Stadelman passes measure combatting student credit card debt

Key stakeholders will seek solutions for skyrocketing credit card debt faced by college students under legislation passed by State Senator Steve Stadelman to create the College Student Credit Card Marketing and Debt Task Force. House Bill 1581 calls for formation of a panel composed of representatives from credit unions, banks and state universities to study how credit cards are marketed to students, students’ payment history and several other related issues.

“Credit cards can be a useful way for students to build a credit history if they are responsible,” Stadelman said. “Unfortunately, too many students are unaware of the interest rates they have signed up to pay and find themselves clawing their way out of debt.”

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, 41 percent of students graduated with credit card debt averaging $3,000 in 2016. Stadelman's proposal, having passed the Illinois Senate unanimously, now awaits the governor’s approval.

Illegal logging bill sponsored by Stadelman heads to governor’s desk

State Senator Steve Stadelman has won approval in both chambers of the General Assembly for legislation that would increase penalties for illegal logging on land dedicated for conservation purposes in Illinois. Stadelman sponsored the bill with State Rep. Mary Edly-Allen, D-Libertyville, to resolves shortcomings in current law that restrict conservation and preservation property owners from being adequately compensated for extensive damages incurred when someone illegally logs natural areas.

“Our preservation areas need to be protected so that generations to come can enjoy them," Stadelman said. "This legislation will make sure that when people take what isn’t theirs, they can be held responsible.”

Cutting trees improperly can lead to soil erosion, the spread of invasive species and damage to other flora and fauna - including endangered species - among other adverse effects. The state's current law falls short of adequately compensating wronged landowners for the damages sustained from instances of illegal logging because it only considers the per-stump tree value -- not cleanup, loss of ecosystem integrity or the time required for vegetation to re-establish in the damaged area.

Stadelman's legislation closes the gap toward properly compensating the land trusts, conservation easement owners, forest preserves, park districts and others who oversee natural areas by ensuring compensation for the cost of the full damage incurred.

"We have an obligation to our donors and the general public to protect the habitats we say we are going to protect,” said Kerry Leigh, executive director of the Natural Land Institute, a Rockford-based nonprofit group that has suffered damages from illegal logging. “We are hopeful that this revision to the Wrongful Tree Cutting Act will serve as a real deterrent to illegal logging activities occurring across the state, as the true costs of remediation will be prescribed through this legislation.”  

Stadelman remembers political columnist Chuck Sweeny as Rockford institution

State Senator Steve Stadelman issued the following statement regarding Monday's passing of veteran Rockford Register Star political columnist Chuck Sweeny:

"Having worked with Chuck for many years as a fellow journalist and more recently as an elected official, I saw from more than one perspective that his reporting and commentary were insightful, fair and incredibly well sourced. As a reader, I always appreciated his ability to inject humor into the often tense public discourse," said Stadelman, a former TV news anchor who co-moderated the Illinois gubernatorial debate with Sweeny at the Coronado Theater in 2002.

"Like any good newsman, Chuck would not use the word 'institution' lightly. But through decades of helping the public understand government, local history and the civic issues of our times, he was just that -- a Rockford institution."

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Steve Stadelman

20 hrs · 

Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen was at the Capitol helping to push for a casino in his hometown. I've never started a news conference quite like this...??

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Steve Stadelman

May 18 at 8:02 PM · 

Congratulations to WTVO/WQRF and Bergstrom on the 5th Anniversary of the Stateline Quiz Bowl! I presented an Illinois Senate Proclamation recognizing the milestone during a "live" show of this year's final matchup between Auburn and Belvidere High Schools.

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SPRINGFIELD – Key stakeholders will seek solutions for skyrocketing credit card debt faced by college students under legislation passed by State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford).

House Bill 1581 creates the College Student Credit Card Marketing and Debt Task Force. The task force will be composed of representatives from credit unions, banks and state universities and will study how credit cards are marketed to students, students’ payment history and several other related issues.

“Credit cards can be a useful way for students to build a credit history if they are responsible,” Stadelman said. “Unfortunately, too many students are unaware of the interest rates they have signed up to pay and find themselves clawing their way out of debt.”

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, 41 percent of students graduated with credit card debt averaging $3,000 in 2016.

Stadelman’s proposal passed the Illinois Senate unanimously and now waits for the governor’s approval.

 

Bill sponsored by Stadelman restrains power companies from deceptive marketing
Legislation to hold alternative retail electric and gas suppliers accountable for deceptive marketing intended to ensnare consumers into more expensive utility plans has been approved in the Illinois Senate. Co-sponsor Steve Stadelman said Senate Bill 651 targets predatory practices that prey on people who can least afford higher utility bills. 

The proposed HEAT Act would protect utility consumers by:

• Improving the Attorney General’s existing authority to protect consumers from suppliers’ unlawful and deceptive marketing practices;
• Protecting public energy assistance funds, LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) and PIPP (Percentage of Income Payment Plan), from being wasted to pay the higher prices charged by alternative retail energy supporters;
• Requiring the utility’s comparison price to be included on all supplier marketing materials, during telephone or door-to-door solicitations and on every consumer’s utility bill so consumers can make informed price comparisons;
• Requiring suppliers to notify customers before their rates rise so consumers can take informed action;
• Preventing suppliers from renewing a consumer’s contract and raising rates without notifying the consumer of the new rate and obtaining the consumer’s consent; and
• Requiring suppliers to report their rates to the Illinois Commerce Commission and Attorney General.

