Stadelman votes for property tax freeze

State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) voted today for two measures imposing a two-year property tax freeze.

SB 482 freezes property taxes for two years for all units of local government except school districts. SB 484 is a two-year property tax freeze for all school districts, excluding districts that receive a financial hardship exemption. It also puts in place requirements for such an exemption.

“I know that the people of Illinois are suffering under the highest property tax rates in the country,” Stadelman said. “While a permanent tax freeze would be detrimental to the school districts that rely on the property tax, I am hopeful this freeze will provide some relief while making sure underserved school districts are not harmed.”

SB 482 passed the Senate 38-11-9 and SB 484 passed 37-11-9. Both are headed to the House for consideration.

Stadelman secures extension of River Edge Historic Preservation Tax Credit

State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) secured passage of legislation today that extends the River Edge Historic Preservation Tax Credit for four more years starting in January 2018.

Stadelman passed a measure in December extending the tax credit, originally set to expire Jan. 1, 2017, until Jan. 1, 2018. Today’s vote allows the credit to last through January 2022.

“The tax credit has already incentivized hundreds of millions of dollars of development in Rockford alone,” Stadelman said. “This will help put crumbling infrastructure back to use, grow the economy and increase revenue.”

The credit has been an important economic tool for the revitalization of downtown Rockford, and is equal to 25 percent of the rehabilitation costs for a business in a historic building.  

Previously, the tax credit was used to incentivize projects like the $12 million renovation at the Prairie Street Brewhouse, which also created 110 construction jobs. In addition to Rockford, the credit is also available in Aurora, Peoria, Elgin and East St. Louis.

Senate Bill 1783 passed the Senate unanimously and will now move to the House for consideration.

Stadelman passes measure protecting ‘right to Yelp’

State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) secured passage of legislation that protects the rights of consumers to leave honest online reviews of products and services without fear of retaliation.

The measure prevents companies and service providers from enforcing non-disparagement clauses included in sales contracts. Such clauses typically include language that prohibits consumers from leaving negative feedback about the retailer. Oftentimes, particularly online, a consumer must accept the terms of a contract before completing a purchase.

“Although I understand that businesses don’t want to be unfairly criticized, it is important to protect the right of the consumer to voice their opinion,” Stadelman said. “In many cases, people might not even realize they signed a non-disparagement agreement until a company takes action against them.”

Only two states – California and Maryland – have laws in place banning non-disparagement clauses. Illinois has general consumer protection laws in place that prohibit unfair business practices and fraud but do not specifically address non-disparagement clauses.

SB 1898 passed unanimously in the Senate and will move to the House for consideration.

Stadelman passes measure allowing emergency prescription refills

State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) secured passage of legislation that will allow pharmacists to fill emergency prescriptions without a doctor’s authorization.  

Stadelman had a personal motivation for introducing the measure. His son, who was 13 at the time, realized during a family vacation that he had no insulin or needles to manage his Type 1 diabetes. Because it was a Saturday, the pharmacy they visited was unable to reach his doctor to authorize a prescription.

“This really drove home to me that getting a prescription filled quickly can be a matter of life or death,” Stadelman said. “I started to do research and saw that many other states allow emergency refills to take place.”

The legislation does not allow emergency refills of controlled substances and caps refills at 30 days.

SB 1790 passed unanimously in the Senate and will move to the House for consideration.