SPRINGFIELD – Legislation was introduced that would require greater regional representation on the Illinois Tollway Board after none of the nine seats on the board were filled with members from Winnebago or Lake counties.

“Residents of counties serviced by the tollway ought to have someone on the board representing their interests,” State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford) said. “This bill guarantees that those very residents get that representation and aren’t forgotten.”

The Toll Highway includes 294 miles in five tollways that run through 12 counties: Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, Winnebago, Boone, McHenry, Kane, DeKalb, Ogle, Whiteside and Lee.

“We have a law that says no more than five members of the tollway board may be from the same political party,” State Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) said. “There should be a law that ensures geographic diversity on the board as well. Lake County is one of the largest financial contributors to the tollway. I think it's fair to demand a local voice for Lake County residents on the tollway board.”

Senate Bill 794 would require the governor to immediately appoint one member from Lake County and one member from either Winnebago, Boone or McHenry counties.

Stadelman seeks to stop motorists from watching videos while they drive

As smart phones get smarter and streaming speeds get faster, legislation intended to protect motorists from distracted drivers streaming videos while they drive was passed out of the Illinois Senate by State Senator Steve Stadelman.

“A person driving 70 miles per hour who looks down at their phone for 5 seconds has traveled over 150 yards,” Stadelman said. “The amount of damage and danger you can cause in that distance is far too great for us to not do anything.”

Senate Bill 86 clarifies that drivers may not use electronic devices to stream videos while they are driving. While the current hands-free law is often looked at mostly as a ban on the use of cell phones, it also includes tablets, laptops, video games and pagers. The ability to do what was once confined to home life – such as watching TV – has become an anytime, anywhere pursuit. It's estimated more than half of all Americans watch video on their smartphones.

According to the Center for Disease Control, nine people are killed every day in the United States from distracted driving. Additionally, 37 percent of unsafe driving behavior monitored by the EverQuote’s EverDrive app was caused by phone use.

The measure passed the Senate unanimously and now goes to the House of Representatives.

State assists with flooding in Machesney Park
State Senator Steve Stadelman participated in news conference at Machesney Park Village Hall, where the Winnebago County Board Chairman and Sheriff declared a disaster emergency along the Rock River. "Some 200 homes in Machesney Park alone are impacted by flooding," Stadelman said. "Property owners along the river need to be aware and plan for potential evacuations." Illinois Governor JB Pritzker subsequently toured flooded parts of Winnebago and Stephenson counties, announcing the state already was providing 234,000 sandbags, 125 rolls of plastic, 16 pumps and Illinois Department of Corrections crews to fill sandbags.   

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Steve Stadelman

March 19 at 7:03 PM · 

It was great to introduce on the Senate floor the FIRST EVER Miss Winnebago County Fair Queen to be crowned Miss Illinois County Fair Queen! Alexi Bladel, of Rockford, talked about empowering women in agriculture through education and encouragement. Right now, she's studying Fire Science at Rock Valley College.

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Bob Miller I like the way you do business Senator Steve. You keep it local. Your doing a good job!

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Heather Snedeker Bladel These are awesome pictures! Thank you for sharing!!!!

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Legislation seeks to stop people from watching videos while they drive

SPRINGFIELD – As smart phones get smarter and streaming speeds get faster, legislation intended to protect motorists from distracted drivers streaming videos while they drive was passed out of the Illinois Senate by State Senator Steve Stadelman (D-Rockford).

“A person driving 70 miles per hour who looks down at their phone for 5 seconds has traveled over 150 yards,” Stadelman said. “The amount of damage and danger you can cause in that distance is far too great for us to not do anything.”

Senate Bill 86 clarifies that drivers may not use electronic devices to stream videos while they are driving. While the current hands-free law is often looked at mostly as a ban on the use of cell phones, it also includes tablets, laptops, video games and pagers. The ability to do what was once confined to home life – such as watching TV – has become an anytime, anywhere pursuit. It's estimated more than half of all Americans watch video on their smartphones.

According to the Center for Disease Control, nine people are killed every day in the United States from distracted driving. Additionally, 37 percent of unsafe driving behavior monitored by the EverQuote’s EverDrive app was caused by phone use.

The measure passed the Senate unanimously and now goes to the House of Representatives.

Stadelman advances measures to fight urban blight

Cities and counties would have a streamlined process to address vacant homes under two new measures sponsored by State Senator Steve Stadelman. Senate bills 2052 and 2097 implement recommendations made by the Illinois Community Revitalization Task Force, a panel created to help reduce blighted properties and revitalize communities throughout Illinois.

“Blighted properties don’t just affect one or two neighbors, they can have a ripple effect on an entire block,” Stadelman said. “Getting our cities and counties the tools they need to fight this problem is the first step to rehabilitating our neighborhoods."

Stadelman partnered with Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara and the Illinois Housing Development Authority to work on a legislative fix.

“Sen. Stadelman recognizes the impact that foreclosures have had in Rockford, and I appreciate all of his work in Springfield to help mitigate this issue, which has made it difficult for many of our homeowners to recover from the economic downtown,” McNamara said. “My administration has taken aggressive action to strengthen our neighborhoods, including working with the city council to develop a vacant property registry and a land bank. Both these will reduce the impact of blighted and abandoned homes. And we will continue advocating for state-wide legislative tools that can help us in this work.” 

Audra Hamernik, executive director of the Illinois Housing Development Authority, said local governments need more tools for dealing with vacant properties.

“When confronted with abandoned and deteriorating homes, it is often local governments that bear the cost of maintaining, administering and demolishing these properties,” Hamernik said. “This urban blight is siphoning off critical resources from other programs vital to these communities. I applaud Senator Stadelman’s leadership in identifying real solutions as to how the state can better advocate for neighborhood revitalization, ensuring Illinois’ cities and towns become safer and more stable.”

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 municipalities including 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.

Both measures passed out of committee this week and now head the Senate floor for a vote. To help advance the bills from committee, Shawn Connors (pictured below) of the Rockford Fire Department came to Springfield to speak about the dangers abandoned properties pose for first responders.

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Steve Stadelman

56 mins · 

Congratulations to Advanced Machine & Engineering Co. for installing a 704-kilowatt solar array on its roof on Latham Street on Rockford's northwest side, making AME the region's largest commercial solar installation. AME applied to ComEd for a solar rebate and will receive a total of $176,240. The rebate is possible through legislation I supported three years ago.

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Steve Stadelman

17 hrs · 

Congratulations to Kerry Leigh, Kimberly Wheeler Johnsen and everyone at the Natural Land Institute for a successful annual dinner and especially to Steve and June Klieber of McHenry County, who received the 2019 George and Barbara Fell Award for exceptional conservation efforts in northern Illinois. I was in Springfield and unable to attend, but my chief of staff presented the Kliebers with a Certificate of Recognition from the Illinois Senate as an extra commendation for their years of volunteer service.

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Kimberly Wheeler Johnsen Thank you so much Senator Steve Stadelman for this wonderful recognition for the Keiblers. We missed you, but very glad Mark Bonne and your wife, Patty, could attend and present the certificate. Thank you for all you do for our State of Illinois.

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