Stadelman votes to end seasonal time change in Illinois

State Senator Steve Stadelman voted on legislation this week that would make daylight saving time the year-round standard, eliminating the statewide practice of moving clocks forward in the spring and backward in the fall.

“Changing your clocks twice a year is at best a hassle for most Illinoisans,” Stadelman said. “There are also many health benefits that come with making this simple change to the way we keep our time in this state.”

Research has shown that switching to standard time in the fall is linked with a spike in diagnoses of depression as well as a mild spike in heart attacks.

“Standard time may have served a purpose in the past, but it’s simply no longer necessary for the world we live in today,” Stadelman said. “I hope federal lawmakers will come to a similar conclusion and do their part to remove this arbitrary system that burdens everyday people.”

Although the legislation would change state law to end standard time, Illinois still needs approval from the federal government. Until the federal government allows the change to occur, the current timekeeping standards will remain in effect.

 Stadelman sponsors bill to protect aviation jobs

Hundreds of good-paying jobs across the state, including dozens in the Rockford area, may be saved as a result of a bill co-sponsored by Senator Steve Stadelman .

Springfield lawmakers this week approved legislation to reinstate a sales tax exemption for aircraft maintenance materials. Most states offer the exemption from neighboring Wisconsin, Missouri and Indiana to major Illinois competitors like California and New York.

“Companies like Emery Air provide good-paying jobs in the Rockford-area,” Stadelman said. “We need to keep Illinois open for business and support these aviation jobs.

Aviation repair companies didn’t begin charging the sales tax on their services when the exemption expired four years ago, and the Illinois Department of Revenue failed to identify or collect the missing funds. House Bill 3902 forgives companies for unintentionally not collecting taxes.

“These companies shouldn’t be penalized for not collecting the tax when they didn’t know the tax credit had expired,” Stadelman said. “I’m urging the governor to reconsider signing this crucial legislation. Hundreds of Illinoisans’ jobs depend on it.”

The bill passed the Senate 48-1-2 during the final week of the fall veto session and now heads to the governor, who has already pledged to veto the proposal.

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