes the twice-named Cook County Hospital, where a $1 billion renovation is underway to turn the massive Beau Arts building into a hotel, office and retail space. The 102-year-old hospital shares its architectural style with the chancery, headquarters of the Rockford Catholic Diocese from 1929 until 2002.

Workers hired by the diocese were stripping the chancery of decorative fixtures including chandeliers, wrought-iron gates, windows and the arched wooden doors at its front entrance when municipal officials issued a stop-work order Dec. 19, Stadelman said in his nomination of properties surrounding the Cathedral of St. Peter on what was once known as Piety Hill. The school is slated to close permanently at the end of the academic year, and the diocese had announced plans to raze the chancery while students were on Christmas break.
"The threat is real and imminent," wrote Stadelman, named Legislator of the Year by Landmarks Illinois in 2018. "These buildings are aesthetically and culturally important to the Signal Hill neighborhood."

Stadelman received the award for his work expanding the River Edge historic tax credit to a statewide program from a redevelopment incentive previously available only in Rockford and four other Illinois communities. Local urban renewal efforts benefiting from the tax credit include the Praririe Street Brewhouse and Amerock Embassy Suites, scheduled to open in January 2020 in a long-vacant industrial high-rise on the downtown riverfront.

In advocating for preservation of the Piety Hill campus, Stadelman cited the architectural significance of the three buildings (the school opened in 1921, eight years before the chancery and convent) and applications for local landmark status already filed by a citizens group. Stadelman also noted the number of signatures (currently approaching 3,300) an online petition launched by former Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey and an overture by current Mayor Tom McNamara to work with the diocese to find an alternative to demolition.

Stadelman commends new governor's focus on putting people to work
State Senator Steve Stadelman is encouraged by Gov. JB Pritzker’s efforts to make sure the state’s workforce training programs are putting people to work and identifying new jobs and industries for Illinois’ future.

Pritzker has given state agencies a 90-day deadline to come up with ways for Illinois to better align workforce development programs with employer needs, especially those in emerging industries like renewable energy. The governor issued an executive order calling on the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to compile the recommendations in a report due in April.

Stadelman praised the governor's prompt action and the common-sense strategy of smart use of state and federal resources.

"In all areas of government, we should strive for highest return on our investment," Stadelman said. "In the case of workforce development, we should be teaching people the skills they need in the fields where they can get jobs and should be targeting our most disenfranchised communities."

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Steve Stadelman
January 12 at 7:08 PM ·
Despite the snowstorm, Governor-elect JB Pritzker came to Rockford this afternoon. He stopped at a residence and spoke with Red Cross volunteers who installed life-saving smoke alarms in homes across the city as part of the "Statewide Day of Service."