Stadelman takes a stand against government redundancy  

State Senator Steve Stadelman voted in favor of legislation to prohibit the Illinois General Assembly from establishing any new units of local government until Jan. 1, 2022. Senate Bill 1215 also prohibits dividing existing units of local government but does not apply to the creation of a new unit of local government through the consolidation of two or more preexisting units of local government.

Stadelman supported the legislation as a proactive step to reduce and eliminate unnecessary layers bureaucracy in a state that already has nearly 7,000 units of government. If approved in the House of Representatives and signed by the governor, the moratorium is meant to give  municipalities time to evaluate and consolidate services to promote the efficient use of taxpayer dollars.

Stadelman backs bill to expand mental health services for first responders
Firefighters and police would have greater access to mental health services under a proposal passed in the Illinois Senate with the support of State Senator Steve Stadelman. Senate Bill 730, now pending in the House of Representatives, would increase access to counseling by allowing agencies to train personnel in peer counseling and establishing a training program for law enforcement officers to recognize signs of work-related cumulative stress.

A 2017 study by the Ruderman Family Foundation found more police officers and firefighters died due to suicide than all line-of-duty deaths combined. The study also highlighted the vast under-reporting of suicides, with concerns that the problem is much bigger and more complicated than experts initially anticipated.

Traumatic experiences can have a lifetime effect on a person, and the legislation, according to Stadelman, will help de-stigmatize mental health treatment.

In case you missed me on Facebook ...

Steve Stadelman is with Steven Hall and Harlan Johnson.

18 hrs · 

Great to see Rockford area members of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition at the Capitol!

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Rebecca Quirk It was nice meeting with you today. Thank you for voting Yea on SB0009 Coal Ash Pollution Prevention! We are so pleased that it passed. And thank you so much for considering co-sponsoring the Clean Energy Jobs Act.

Steve Stadelman is with Lindsay Williams.

May 1 at 6:13 PM · 

Great to see employees of Milestone and Mosaic at the Capitol advocating for their issues!

 

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Lindsay Williams Thank you for taking time out of your day to talk with us!!! And for your continual support of our plight!

Stadelman votes to advance Fair Tax amendment

Illinois voters will have the chance to decide whether the state can adopt a new income tax structure under a measure that passed the Illinois Senate this week. State Senator Steve Stadelman joined colleagues in voting for Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 1, which would allow the state to adopt a Fair Tax system as opposed to the current flat tax.

"We are one of the few states that taxes a minimum wage worker the same as a millionaire," Stadelman said. "I think it is only fair for us to ask voters if they think we should have a more equitable tax system."

Under the current Illinois Constitution, the state is prohibited from taxing income at a graduate rate like the propsed Fair Tax. SJRCA 1 would put a referendum on the ballot of the 2020 election to change that. Having passed the Senate, the amendment now goes to the Illinois House of Representatives.

Bipartisan effort brings $170,000 in state funds for Rockford playground reconstruction

Steve Stadelman and fellow Senator Dave Syverson secured a $170,000 Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity grant to rebuild aging playgrounds at Lewis Lemon Elementary School and Terry Lee Wells Park at the STEAM Academy at Haskell School.

Stadelman and Syverson announced the state's contribution at a news conference at Haskell, where the Rockford Park District and Rockford School District also pledged $100,000 each toward replacement of the playgrounds, which no longer meet safety standards. Playgrounds on the sites of the former Walker and White Swan elementary schools also are being refurbished. Both schools have been closed and demolished.

“During our community-wide meetings, we heard loud and clear that our citizens’ top priorities are our beautiful parks and playgrounds," Rockford Park District Executive Director Jay Sandine said. "We are so thankful to senators Stadelman and Syverson for their continued support of our community and families.”

• WTVO-17 news report

Senate passes Stadelman measures to fight urban blight

State Senator Steve Stadelman has won approval in the Illinois Senate for legislation he introduced to streamline the process for dealing with vacant homes and the negative impact they have on neighborhoods and communities across the state. 

Senate Bill 2052 allows municipalities to transfer government-owned properties to a county or intergovernmental agency without triggering the formal statutory process that is imposed on non-home rule cities like Rockford. Senate Bill 2097 gives counties authority to purchase blighted properties to renovate them for resale and keep the profits of the sale in order to renovate more homes.

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The legislation would enact recommendations made by the Illinois Community Revitalization Task Force, a panel created to help reduce blighted properties and revitalize communities throughout Illinois. Stadelman worked with Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara and the Illinois Housing Development Authority in developing legislation to address foreclosures that have hurt homeowners ability to recover from the economic downturn.

Stadelman's bills are now pending in the House of Representatives.

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Steve Stadelman is with Kwame Raoul.

May 1 at 6:09 PM · 

The annual Senate-House basketball game took place last night. The Senate won. ?? But, most importantly, no one got hurt. ??

 

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Kwame Raoul Steve was the real MVP! Kept us in the game when nobody else could score and handled their press well.

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Steve Stadelman Game analysis from our Attorney General!?

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Frank E. Cymerman That shirt tho!!!!

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Steve Stadelman Old WTVO shirt....where dd I find that??

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Steve Stadelman

April 23 at 9:43 PM · 

Enjoyed reading to students at Summerdale Early Learning Center. Legislators joined law enforcement officials to call for increased state investments in early childhood education, particularly access to preschool.

 

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids- Illinois
Today at a Rockford RPS 205 preschool, law enforcement and state legislators came together to read to 3- and 4-year-olds and acknowledge the clear benefits of p...

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Amy Estabrook Thank you!! Preschool education is so very important and sadly unappreciated by most. I hope that one day every child will have access to a preschool education. Every child deserves the best start at life. Thank you so so much!