Dear friends,

In this trying time, I'm very cognizant that information overload is one of the many challenges we all face. The state and local response to the coronavirus threat is appropriately robust and responsible, yet I appreciate everyone's apprehension.

This afternoon, Gov. JB Pritzker encouraged the people of Illinois to limit their travel by issuing a stay-at-home order to take effect at 5 p.m. Saturday, March 21. As rumors swirl, let me repeat the governor's assurance that essential services will always remain open, including but not limited to grocery stores, pharmacies and gas stations.

I'm including below links to those state resources that I believe you will find most helpful. Regrettably, I must postpone a Town Hall Meeting on Prescription Drug prices previously scheduled for March 30.

I'm including links below to the state resources I believe you will find most helpful. Please take every precaution to stay safe and healthy.

Sincerely,

Steve Stadelman | District 34

• With information changing so rapidly, the state has launched a new website containing all of the resources Illinois has developed in response to the COVID-19 crisis, including the latest health advisories, number of confirmed cases statewide and executive orders issued by the governor.

• Workers who are unemployed because of COVID-19 may apply for economic assistance through the Illinois Department of Employment Security. The website has been a bit unreliable due to overwhelming traffic, but when it’s operational, you can find more information at https://www2.illinois.gov/ides. For frequently asked questions about unemployment insurance, visit: https://www2.illinois.gov/ides/Pages/COVID-19-and-Unemployment-Benefits.aspx.

• All Illinois Secretary of State offices and Driver Service facilities are CLOSED through March 31. Expiration dates are being extended by 30 days for: driver’s licenses, identification cards, vehicle registrations and other transactions and document filings.

• Family and Community Resource Centers operated by the Illinois Department of Human Services (including the Rockford center at East State Street and Mulford Road) are open with reduced staff in accordance with guidelines on social distancing. It is recommended, however, that you apply for and manage benefits (including SNAP, WIC and TANF) online or by calling 1-800-843-6154. The state also has filed a federal waiver to ease eligibility requirements for food-assistance programs like SNAP and WIC.

• The Illinois Commerce Commission has enacted consumer protections for utility customers including a moratorium on shut-offs, suspension of late-payment penalties and a prohibition on door-to-door marketing by alternative suppliers until further notice.

• Illinois has been approved for up to $2 million in low-interest, federal disaster assistance loans for small businesses facing financial hardship following the submission of documentation demonstrating the impact of COVID-19 on more than 3,000 businesses across the state. Eligible businesses in all 102 counties can apply online. By order of the governor, sales tax payments are being deferred for more than 24,000 small- and medium-sized bars and restaurants — accounting for nearly 80% of dining and drinking establishments statewide.

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Coronavirus: What you should know

Stadelman moves to protect survivors of sexual assault

State Senator Steve Stadelman has introduced a bill that would make a civil no-contact order permanent if an individual is criminally convicted of sexual assault. Under current law, sexual assault survivors must see their alleged assailants in court every two years to renew their no contact orders.

“Survivors of sexual assault have to live day in and day out with the trauma caused by assault,” Stadelman said. “The least we can do to help them is not to force them to relive their trauma every 2 years.”

Stadelman developed the Senate Bill 3617 in consultation with the City of Rockford and Rockford Sexual Assault Counsel (RSAC). Similar lifetime protection orders are already in place for stalking victims.

“If an individual believes that it’s in the best interest of their safety to extend an order of no contact against their criminally convicted perpetrator, they should have the right to do so,” Stadelman said. “People should have the right to feel safe in their daily lives without having to endlessly go to court.”

Stadelman fights for rights of kids to run lemonade stands

State Senator Steve Stadelman voted last week for legislation that would prevent children from having their lemonade stands shut down by overzealous local bureaucrats. The legislation was inspired by the story of 11-year-old Hayli Martinez, who last week told the Senate Public Health Committee about how officials in Kankakee flagged and quickly closed her lemonade operation last summer. 

“My lemonade stand is a dream I shared with my grandma before she passed away -- she always told me to make lemonade out of lemons, so I did,” Martinez said. “When my lemonade stand was shut down, I became very upset. I asked myself, "Why me?" I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Stadelman is the sponsor of Senate Bill 3169 and co-sponsor of Senate Bill 3459. Both would eliminate local requirements such as a license, permit or fee to sell lemonade for an individual under the age of 16.

“We should be encouraging our young entrepreneurs. The current law does nothing but discourage them,” Stadelman said. “I remember what it was like to be a kid in the summer, trying to find something to do. This legislation allows our youth to be creative and make a small profit at the same time.”

SB 3459 passed committee and will now be reported to the Senate floor for full consideration.

 Stadelman legislation to spur construction spending passes Senate

Legislation introduced by State Senator Steve Stadelman to help the state finance construction projects across Illinois passed the Senate last week.

Stadelman's bill allows the Illinois Treasurer to invest up to 5 percent of the state’s investment portfolio in Illinois infrastructure development companies, a change that would permit up to $700 million in financing.

“This measure creates new economic development opportunities for the state,” Stadelman said. “The construction industry is a key part of our state’s economy, so it only makes sense to allow the treasurer to invest in infrastructure projects.”

In case you missed me on Facebook ...

Congratulations to recipients of the YWCA achievement awards at the 40th Leader Luncheon today and thank you to Calvin Wesley for his kind letter supporting my nomination in the racial justice category. In his letter, Calvin expressed hope for his personal growth, having obtained free legal assistance to expunge an old criminal record through the Second Chances Summit, a partnership between my office and Prairie State Legal Services.

Rockford area members of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition came to the Capitol to advocate for more state investment in wind and solar energy.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) announced today that local governments and community groups are now able to apply for a nearly $80 million grant to update critical infrastructure and spur economic development in the Rockford area.

“The money provided from these grants is a great economic opportunity for our local communities,” Stadelman said. “I applaud DCEO for using this program to not only make much needed improvements to our infrastructure, but also create new jobs in the process.”

The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) will allow communities and stakeholders to apply for these funds. It will distribute the funds to local governments, not-for-profits, economic development groups and even private businesses, which will create new job and economic opportunities.

DCEO has allocated $50 million for public infrastructure investments (available only to local governments), $16.5 million for regional economic development projects and $13 million ready-to-go for construction projects. Potential projects also include improvements to utility lines and waste disposal systems, land and building acquisition, and architectural planning and engineering design.

Applications for public infrastructure grants must be submitted by June 30, but others will be accepted on a rolling basis. Available grants, project guidelines and application materials can be found here.

For additional information on these funds, prospective applicants can visit DCEO’s website here. Interested parties can send questions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 217-785-6174.

SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) is taking action to ensure that local journalism survives in Illinois’ small towns and mid-sized cities.

“As a former journalist and news anchor, I know how important it is to have access to truly local news,” Stadelman said. “People deserve to know what’s happening in their communities, regardless of where they live.”

Senate Bill 3457 would create the Local Journalism Task Force, which would be made up of 10 individuals representing print and broadcast media, journalism schools, and state and local government. They would be charged with conducting a study on communities underserved by local journalism and making recommendations on how to preserve and restore news coverage in these areas.

“Your address should not dictate the quality and type of information you have access to,” Stadelman said. “This measure is meant to start a conversation and provide new ideas to help address shrinking press coverage in local communities.”

Declines in advertising revenue and circulation have meant that nearly half of the newsroom jobs at newspapers that existed in 2004 have since disappeared—and more than 2,000 thousand papers around the country have closed over the past 15 years.

If passed, the task force would be required to submit the findings from its study to the governor’s office, as well as the General Assembly, no later than January 1, 2022.